How to Smoke Ribs using the Indirect Method

Generally speaking, no matter what recipe you are using to make Smoked Ribs, you will need to follow these steps, or something close to them, to get the best tasting ribs. There are a lot of people with instructions on the Internet that differ in one way or the other from these, but this is what I find works for me.

The night before you cook the ribs:

  1. Make the Rub, per the recipe you are using, peal the membrane from the bone side, and put the Rub on both side making sure it is in every crevice. Place the ribs in a plastic bag or other container and refrigerate.

    To Peel off the Membrane, insert a butter knife under the membrane, then your fingers, work a section loose, grip it with a paper towel, and peel it off. If you can't get the skin off, with a sharp knife, cut slashes through it every inch so some of the fat will render out during the cooking.

  2. Make the Barbecue Sauce, per the recipe you are using. It is better if the flavors meld for a day. The sauce will only be put on the ribs at the very end of cooking so you could make it the day of.

On the day of grilling:

  1. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator an hour before you decide to cook them.
  2. Soak wood chips or chunks in water, if using them for smoke. Again about an hour before using them.
  3. Start a fire on one side of the grill to cook the ribs using Indirect heat (See Direct vs. Indirect Grilling). Leave the lid off and the top and bottom vents open to get the fire going.
    Note: you could also smoke the ribs using a smoker. Follow the instructions for the smoker to get the fire going and then maintain a smoking temperature around 225°F, or a little higher.
  4. Once the coals start to turn ashen, put the lid on, and adjust the dampers on your cooker to bring the temperature to about 225°F, or a little higher, and try to keep it there throughout the cook. You won’t want to completely starve the charcoal of oxygen, so try closing the vents either halfway or three-quarters of the way shut. This will limit the flow of oxygen without completely stopping it, therefore bringing down your grill’s internal temperature slightly.
    Try to keep the setting on both the intake damper and exhaust damper the same while you do this. You don’t want more air to escape than you can allow going in.
  5. Once the fire is ready, add your soaked wood chips to the edge of the charcoal, and place the ribs, bone side down, on the side of the grill without coals. Cover the grill with the lid. Again, adjust the vents as needed to keep the fire burning slow, but do not close them. The internal temperature of the grill should be around 250°F but not much higher. Every so often turn the ribs around to keep them cooking evenly, but do not flip them, and brush with the Mop (see the recipe you are using) every half hour to keep them moist.
  6. Cook ribs until the internal temperature of the meat reaches about 185°F or higher. Some experts say that you keep the ribs cooking until you reach anywhere from 195 to 200 degrees F. This will give maximum render to the meat so that it will be tender and the excess fat will have rendered off completely. When you check the ribs’ internal temp, make sure you probe the thermometer away from the bones and fat.
    If the temperature inside the grill is at 275°F, it will take four to five hours, or more, for the ribs to be done. Baby Back Ribs will take about 3 hours. And remember, the lower the temperature, the longer the time needs to be to achieve the same result. Cooking ribs and getting them to become tender and juicy is an art. This is the secret to cooking ribs that everyone will enjoy!
    When are Pork Ribs Done? to know when they are ready.
  7. Apply the barbecue sauce at the end of cooking and cook for another 15 minutes or so - just long enough to heat it and cook it without burning it.

Note: If you did not have time, or the weather got in the way, to fully cook your ribs, you can put them back on the grill the next day, again using the indirect method, or put them in a 275°F oven. It could take another hour or two to get them to the point of fully ready - about 195 degrees F.