Smoked Spare Ribs

Smoked Spare Ribs are best smoked low and slow over oak charcoal and indirect heat. These ribs are flavored with a spicy, sweet Pork Rub and basted with Carolina Mop Sauce. It’s deliciously beautiful, pull-apart tender, melt-in-your-mouth perfection!

Smoked Spare Ribs Recipe

Smoked Spare Ribs

Scott James Gaspard

Slow-smoked, pull-apart tender pork spare ribs.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Smoke Time 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 6 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Calories 970 kcal

Equipment

• smoker
• platter
• small pan – for basting sauce
• sauce mop
• large tongs

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 slab meaty pork spare ribs
• 1 cup yellow mustard
• 1 cup Pork Rub
• 4 cups Carolina Mop Sauce

Instructions

 

• Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs. On spare ribs, also remove the flap.
  2 slab meaty pork spare ribs
  
• Set ribs out until they are room temperature.
  
• Coat all sides of the ribs with yellow mustard.
  1 cup yellow mustard
  
• Generously apply pork rub, covering all parts of the ribs and rubbing it into all of the crevices.
  1 cup Pork Rub
  
• Bring smoker to a stable 250 degrees using oak charcoal.
  
• Smoke directly on the grate with the bone side down for 1 hour.
  
• Baste the ribs with Carolina Mop Sauce and flip the ribs over with the meat facing down.
  4 cups Carolina Mop Sauce
  
• Continue to baste and flip every 30 minutes until 4.5 hours have passed, or ribs reach an internal temperature of 203℉
  

PRIVATE NOTES

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Nutrition

Calories: 970kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 78g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 260mg | Sodium: 606mg | Potassium: 936mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg

More Information

When are my ribs done smoking?

The internal temperature should reach between 195 and 205 degrees. When you pick up a slab of smoked spare ribs from the middle, the ribs should drape into an inverted u-shape and crack a bit in the middle. If the rib meat seems tight, it may need to cook a bit longer. If it falls apart completely, it is probably a bit overcooked.

To see this recipe in action, see my blog post, 4th of July Smoke-out.

Should I use a finishing sauce or a barbecue sauce?

That’s up to you. These smoked spare ribs taste great without it, so I don’t often use a finishing sauce. If you do, leave it on for the final stretch and let it caramelize onto the meat. This will result in really good flavor. I find that it is better to let my guests decide for themselves. So, I will offer a couple of different types of barbecue sauce which my guests can use if they want it.

If you want to use barbecue sauce, be sure to check out my go-to barbecue sauce recipes: Gaspard’s Badass Barbecue Sauce, and Gaspard’s Gold Barbecue Sauce, which are always a hit.

Can I smoke the flap I removed in the first step?’

Absolutely! The pit-master traditionally reserves that piece for himself. But let me tell you a secret: you can make it the same way as the rest of the ribs. Then, you have the option to cut it into bites, or chop it up and put it onto a sandwich. It’s absolutely delicious!

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