Smoked Pork Ribs

subheading: Remove The Membrane:

Use a sharp paring knife and start at one end. Slide your knife under the membrane and make short cuts while lifting the membrane from the rib bones.

The membrane should start to separate from the ribs. If you can cut a large enough flap, you should be able to rip the membrane from the ribs.

subheading: Applying The Rub:

It is important to prepare the pork ribs the night before you are going to smoke them. This will allow the rub to work it's magic. I have a few rub recipes listed here that you can use. The goal of a rub is not to overpower the flavor of the meat, but to add flavor.

Before applying the rub, wet the rack of ribs with olive oil or mustard. This will help the rub stick. I use mustard all of the time and the mustard flavor is never noticed at eating time. By wetting the ribs, the rub sticks well, and a great crust will form. Some people like to marinade their ribs, boil them, etc. The purpose of this article is to explain how I smoke them. The pork ribs turn out great every time and people love them. Need I say more.

subheading: Smoking Pork Spare Ribs:

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking them so they are closer to room temperature. If you put a cold rack of ribs on the pit, it takes longer to cook them and you waste wood/charcoal.

When I smoke ribs, I make a mixture of ¼ cooking oil and ¾ apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. The vinegar adds a good flavor and helps to tenderize the meat.

Shake the bottle and spray the ribs down every 45 minutes or so.

Smoke the ribs at a consistent temperature of 110 degrees for about 2 hours per kilogram, but usually no more than 6 hours.

subheading: Cooking Methods:

Heat the smoker to 110 degrees. Try to maintain 110 to 120 degrees during the entire smoking process. The ribs are done when the internal temperature reaches 80 degrees.

Place the ribs bone side up in the smoker: Yes, bone side up. I use a rib mop sauce that has no or very little brown sugar and no tomato products in it. These two ingredients will burn before the meat is done, and can produce bad results. It is best to apply a finishing sauce or glaze towards the last 30 to 40 minutes of smoking. When applying the finishing sauce, turn the ribs over so that the bone side is down then apply the sauce.

The ribs are done when the meat retracts and exposes the edge of the rib bones by about ½ inch or so, and basically each rib section will tear apart with ease. Grab a rib bone and twist. If it releases from the meat, or is pretty darn close, the ribs are done.

The internal meat temperature will be about 80 degrees or so when done. An instant read thermometer is a must have for checking if the ribs are done.

Using different types of woods will produce different smoke flavors in the meat. I usually use mesquite, apple, and charcoal. Too much mesquite can add too much of a smoky flavor to the ribs, so use it sparingly. Hickory and oak are also some of the commonly used woods for smoking ribs.

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