While there are obviously lots of different methods to cook ribs, some are definitely more time-consuming and complicated than others. This smoked ribs recipe is all about keeping things as simple and as easy to follow as possible. If this is your first time using a pellet grill/smoker, this is a good method to follow to keep things as simplistic as possible.
Tap/Click above to watch this simple smoked ribs recipe: Video – CampChef.com
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Step 1: This recipe uses a pack of St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs. So first things first, get your prep area ready and get the ribs out of the packaging.
Step 2: Next lay the ribs out on your cooking board and get some paper towel to tap over the surface of the ribs to absorb any surplus moisture on them.
Step 3: Make sure to flip the ribs over and pat them dry on both sides.
Step 4: Don’t worry about having to spend a long time trimming the ribs, but you’ll want to remove any large hanging bits, such as the flap seen in the image above.
Step 5: When it comes to the membrane on the back of the ribs don’t try to remove it, just take a sharp knife and score in a cross-hatch pattern so the ribs cook properly and the smoke/rub can penetrate the meat.
Step 6: No binder was used in this simple ribs recipe, and the rub used was Texas Hat Hanger, which is made up of Salt, Black Pepper, Granulated Garlic, Coriander, Sugar, Granulated Onion, Paprika, and Sunflower Oil.
Step 7: On the bone side of the ribs just give it a light scattering of rub.
Step 7: However, when you flip the ribs back over to the meat side, make sure to apply the rub more liberally and make sure you get every inch of them, and get some rub on the sides as well.
Step 8: After you have fully seasoned the ribs, let them sit for around 15 minutes for the salt and other flavors to penetrate into the meat.
Step 9: These ribs were then smoked on the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro, which you can learn about in our database, which features a Smoke Box for additional flavor. With this recipe, some hickory wood chunks were thrown in.
Step 10: The pellet grill was set to 225 degrees with an estimated cooking time of 5 to 6 hours in total. Plenty of time to get some good smoke penetration into the ribs.
Step 11: This recipe doesn’t involve saucing or wrapping the ribs while on the smoker. As stated above, this recipe is all about simplicity. This is what the ribs looked like after 4 hours.
Step 12: While the ribs continue to cook, its time to prepare a Texas-style BBQ sauce which will be added to the ribs when it is time to wrap them. Get a pan to medium-low heat, add 8oz of tomato sauce, with a cup of ketchup, one cup of fresh lemon juice, two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, and stir.
Step 13: Then add 1 TSP of Garlic Powder, 1 TSP of Coarse Black Pepper, 1/4 TSP of Cumin, 1/4 TSP of Paprika, and 1/8 TSP of Cayenne Pepper.
Step 14: Stir all those ingredients together as the heat in the pan rises.
Step 15:Then add in a cup of brown sugar, and stir through. Then let the sauce simmer on a low heat for around 5 minutes.
Step 16: Then, pour the sauce into a jar or similar receptacle. You won’t need all of this sauce for a single rack of ribs, so you’ll have enough for next time.
Step 17: Back to the ribs on the pellet smoker, which after five and half hours the meat has pulled away from the bone nicely, and with an internal temperature of 198 degrees, they are ready to come off.
Step 18: Next, lay out some good quality foil on your worktop and lay a single strip of the Texas BBQ sauce you made the length of the ribs.
Step 19: Then roll the ribs (meat side down) over the sauce. That’s it, don’t pour the rest of the sauce all over the ribs, that line of sauce will be sufficient.
Step 20: Next, fold over the foil edges back over the ribs and make sure its nice and tight. Then place the ribs in your kitchen oven at 170 degrees until you are ready to serve them.
Step 21: When you’re ready to eat, take the ribs out of the oven, unwrap them, and get a decent sharp knife.
Step 22: Flip the ribs over, bone side up as that will make it a lot easier to cut them apart, and after cutting them up flip them back over for a nice presentation.
Step 23: These ribs turned out great as you can see. Notice that very respectable smoke ring, well a lot of that is down to the Smoke Box on the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro.
Step 24: Just to further emphasize the point, look at how cleanly the meat is pulling away from the bone. Fantastic!
Hi, I’m Chris Scott. I started PelHeat.com back in 2007 and I have a background in pellet manufacturing. PelHeat.com is an educational resource on BBQ pellets, pellet grills & smokers. Check out our Pellet Grill & Smoker Database.
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