Cooking on smokers and BBQs takes love, patience and practice. Meats of different quality and type cook differently. Practice, Practice, Practice! Have a bevy and enjoy the experience.
Rinse the ribs with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs (hint! pierce under the skin with a knife to lift the membrane and use a paper towel to grip – you’ll impress yourself).
Sprinkle with the seasoning mix as your first base flavour – salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and paprika.
Lightly coat with mustard for the rub to adhere nicely. Not too much. Just enough!
Add your favorite rub. In this case I’m using a rub I use on my smoked brisket.
Prep your smoker! Bring to a temperature of approx. 225’F. Add your favorite wood chunks (3 or 4). I’m using apple and cherry wood for this recipe - nice light fruity flavour!
TIP: USE a thermometer. I always go to my trusty "Thermapen MK4". Turns on and off automatically. Readings rotate and are quick. I also use the "Thermoworks Smoke". It has a 2 channel system that tracks the grill temperature, meat temperature, and has a wireless component that lets you monitor what is going on even if you're inside.
Add wood chunks hourly, at the 2nd and 3rd hour mark.
Baste every hour with a mix of juices. Add to a spray bottle for easy application. I like to use a mix of apple juice, pineapple juice, cider vinegar, olive oil and sweet rice wine. Use whatever you like – it’s going to taste awesome - keep the meat moist.
After 3 hours, remove from the smoker and place in foil. Add a little honey and brown sugar to sweeten up these beauties. Wrap tightly and put back on the smoker for 2 hours.
Remove and add your favorite sauce. I’m using my homemade BBQ sauce from brisket drippings (yup – yum!) and CattleBoys (this sauce uses molasses – nice flavour – the kids love it!).
Cook for another 30 minutes. Remove and cut into single “bones” and serve! Your family and friends will love you! They will pay you money – ok, maybe not but they will enjoy the love you put into this creation!
Side Thought: This stuff takes work! I love it! I love to cook but more importantly, I can control what I put into the recipes that we enjoy eating.
If you have never tried slow smoked ribs, you're in for a treat with this recipe. The layers of rub and sauces at different stages produces an incredible tender and tasty rib! Dang!
If by chance you don't have a smoker or a nice neighbor with one, no worries. Slow cook in the oven or on the grill using the same process and temperatures. Instead of smoking with wood chunks, add a little liquid smoke to the rub and/or sauce.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 5 hrs
Serves/Yields: 6 – 8 Servings
Ingredients:
Pork & Seasoning:
3 racks pork ribs
Seasoning:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
Rub:
¼ cup mustard
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp salt (e.g. himalayan)
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground allspice
Basting:
mix of juices as desired (e.g. apple, pinapple, cider vinegar, olive oil)
Tenderizing:
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
Instructions:
pull the membrane off the back of the ribs (optional)
sprinkle with seasoning
add light coating of mustard and rub around all sides
add the rub (ensure you get the rub everywhere!)
bring slow smoker to a temperature of approx. 235’F
add your favorite wood chunks (e.g. cherry and/or apple)
add the ribs meat side up and close the lid
baste hourly
remove after 3 hours
place the ribs in foil
sprinkle a little brown sugar and add honey
wrap ribs tightly in foil and add back to smoke (meat side down)
cook for approx. 1.5 hrs
remove from foil and add back to the smoker
brush a light coat of your favorite BBQ sauce
bbq for approx. 5 minutes to lightly char
cut into singles and serve