This is one of my most favorite foods to cook in the smoker. Who doesn’t love to dig in to a rack of ribs smothered in BBQ sauce cooked in a smoker with Mesquite?? I grew up in southern Arizona and Mesquite was the only thing to use to cookout and I didn’t even know about gas grills until I moved to South Dakota in 84’. So it’s always Mesquite for me, but you can try a variety of wood for different flavors.

To prepare my ribs, I like to try different flavors of dry rubs, and like always, you can use whatever seasoning that suits your tastes. One thing that is highly recommended is removing the membrane or fell that surrounds the meat. When smoking ribs, the objective is to achieve the best  flavor, as well as to cook the meat. Removing this membrane allows the smoke to penetrate the meat and give the meat more flavor. I usually prepare the ribs the night before and let them marinate in the rub. When you season the ribs, be sure to rub the seasoning all over so you get a total covering.  NEVER pre boil the ribs!! Yea, it makes them tender but you will lose a lot of the flavor.

I put my ribs in the smoker for 6 hrs at about 220 degrees or less. Cooked low and slow is the key!! No need to rush them and end up with not so good results. The ribs must be allowed to reach around 170 degrees if they are to be tender.  I’ve always waited to put the BBQ sauce on during the last hour in the smoker. Too soon and the BBQ sauce will burn.  You may not even want to put sauce on them, rather just serve as a side dipping sauce. It’s all up to you and your preference. After removing the ribs, let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

I’ve always had good luck cooking these ribs and everyone that eats them just love them. I know there are some people that don’t care for them but the people who like ribs will surely enjoy these.

Good luck and let us know how they turn out. GBR!!