Slow Smoked Ribs

Nothing smells better on a Sunday afternoon than slow smoked ribs. We are big fans of ribs and there are thousands of great ways to cook them. They can come sloppy wet, sweet and tangy, dry and tender, or even deep fried (yeah I have done that too).

Today I am going to go through my process of slow smoked dry ribs. This is a lot like the way I used to cook them in competition with the exception of secret spices.

When shopping for your ribs, try to to get St. Louis Cut pork spare ribs.

These are sometimes also called "three-two ribs" or "Three Downs".

Just try to keep the size less than four pounds if they are untrimmed. That way when they get trimmed they will lose about a pound. These ribs will be cooked with a sweet spice. Most of the rub includes brown sugar. One I like to use is called Gordon’s Grub Rub.

It has a pretty mild flavor and mixes well with any sauce. Use whatever makes you happy. If you want a spicy sweet rib, use a rub that has more pepper or mustard.

Preparing your ribs is one of the most important parts to making a good rib. After you have your smoker started and the temperature is ready, take your ribs out and make sure to wash and dry them. Get all the water off the ribs so the rub sets into the meat well.

When trimming the ribs you want to remove any extra fat from the ribs.

Also remove the cartilage from the bones so all you have are short meaty ribs. After the fat is trimmed down remove the caps from the ribs. This is the soft cartilage part of the rib. This is best done with a cleaver.

Make sure to cut along the bone of the actual rib. This will ensure that all you bite into is sweet ribs and not a bunch of fat or cartilage.

Even though we don’t want to keep these together they are still tasty. You can cook these closer to the fire and they will give you a little half way point treat. They also will give you an idea if your rub is working out.

Once the ribs are trimmed the next step is to remove the thick membrane off the back side of the ribs. This is what can make a rib tough. To remove the membrane flip the ribs over and run your finger just under the membrane. If the ribs are good and dry it should come off easily.

If the membrane is hard to pull off grab a tea towel and use it for leverage. You can also use a butter knife to help get the membrane loose.

Once the trimming process is completed, the ribs should look like this. MMMMMMM Yummy.

the next step is to apply the rub. This should be "rubbed" in not just sprinkled. Coat the ribs and the rib trimmings thoroughly with the spices.

This is also one of those great times to get your kids involved. They get to hang with you and feel like they are being a part of the process.

Let the ribs set for a few minutes and make sure your smoker is ready to rock. I like to cook my ribs between 200 and 250.

This will ensure a good 5 hour cook. Yeah, slow smoking is slow but there is a trick to enjoying the time. This is also a good time to send your buddies off for the Bee Double E Double R-U- N. BEER RUN!

Generally I hang my ribs but for this cooking we were also roasting corn so we had to lay them flat. Just make sure to keep the ribs as far away from direct heat as possible.

Once they are set in the smoker take a good look and shut the door. You won’t be back for at least 2 hours.

If there is room on the smoker add the trimmings to the hot side of the pit. These will cook fast and make a good snack about half way through the cooking. My kids love these and they are ready just about the time they start to complain that it is taking too long.

After about two hours, I go out and spray the ribs down with a little apple juice. This ensures that there is still moisture on the outside and the ribs get a little sweeter. After about 3 hours the trimmings are ready. My kids call them RIB-EEESS!

These cook closer to 350 degrees so they cook faster. These are only for serious rib eaters. you have to eat around all the junk to get a good hunk of meat.

They are pretty good to share with a little dog too. I don’t think much is going to hit the floor.

Let the ribs smoke for a few more hours. After the trimmings feast it is generally best to rest. (Yes, we are all asleep.)

Once the nap is over the ribs should be close to done. Take them out and let the ribs set for about 10 minutes. The ribs should look almost jet black.