Sweet and Smoke, Ribs Made Easy.

Ribs are a staple of smoking, but they don’t need to be hard. There are different ways of making ribs which help the meat fall off the bone and imbue them with a ton of flavor. Here I am going to illustrate how easy we can make them, with or without a smoker, 3 different ways. Let’s explore cooking ribs utilizing the oven, a slow cooker, and finally the smoker. for the sake of consistency, we will explore different methods of cooking with easy to find ingredients, such as dry rubs and barbeque sauces that you can find on the shelf of your local grocery store.

Here’s what you need to create some mouth watering ribs at home:

• A Rack of Ribs

• Olive oil

• Spice Rub(My go to is McCormick Smokehouse Maple, but experiment with different rubs, since you may like a little different flavor profile)

• Barbeque Sauce of choice(It doesn’t take much for the smoker and oven versions, but you are going to need at least two bottles for the slow cooker version)

• Probe thermometer(Given it is not essential for this recipe, you should have one for the smoker and oven version of these ribs)

*If you want a smoke like flavor as if you were smoking the ribs, some stores carry liquid smoke, but use it sparingly, since it is a concentrated form of smoke flavor.

-Smoker Method-

For this method, we are employing the help of a smoker, and that means choosing a wood that pairs well with the rub and BBQ sauce that we will be using. Personally I prefer cherry, but mesquite and hickory are also nice choices.

1) Start by preparing your rack. If your smoker is unable to fit the entire rack on the grate, cut the rack in half between the bones. Get about a tablespoon of oil on your hands and rub it into the meat. This ensures proper hydration of the dry rub we will be using, and gives a surface for the rub to stick to.

2) Use a liberal amount of dry rub, and coat the entire rack, making sure to rub it into the meat, so that it sticks.

3) Place the rack on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, and slide it into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to let the salts in the dry rub pull the moisture to the surface, and redistribute it throughout the meat.

4) Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and prepare your wood to smoke with(If you are using wood chips, throw them into a pan with a bit of water and bring to a boil. strain off the remaining water)

5) Take the ribs out of the refrigerator for about 10-20 minutes before placing your probe thermometer into the thickest part of the ribs, making sure not to touch the bones with your thermometer or stick through.

6) Place the rack into the preheated smoker, and bump the heat up to 230 degrees. Let the meat come up to around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. this should take 1-2 hours depending on the size of your rack.

7) Once the meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees, pull it out of the smoker and brush it lightly with your barbeque sauce of choice, wrap the rack tightly in aluminum foil and place back into the smoker.

8) The ribs should stay in the smoker until they reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Once they reach temperature, pull them from the smoker, and leave them wrapped in foil for about 15 minutes.

9) You can serve these ribs immediately, or if you want to add a little extra texture to them, brush the BBQ sauce on the rack, and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce becomes thick, and starts to slightly char around the ribs. Enjoy.

-Oven Method-

As with the smoker method of cooking ribs, the oven method of cooking follows the same exact starting steps as the smoker method. Let’s start with step number six:

6) Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, wrap you ribs in foil before placing your rib rack onto the middle shelf in the oven.

7) Cook until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit.

8) Let sit for 10 minutes, then unwrap your rack, and brush with BBQ sauce.

9) Place your rack right under the broiler in your oven for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens and starts to char. Pull out and enjoy.

*If you want the flavor of smoked ribs, mix your liquid smoke with your olive oil at the beginning, it may not mix well with the oil, but it will get evenly dispersed when you rub the oil into the meat.

-Slow Cooker Method-

Again, as we did for the oven method and smoker method, the preparation for the slow cooker is the same, with a slight caveat. Make sure to cut the ribs between the bones before the first steps, and preheat the slow cooker on low heat.

6) There is no need to wrap your ribs in foil for this method. Add ribs and 2-3 bottles of whatever BBQ sauce you wish to use to the slow cooker.

7) Let cook for 5-6 hours on low in the slow cooker.

8) There isn’t much more to the slow cooker method than to serve yourself and enjoy.

*You can also add liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce and ribs in the slow cooker to introduce the smoke flavor into your ribs.

I’m happy I’ve had the opportunity to share these 3 relatively easy ways to prepare and cook some delicious ribs. The barbeque sauce is definitely optional, especially if the people you are serving are “purists,” but as a personal preference, I like to find a good sauce to pair nicely with the spice rub that I use. Often times, I reach for a little spicy of a rub, such as a chipotle maple rub, and pair it with a sweet and tangy, fruity BBQ sauce. You should experiment with different rubs, alternate sauces, and find what you like most.

Stay Healthy, Stay Happy, Stay Cooking,

-Nobrega’s Kitchen, est.2021-