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Philly Grit Ribs

Great ribs don't have to be difficult, just start with Philly Grit, and in 4 - 5 hours on your smoker you'll be ready

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 slabs pork spare ribs (baby backs can work too, but the larger spare ribs are easier on a smoker)
  • 1/4 cup Philly Grit (Not that Spicy or Pretty Spicy - or a mix of the two!)
  • 3-4 chunks wood for smoking (Apple or cherry work best for ribs)
  • Favorite BBQ Sauce (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Always start ribs by removing the membrane on the bottom side of the slab of ribs. It's a little bit of a chore, but they will come out more tender, and it will allow the rub to contact the meat on both sides

  2. Cover the ribs with a good coating of Philly Grit on both sides. Exactly how much is up to you, but there should be a pretty even coating on the entire slab at least.

  3. Let the ribs sit while you prepare your smoker. I use a charcoal smoker, so I will start the fire in the middle and scatter wood chunks at a few distances from the center so as the fire grows, there will be wood smoke during the entire cook. If you're using an electric smoker, they're great too, you'll just be loading up wood chips instead. Apple and Cherry wood are some of the best for ribs. Hickory is usually too faint of a flavor, and mesquite smoke can be overwhelming. If you're really lucky and find other fruit tree wood like peach, give them a try too!

  4. Get your smoker to 225°F, and then put the ribs on, unwrapped. Smoke for 3 hours at this temperature.

  5. At the end of the 3 hours, increase the smoker temperature to 250 - 275°F and continue to cook for 1 - 2 more hours. This is the time where you have to start checking on the ribs to determine when they are done. Unlike larger cuts of meat, it's difficult to use internal temperature to know when ribs are ready. You'll want to look at the meat starting to shrink away from the ends of the bones. Also, pick up the ribs from one end of the slab with a pair of tongs, the meat on the top should flex and start to split under the weight. If it doesn't split at all, you should give it more time. If the slab completely falls apart under the weight, it's too done. (The good thing about ribs is they'll still taste great if they're over done, but they just might be a little harder to handle when getting them off)

  6. This last step is optional - I like to serve the ribs with just the dry rub and let people put BBQ sauce on themselves when eating. If you like ribs with sauce on them, you can brush sauce on the ribs at this point, and either leave them on the smoker for a bit longer, or you can transfer them to a regular grill to cook the sauce on. You just need to cook long enough to thicken the sauce and make an overall glaze, be careful not to burn the sauce, especially if it's a sugary one