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picture of smoked pork rib on a cutting board
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4.75 from 393 votes

Best Smoked Pork Ribs Ever Recipe

The Best Smoked Pork Ribs Ever Recipe - juicy, tender delicious restaurant quality smoked ribs at home are easier than you think! This is the best ever pork ribs recipe you can make at home.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Grill and Smoker
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baby back ribs, bbq ribs, keto ribs, paleo ribs, pork ribs, ribs, smoked ribs
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 3197kcal
Author: Courtney O'Dell

Ingredients

  • For the rub:
  • 1 tbsp ground black or white pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp Paprika sweet Hungarian paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • For the bath:
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup apple juice or cider
  • 4 tbsp of butter cubed
  • For the Ribs:
  • 1 rack baby back ribs reduce cook time if using spare or St. Louis Style ribs

Instructions

  • Pre-soak wood chips in water for 1/2 hour. 
  • Preheat wood chips in smoker to get to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  • Remove ribs from any packaging and pat dry. 
  • Remove silver skin and trim off any excess sloppy bits from ribs. 
  • Mix rub ingredients well, cover completely over ribs. 
  • Let ribs come to room temperature while wood begins to smoke and smoker comes to temperature. 
  • Smoke ribs on smoker for 3 hours. 
  • Lay out foil and lay ribs on top, adding butter, juice, and cider into foil and wrap ribs tightly in foil. 
  • Cook in foil for 2 hours. 
  • Open foil and baste ribs in cooking liquids.
  • Remove the ribs from the foil and use the instructions below based on if you want your ribs without sauce or with sauce.

For ribs without sauce:

  • Baste another 2-3 times with cooking liquids, total time for final smoke will be one hour.
  • When ribs are crunchy to your preference, remove and let rest at least 15 minutes before slicing or serving. 

For ribs with sauce:

  • Baste a thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce over ribs and cook for about 15 minutes more. Sauce will be sticky, not runny. 
  • Repeat with another thin layer of sauce two more times. Total time for final smoke will be one hour. Let ribs rest at least 15 minutes before slicing or serving. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 3197kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 267g | Saturated Fat: 61g | Cholesterol: 1128mg | Sodium: 5942mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 31g