These Smoked Ribs are so tender, juicy and fall off the bone, with tons of flavor from the homemade rub and the addition of a honey and bbq sauce glaze. One recipe you want to keep around all year long!
You guys, these Smoked Ribs are fire! If you didn’t know by now, my friends and family go crazy for quite a few of our recipes. But I think everyone agrees that Fall Off The Bone Ribs have become a chart-topper!
This Smoked Ribs Recipe came from my original rib recipe that everyone goes crazy for, just check the reviews. And, when we made these not long ago, the response was the same!
These ribs still fall off the bone and have an amazing flavor from not just the homemade rub that completely coats these, but the fantastic honey bbq sauce that we doctor up too.
Now adding an amazing smokey flavor that really makes your mouth water just thinking about them, you will absolutely not get enough of these Smoked Ribs!
Ribs are always a hit at parties, BBQ’s, get-togethers, bonfires, you name it. Once they hear I’m making ribs for dinner, the guest list just grows and grows. Don’t worry, once you make these, your friends and family will be asking for them all summer too!
The hardest part is hanging around the smoker while they cook and having to smell the sweet, deliciousness in there and not being able to chow down. But once you can sink your teeth into them it’s all worth it, I promise.
Some of our other favorite summer themed recipes we have on our site include: Homemade Baked Beans, Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs and Juicy Lucy’s!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- You can use our homemade rub and bbq sauce mixture, but you have the choice to use your own store bought rub or other bbq sauce if needed.
- The glaze has been perfectly baked on to where the flavor soaks into the meat while still leaving that kinda sticky feel on the outside you expect with ribs.
- Easy to double this recipe to serve more people.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Baby back ribs
Light brown sugar
Sweet paprika
Pepper
Kosher salt
Ground cumin
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Chili powder
Dried mustard
BBQ sauce
Honey
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED RIBS, STEP BY STEP:
- Take the membrane off the back of the ribs and place them on a large sheet of foil, set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and dried mustard. I use a fork to break up any clumps in the brown sugar.
- Evenly distribute the rub on the top and bottom of the ribs.
- Rub it in to make sure the spices stick.
- Preheat your smoker to the “smoke” setting. Place the ribs with the foil open directly on the grates. Smoke for 1 hour.
- Wrap the foil around the rack to form a package. Turn the smoker up to 300°F. It will take about 10-15 for the smoker to come to temp.
- Cook for 2 & ½ to 3 & ½ hours until an internal temperature reaches 195°F. You will need to temp the ribs between two bones in the center of the rack.
- While the ribs are cooking, make the bbq sauce by mixing together the bbq sauce and the honey.
- Once the ribs come up to temp, brush the bbq sauce all over.
- Close the lid and let them continue to cook for 15 minutes, basting with the bbq sauce every 5 minutes. We are looking to produce a baked-on sticky bbq sauce glaze. Take off the smoker and serve immediately.
HOW AND WHY DO I REMOVE THE MEMBRANE?
Taking off the membrane can be a little tricky, and this is optional to your taste. I find if I use my fingernail to pry up the corner of the membrane, then grab onto it with paper towels and pull, that is the easiest way for me to remove it. Otherwise, it can be slippery.
Removing the membrane especially on Smoked Ribs helps absorb the smoky flavor, it also helps in making the ribs more tender and fall off the bone. So it is highly recommended that it be removed.
WHAT KIND OF BBQ SAUCE SHOULD I USE?
Use your favorite homemade BBQ sauce or store bought sauce, just make sure it is a sweeter, brown sugar base, then add the honey. Our favorite BBQ sauce to use is the original Sweet Baby Ray’s.
The honey is absolutely optional, but we find that it really adds to the flavor and sticky delicious texture that you get with the end results.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO FINISH THESE RIBS OFF?
To make it easy, we finish the ribs on the smoker with the BBQ sauce. You can also sear them on a gas or charcoal grill while basting with the sauce.
We have done both ways and our favorite is over charcoal. But just be careful, they are extremely tender and may break in half if they are handled too much.
