Mesquite Smoked Pork Ribs That'll Impress Your Guests Every Time!

Few things say " good eatin'" the way that some perfectly cooked pork ribs do & it's actually fairly easy to accomplish.

I always use the full slab, if you want to cut it down for " St. Louis style" ribs by all means go for it, in your kitchen you're the boss. There is a membrane on the back side of the slab that I remove using a butter knife & a pair of skinning pliers.

I then dry the ribs with paper towels, coat them with vegetable oil and apply my rub. After that I prefer to let them sit in the 'fridge overnight. Here's the recipe for rub that I have found after many years of experimentation to get it the way I really like it. As always: use whatever suits you. 1 cup kosher salt, 1 cup black pepper, 1 Tbls. onion powder, 1 Tbls. garlic powder & 1 Tbls. crushed cayenne pepper.

Get your smoker ready & warmed up to about 225-230 degrees F. I like using a charcoal smoker & this Weber Smoky Joe has been a workhorse at my pit for a number of years now.

Once everything is ready, add your ribs & seasoning wood. I am a mesquite man, I never cook with anything else. Regardless of which seasoning wood you choose remember: easy does it. Your meat will only absorb the smoke flavor during the first 2-3 hours of cooking, after that you are risking getting an "off" by using too much smoke.

Depending on the weather, it usually takes about 5-6 hours for my ribs to reach perfection. Take a look:

You will notice the pink " smoke ring" on the meat. Perfect ribs do not " fall off the bone" but should have a good chew to them. Resting time is vital. When you take the ribs out of the smoker, wrap them in aluminum foil, cover them with towels and place them into an ice chest for up to several hours, but for at least one hour. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

I generally eat my ribs "naked" that is to say without any sauce when they first come out of the smoker, I put sauce on them when they are leftovers.

THX for stopping by & leave a comment below, I enjoy talking food with my fellow Steemians! 7-3's! The Kid