Smoked Spare Ribs (Texas Style)

Texas style smoked spare ribs are an absolute must for anyone who enjoys BBQ! All you need for this Texas style ribs recipe is smoke, salt, and pepper. In this recipe, I’ll walk you through the of making the best pork ribs!

Ingredients for Texas Style Ribs

• Kosher salt
• Coarse black pepper
• Optional: 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar

I list the apple juice and apple cider vinegar mixture for the spritz while the ribs are cooking. This is to keep them from drying out. Note that you can put a water pan in the main chamber of the grill instead. However, I like to have a wet mixture with a little flavor applied directly to the meat.

Watch the Video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goWbvQJvoUU

Difference Between Pork Spare Ribs and St. Louis Style Ribs

What’s the difference between pork spare ribs and St. Louis style ribs? Simple answer: it’s all in how it’s cut. St. Louis style ribs are a trimmed down version of spare ribs cut into a long, rectangular shape. I have a great recipe for saucy St. Louis ribs here.

Pork spare ribs are longer and have extra meat, as well as extra cartilage, on their racks. The extra meat extends off the rack of ribs between two to five inches in length. We’ll go into the process of cooking them this way.

Preheat the Grill

Since this recipe has a short prep time, preheat the grill first. We will cook these at 250 degrees over indirect heat. Depending on the grill, this could take anywhere between 15-30 minutes.

Regarding smoking wood, fruit woods such as cherry, peach, and apple go great with this recipe. Hard woods like oak, maple, and hickory are very good, too. For this recipe, I am doing a blend of maple, cherry, and oak.

Preparing the Ribs

Prepare the ribs by removing from the vacuum sealed package and patting dry any excess liquid. Flip over to back side (bone side up) and use a knife to remove the extra flap of meat covering the bones. This will likely overcook during the process.

Also, the smaller end of the ribs won’t have any bones (maybe one or two really small ones). Cut this section off closest to the last bone.

But don’t discard these excess portions of meat. You can cook them alongside the ribs and these small portions will finish sooner. Thus, making a perfect snack for the pitmaster during the cook.

Salt and Pepper for Dry Rub Ribs

Season the ribs by mixing equal parts kosher salt and coarse black pepper. I recommend one fourth cup of each. Mix these together to make the dry rub.

Apply the dry rub on the ribs on both the front and back sides. Doing this will help the flavor of the salt and pepper ribs stand out.

Smoking Texas Style Ribs

Place ribs on grill at 250 degrees over indirect heat and smoke for five hours. Spritz ribs once an hour with a 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar. To make a spritz for ribs, pour one fourth cup of both apple juice and apple cider vinegar into your spray bottle and briefly shake to mix.

Cooking ribs is pretty simple process, actually. For true Texas style ribs, smoke with oak wood. But ultimately, use your favorite smoking wood for ribs because you are the one eating them.

How to Tell When Smoked Spare Ribs are Done

The way I prefer to tell when ribs are done cooking is by using a digital food thermometer. Place the tip of the probe into the meat in between the bones.

Since I prefer a clean bite through, the internal meat temp to look for is between 180 to 195 degrees. For fall off the bone ribs, look for an internal temperature between 196 to 210 degrees.

Another method people use to tell if ribs are done is to pick up the rack from the center and see how they bend. If they flap like a bird, without breaking in half, then they are done.

The last method, which is the oldest and most basic, is if the bones are showing. Meat will retract as it cooks and when the bones show, the expectation is the ribs are done.

With that said, using a digital meat thermometer will ensure you don’t overcook them.

How to Slice Pork Ribs

The easiest way to slice ribs is to place the rack bone side up. Rib racks are usually angled and it takes lots of practice to get an accurate cut meat side up. Seeing the direction of the bones helps you get the straightest, most symmetrical cut ribs.

Wrap or No Wrap?

You can speed up the cooking process by wrapping the rack of ribs in aluminum foil and placing back on the grill for another two hours. This will shave an hour off of cooking. Keep in mind you may not get as much smoke flavor this way.

Can I Cook Pork Ribs in the Oven?

This recipe is adaptable so you can cook pork ribs in the oven. Use the same cooking time and amount of seasoning. No need to spritz oven ribs as there is no drying out due to airflow like there is on a smoker.

Side Dishes That Go Best with Ribs

Smoked Mac and Cheese

Grilled Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans with Bacon and Onion