This Smoked Ribs Recipe will show you how easy it is to make juicy, fall-off-the-bone ribs right at home. These ribs are seasoned and smoked to perfection.
If you love barbecue, try our tasty 4 ingredient BBQ sauce and grilled barbecue chicken wings.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love this Smoked Ribs recipe because it’s easy to make and I can put it in the smoker hours ahead, leaving me plenty of time to work on other dishes. This is so delicious and fabulous to serve to friends and family.
- TASTE: Since Traeger ribs are smoked, they have that amazing hickory smoked flavor that all the bbq restaurants have. When dipped in bbq sauce, its a match made in heaven!
- TEXTURE: These ribs are juicy and fall off the bone tender. Like seriously! They’re perfectly smoked for a melt-in-your-mouth texture! Simply incredible.
- TIME: The prep time for this recipe is incredibly fast, but the smoking takes hours though. Low and slow is that way to go for smoked ribs. So, It’s definitely something you want to make ahead of time. 6.5 hours total.
- EASE: This recipe is very easy to make. Just remove the membrane, season the ribs, and let the smoked do all the hard work.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Rack of spare ribs– I get mine at Costco.
- Seasonings- Kosher salt and Coarse ground black pepper or a combination of the two.
- Barbecue sauce- Use your favorite (optional).
- Hickory pellets– For the smoker.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute other meats- You can also make this recipe using chicken breasts, thighs, and legs, as well as beef brisket or pork.
- Add other sauces or sweeteners- Once these ribs are smoked, toss them in teriyaki or hoisin sauce. You can also sweeten them with a brush of apple juice, honey, or brown sugar.
- Add different seasonings- Try these Smoked Ribs with different seasonings, such as cayenne pepper, sage, lemon pepper, berbere spices, paprika, or curry powder.
- Use other pellets- Change the flavor of the smoked meat by using different pellets, like cherry wood or apple wood.
How to Make Smoked Ribs
- Prep the pork ribs. First, pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Then flip them so they are bone-side up and, using a paper towel for grip, pull the membrane off the ribs. Discard.
- Season them. Generously season the ribs with salt and pepper.
- Heat your smoker. Add the hickory pellets to the smoker (I used a Traeger). Then bring the temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and place the ribs on, meat side down, and close the lid.
- Cook. Cook them for 4 1/2 hours, until they have a burnt orange color to the outside.
- Foil wrap the rack of ribs. Take the spare ribs off the smoker and wrap them in several layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil or butcher paper. Then put them back on the smoker for another 2 hours. If you want to add barbecue sauce, unwrap the ribs 30 minutes before they’re done and coat them with your favorite sauce.
- Rest the ribs. Take the meat off the smoker and let it rest in the foil for at least an hour before serving to allow the meat to reabsorb the juices and make it tender.
- Serve. Serve hot with more barbecue sauce and enjoy!
Pro Tip: Add your sauce at the end. Wait until the last 30 minutes of cooking before you add the barbecue sauce. Otherwise, it will dry and become gummy on the ribs.
Recipe Tips
- Perfect seasoning- If you want to get the perfect blend of seasoning, try a mix sold at your local barbecue restaurant (that’s what I do).
- Cook until the ribs are orange/red colored- The first half of the cooking lasts for about 4 1/2 hours. Look for a nice barn orange/red color on the outside of the ribs before moving on to the next step.
- Wrap the ribs before finishing the smoking process- This limits the amount of smoke on the surface of the ribs, which gives it better flavor and color in the end, as well as adding moisture and speeding up the time needing to fully cook them.
- Let it rest- Letting the ribs rest after cooking lets all the juices reabsorb into the meat, adding moisture and making them fall-off-the-bone tender.
FAQs
The total time to smoke ribs is about 6 1/2 hours. This is done in two stages. First, the ribs are smoked for about 4 1/2 hours, until they reach an orange/barn red color. Then they’re wrapped and put back in the smoker for another 2 hours. This ensures that they are fully cooked and tender.
The smoked ribs temperature when done is anywhere from 175-180 degrees Fahrenheit, up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. While the typical finished temperature for pork is 145 degrees, this is too low for the collagen inside the ribs to melt to a gelatin, which is what gives ribs their delicious texture and chew. So smoking them at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about 6 1/2 hours will bring them into this perfect smoked ribs temperature range.
Serving Suggestions
These tender ribs are the perfect summer meal. Serve them with fries, veggies, bread, or other delicious meats.
- Vegetables- Serve it with Corn on the Cob, Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, Avocado Corn Salad, or Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, among others.
- Bread- Cornbread is always a favorite. Try this Southern Hot Water Cornbread, Cornbread Muffins, or Moist Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe.
- Other meats- BBQ Wings, BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Legs, Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Sandwiches, or Crispy Air Fryer Bacon are all great options.
- Fries- Serve these Smoked Ribs with some Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries, Crispy Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Zucchini Fries, or Air Fryer Potato Wedges.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Because smoking takes some hours, it’s best to make these ahead of time, such as earlier in the day. Store them wrapped in foil until you’re ready to serve.
Storing: Store these smoked ribs in the refrigerator wrapped in foil or in an airtight container (for best results). They will last for 3-5 days. To reheat them, just wrap the ribs in foil and place them back on the smoker or in a 225-degree Fahrenheit oven until warmed through. Then remove the foil and reapply the barbecue sauce before serving.
Freeze: You can freeze these ribs in a freezer ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating and adding more sauce.
More Tasty Smoked Meats!
Full Recipe Instructions
Smoked Ribs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 rack of spare ribs
- Kosher salt
- Coarse ground black pepper
- BBQ sauce of choice optional
- Hickory pellets
Instructions
- Start off by patting the ribs dry with a paper towel. Then flip the ribs so they are bone-side up. Use a sheet of paper towel to help grip the membrane as you pull it off of the ribs. Then discard the membrane.
- Now generously season the ribs with kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper. I just buy a blend of salt and pepper from a local barbecue restaurant.
- Add your hickory pellets to the smoker (I use a Traeger). Then bring the temperature to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the ribs on (meat side down) and close the lid. Cook for about 4 1/2 hours. You want to look for a burnt orange color on the outside of the ribs.
- Now take the spareribs off of the smoker and wrap them in several layers of heavy-duty foil or butcher paper. Then put the wrapped ribs back onto the smoker at the same temperature for another 2 hours. Tip: if you want to add barbecue sauce, unwrap the ribs at the last 30 minutes and generously coat them in your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Then take the meat off the smoker and let it rest in foil for at least 1 hour before serving. This will allow the meat to reabsorb the juices and moisture and make it fall off the bone tender.
- Serve hot with more barbecue sauce.
Notes
- Perfect seasoning- If you want to get the perfect blend of seasoning, try a mix sold at your local barbecue restaurant (that’s what I do).
- Cook until the ribs are orange colored- The first half of the cooking lasts for about 4 1/2 hours. Look for a nice burnt orange color on the outside of the ribs before moving on to the next step.
- Wrap the ribs before finishing the smoking process- This limits the amount of smoke on the surface of the ribs, which gives it better flavor and color in the end, as well as adding moisture and speeding up the time needing to fully cook them.
- Add your sauce at the end– Wait until the last 30 minutes of cooking before you add the barbecue sauce. Otherwise, it will dry and become gummy on the ribs.
- Let it rest- Letting the ribs rest after cooking lets all the juices reabsorb into the meat, adding moisture and making them fall-off-the-bone tender.
Nutrition
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