Smoked Pork Spare Ribs

Smoked Pork Spare Ribs are crusted with flavor, moist on the inside, and the perfect bite of savory and sweet. These spare ribs smoke low and slow throughout the day, are basted with a homemade spritz, and don’t last for long.

Tommy’s Famous Pork Spare Ribs

Today’s blog and featured recipe will be my husband’s famous (or at least famous to us) Pork Spare Ribs.

The Ingredients

• Traeger Rub with Garlic and Chili Pepper
• Fiesta’s Mango Habanero seasoning
• Brown Sugar
• Yellow Mustard
• Pork Spare Ribs

It’s All About the Rub!

1. First, take your pork ribs out of the fridge and remove the packaging on them.
2. Place them on a large cutting board.
3. Next, trim any excess fat off. You want to be able to see some of the rib bone (as my husband puts it).
4. Then, rub the pork ribs with yellow mustard – rub it all over. This helps keep the moisture in the ribs (think about videos of people eating juicy ribs…the mustard helps with that).
5. Next, choose the rub of your choice and rub all sides with it (massage the seasoning into the rib). My husband used the Traeger rub on 2 racks of ribs, and the Mango Habanero seasoning on 1 rack.
6. Finally, place the ribs back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let them marinate.

Prepare the Smoker

1. First, add the pellets to your smoker and fill it up to the maximum fill line.
   • Sometimes, you have to add more pellets depending on how fast your smoker is going through them. Turn your smoker to 205 and allow it to heat.
2. Then, pull your ribs out of the fridge and let them warm up to room temperature. This will take between 20-30 minutes.
3. Next, place your ribs on the smoker and shut the lid – yes, you heard me, let those babies do their thing. No peaking!

Don’t Forget to Spritz Your Meat

Finally, create your meat spritzer. Meat Spritzer is a fancy term for the liquid you spray on smoked meat. This helps maintain the moisture and adds an extra kick of flavor).

My husband usually makes him with Breckenridge Bourbon, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Worcestershire Sauce. Put this mixture into a spray bottle and spritz your meat around the 2-hour mark. Then, spritz it every hour after.

Allow your ribs to smoke until your smoker reaches 275. Pull them off, let them rest, and then cut into those beauties.

Note: sometimes my husband pulls the ribs about 5 hours into the smoking process, wraps them with foil or grilling paper, and puts them back onto the grill for another 2 hours. However, due to the freak storm that blew through, we did not do this yesterday).

Serve ’em Up

Serve hot and alongside your favorite side dish(es). Yesterday we served them with Mac and Cheese, which was a toddler-approved side. You could also serve some homemade, Sourdough Loaf Bread slices on the side to help mop up any rib juices left over. My smoked meat lovers, you know what I’m talking about!

Smoked Pork Spare Ribs

Yield: 3 Racks of Pork Spare Ribs

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes

Smoked Pork Spare Ribs are crusted with flavor, moist on the inside, and the perfect bite of savory and sweet. These spare ribs smoke low and slow throughout the day, are basted with a homemade spritz, and don't last for long.

Print

Ingredients

• Traeger Rub with Garlic and Chili Pepper
• Fiesta's Mango Habanero seasoning
• Brown Sugar
• Yellow Mustard
• 3 Racks of Pork Spare Ribs

Instructions

1. First, take your pork ribs out of the fridge and remove the packaging on them. Place them on a large cutting board. Next, trim any excess fat off. You want to be able to see some of the rib bone (as my husband puts it). Then, rub the pork ribs with yellow mustard - rub it all over. This helps keep the moisture in the ribs (think about videos of people eating juicy ribs...the mustard helps with that). Next, choose the rub of your choice and rub all sides with it (massage the seasoning into the rib). My husband used the Traeger rub on 2 racks of ribs, and the Mango Habanero seasoning on 1 rack. Place the ribs back in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let them marinate.
2. Prepare the Smoker: Add the pellets to your smoker and fill it up to the maximum fill line. Sometimes, you have to add more pellets depending on how fast your smoker is going through them. Turn your smoker to 205 and allow it to heat.
3. Then, pull your ribs out of the fridge and let them warm up to room temperature. This will take between 20-30 minutes.
4. Next, place your ribs on the smoker and shut the lid - yes, you heard me, let those babies do their thing. No peaking!
5. Finally, create your meat spritzer. Meat Spritzer is a fancy term for the liquid you spray on smoked meat. This helps maintain the moisture and adds an extra kick of flavor). My husband usually makes his with Breckenridge Bourbon, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Worcestershire Sauce. Put this mixture into a spray bottle and spritz your meat around the 2-hour mark. Then, spritz it every hour after.
6. Allow your ribs to smoke until your smoker reaches 275. Pull them off, let them rest, and then cut into those beauties. Note: sometimes my husband pulls the ribs about 5 hours into the smoking process, wraps them with foil or grilling paper, and puts them back onto the grill for another 2 hours. However, due to the freak storm that blew through, we did not do this yesterday).
7. Serve hot and alongside your favorite side dish(es). Yesterday we served them with Mac and Cheese, which was a toddler-approved side. You could also serve some homemade, Sourdough Loaf Bread slices on the side to help mop up any rib juices left over. My smoked meat lovers, you know what I'm talking about!
8. Last note: we do not put sauce on our ribs, but if you do, add some of your favorite BBQ sauce at the end.