RECIPES THAT GO GOOD WITH RIBS:
HOW TO STORE:
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container with extra sauce or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and placed in a bag. Any leftover ribs will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
To reheat leftover Smoked Ribs, I like to put them into a foil packet and place them in the oven at 350°F until they are warm again, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
You can also choose to freeze these ribs for up to 3 months. Wrap them in plastic, then foil and place in a freezer-safe container.
To defrost, remove them from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator. Once they’ve thawed use the instructions above to reheat them. I always like to have extra sauce on hand when I’m reheating them so I can add more if needed.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- If you are in a rush, you can skip the “smoke step” in the beginning, but it really adds a lot to the flavor and I highly suggest doing this step and not skipping out if you can. We have noticed some smoker brands and models vary and some take longer to cook than others. This is why we suggest keeping them on the grill for 2 & ½ – 3 & ½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F. When cooked to this temp, the ribs will literally fall off the bone—sooooo good.
- To add a little heat, I like to add 1 teaspoon or more of cayenne, chipotle powder, or red pepper flakes to the rub. I recommend starting with one addition, tasting, and adding more if desired.
- Make sure that you are using baby back ribs, we haven’t tested these with any other ribs at this point.
- Try to keep the ribs as one whole rack as you cook them. This will help preserve the moisture in the meat so it’s nice and juicy.
- Don’t go for the cheapest cut of meat. Get a nice high quality rack of ribs, you’ll notice even more flavor and juiciness.
- You can use your favorite bbq sauce or even make your own homemade if you wish. We like to keep ours a brown sugar base and add honey, the honey is optional but highly recommended.
Looking for that perfect smoker recipe that will impress a crowd at your next gathering? Then you absolutely must make these Smoked Ribs, you won’t turn back!
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
If you’ve tried this SMOKED RIBS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Smoked Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack of baby back ribs
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- Take the membrane off the back of the ribs and place them on a large sheet of foil, set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and dried mustard. I use a fork to break up any clumps in the brown sugar.
- Evenly distribute the rub on the top and bottom of the ribs.
- Rub it in to make sure the spices stick.
- Preheat your smoker to the “smoke” setting. Place the ribs with the foil open directly on the grates. Smoke for 1 hour.
- Wrap the foil around the rack to form a package. Turn the smoker up to 300°F. It will take about 10-15 for the smoker to come to temp.
- Cook for 2 & ½ to 3 & ½ hours until an internal temperature reaches 195°F. You will need to temp the ribs between two bones in the center of the rack.
- While the ribs are cooking, make the bbq sauce by mixing together the bbq sauce and the honey.
- Once the ribs come up to temp, brush the bbq sauce all over.
- Close the lid and let them continue to cook for 15 minutes, basting with the bbq sauce every 5 minutes. We are looking to produce a baked-on sticky bbq sauce glaze. Take off the smoker and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are in a rush, you can skip the “smoke step” in the beginning, but it really adds a lot to the flavor and I highly suggest doing this step and not skipping out if you can. We have noticed some smoker brands and models vary and some take longer to cook than others. This is why we suggest keeping them on the grill for 2 & ½ - 3 & ½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 195°F. When cooked to this temp, the ribs will literally fall off the bone---sooooo good.
- To add a little heat, I like to add 1 teaspoon or more of cayenne, chipotle powder, or red pepper flakes to the rub. I recommend starting with one addition, tasting, and adding more if desired.
- Make sure that you are using baby back ribs, we haven't tested these with any other ribs at this point.
- Try to keep the ribs as one whole rack as you cook them. This will help preserve the moisture in the meat so it's nice and juicy.
- Don't go for the cheapest cut of meat. Get a nice high quality rack of ribs, you'll notice even more flavor and juiciness.
- You can use your favorite bbq sauce or even make your own homemade if you wish. We like to keep ours a brown sugar base and add honey, the honey is optional but highly recommended.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Andrea
These were so good!! My toddler is teething and hasn’t been eating much in the last week, but he absolutely devoured these!!