I love all kinds of barbeque, and when the weather is nice it’s a perfect opportunity to fire up the smoke pit and smoke some meat. This recipe for smoked apple-glazed pork ribs is fairly easy to make and is always very tasty. Mmmm Ribs! Like a lot of my barbeque recipes this rib recipe may not win any contest awards, but it’s pretty darn good and is always a crowd pleaser.

I like to use a smoker to ensure that hint of smoke flavor, however I have also prepared ribs using a gas grill and even in an oven on rainy days. Low heat and plenty of cooking time is the key to success when smoking meat. Stick to “low and slow” and you won’t go wrong preparing these delicious smoked pork ribs.

Let’s get to smokin’! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• 2 racks of pork spareribs (about 10 lbs. total)

Spice Rub Ingredients:

• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 ½ tbsp. Cajun seasoning
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. ground white pepper

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
• ½ cup apple cider or juice
• ¼ cup apple jelly, melted
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tbsp. spice rub, reserved

Instructions:

The Night Before –

1. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and out of the packaging, and lay on a baking sheet.

2. Mix the spice rub ingredients together in a bowl, reserving 1 tbsp. of your spice mixture for the glaze in step 7.

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3. Rub the ribs with the spice mixture, meaty side up.

4. Put the ribs back into the refrigerator to marinade overnight.

Smoking Day –

1. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator to slowly get to room temperature, about 1-2 hours before smoking time.

2. Meanwhile, get your fire started in your smoker and aim to get the heat up to 250 degrees F.

I primarily used wood for this fire so it took a bit to obtain hot coals. Charcoal works just as well, or you can mix wood with charcoal. I tend to use what I have on hand, and since I’m forever trimming Texas live oaks I’m guilty of using oak a lot.

Different woods yield slightly different smoke flavors. I enjoy using mesquite too as it has a very strong smoke taste. Pecan is another wood that I sometimes use as well.

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3. When the heat is ready at 250 degrees F, place the ribs in the smoker meaty side up.

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4. Cover the smoker and smoke the ribs for 3 hours, while maintaining a heat temperature close to 250 degrees F.

It’s ok if it’s slightly over 250 degrees F. I usually aim to keep the needle between 250-275 degrees F. Try not to go over 300 degrees F as this starts to get into barbeque roasting territory.

5. After 3 hours, open the smoker and rotate the ribs to ensure even smoking time.

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6. Cover the smoker again and smoke for another 2 hours, while maintaining a heat temperature close to 250 degrees F.

7. Meanwhile, mix your glaze ingredients together in a bowl.

8. Once the ribs are done smoking, take them out of the smoker onto a baking sheet meaty side up.

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9. Brush the glaze onto the ribs with a basting brush.

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10. Let the smoked ribs rest for 10-20 minutes, and then cut between the bones, brush any leftover glaze, serve, and enjoy!

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Tip: To serve the day after, reheat the ribs in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Also, if you pulled the ribs off early or realized that they were undercooked after smoking, you can always do an “extended warm up” in the oven to finish cooking them.

Ingredient & Cooking Substitution: Substitute spareribs with 4-5 racks of baby back ribs (10 lbs. total) and smoke at 250 degrees F for a total of 3 ½ hours.