Pork Spare Ribs Recipe

Introduction

Nothing says BBQ more than ribs smoked to perfection. When done right, they are smoky, tender and juicy, and will have people licking their fingers every time! Here we have two different videos for  smoked spare ribs from Jabin with Postal Barbecue.

The first video uses the Slow 'N Sear® Kettle Grill. Then keep reading for the second video & recipe using the Slow 'N Sear® Travel Kettle with Meathead's Amazing Smoked Pork Rub and KC BBQ Sauce.

Ribs are so easy to smoke in the grill that once you learn how, you may never go back to BBQ restaurants again. 

Slow 'N Sear® Kettle Grill Recipe

Ingredients

  • Pork Spare ribs (St. Louis Style preferred) 
  • Kosher Salt
  • Rocky’s Rub
  • BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Rays “Original” with added apple cider vinegar to taste)
Homemade BBQ Rub (if desired)
  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp ginger powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder 
  • 2 tsp rosemary powder

    Prep

    To prepare your Spare ribs for smoking there isn’t usually much that needs to be done. To start, you will want to look over your ribs and trim off any unwanted exterior fat. Also, it is recommended to always remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. With the membrane removed and your ribs trimmed up, next we are going to dry brine the ribs overnight to allow the salt to penetrated into the center of the ribs.  To do this apply kosher salt to the outside of the spare ribs and place it back into the fridge for a few hours or overnight. 
     
    Once the spare ribs have been dry brined, remove it from the fridge and apply a thin layer of olive oil as a binder to the outside.  Next, apply a generous layer of our Rocky’s Rub or homemade rub of your choice. After your spare ribs have been seasoned let it hang out for a few minutes while you set up the Slow ’N Sear® Kettle.  Click here to see how to set up for low and slow cooking.

    Cook

    With our grill temperature locked into between 250°-275°F, place the prepared spare ribs onto the grill opposite the coals then press the ends together slightly. This will help give a better cook result.  Next, close the lid and begin smoking your spare ribs. After 2.5 hours, open the grill and check the progress of ribs, they won’t be near ready but you will want to start monitoring the exterior and begin to spritz the ribs every 45 - 60 minutes until the ribs are done.  To spritz the ribs we used a combination of water and apple cider vinegar. With each spritz, be quick and try not to leave the lid open for along in order to keep better control of your cooking temperatures. 
     
    After around 4.5-5 hours the ribs will be tender and you will notice that the bones have pulled back nicely as well as you may notice a little bit of rendered fat coming up through the ribs with the bones slightly pulling from the meat.  At this point, you can sauce your ribs then continue cooking them for about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to set up.  Once the sauce has set up, you can remove them from the grill, slice into them and enjoy your hard work.


    Slow 'N Sear® Travel Kettle Recipe

    Ingredients

        Prep

        To start, you will want to look over your ribs and trim off any unwanted exterior fat. Also, it is recommended to always remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. With the membrane removed and your ribs trimmed up, next apply a little bit of olive oil to the ribs followed by your favorite BBQ rub. In this recipe we are using “Meatheads Amazing Smoked Pork Rub” which will provide big bold flavor to the ribs. Once the ribs have been seasoned, place them in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. The salt that is in the rub will absorb into the ribs locking in moisture and seasoning the ribs all throughout.  This process is called dry brining. 

        NOTE: If you are using a salt free rub, apply your rub the night before then place into the fridge covered to dry brine. Once your salted (dry brined) ribs have sat in the fridge overnight, apply your salt free rub to both sides of the ribs.

        Cook

        With our grill temperature locked into around 250°F, place the prepared spare ribs onto the grill opposite the coals then press the ends together slightly. This will help give a better cook result. Next, place some hardwood onto the coals to add some smoky flavor along with a water pan with about 16oz of hot water on the grate above the coals. This will help keep the ribs hydrated as they cook.  Next, close the lid and begin smoking your spare ribs.  After 2 hours of cooking, open the grill and rotate the ribs to promote some even cooking. Next, spritz the ribs with a combination of half water and half apple cider vinegar, then close the lid and continue cooking.

        At the 3.5 hour mark open your grill again, and give the ribs a second spritz. Lastly rotate the ribs one more time and then close the lid and continue cooking until you have tenderness you prefer. 

        After around 4-4.5 hours the ribs will be tender and you will notice that the bones have pulled back nicely as well as you may notice a little bit of rendered fat coming up through the ribs with the bones slightly pulling from the meat.  At this point, you can sauce your ribs then continue cooking them for about 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to set up.  Once the sauce has set up, you can remove them from the grill, slice into them and enjoy your hard work.