Easy Smoked Pork Ribs on the Weber Kettle Recipe

If you’ve never smoked pork ribs, this is an easy recipe with 4 ingredients – smoked on the Weber Kettle.

Take Ribs Out of Packaging, Pat Dry with a Paper Towel

This recipe used Baby back ribs.

If you bought spare ribs and want to know how to trim, follow this guide.

If you don’t like the membrane, remove it OR just score it with a knife OR leave it on.

Super Simple Rib Rub

Apply to the front and back of the ribs:

• 1/2 Tablespoon Morton kosher salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black peppercorns
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder

Get Your Weber Kettle to 225-250F

I used the Slow N’ Sear but if you don’t have one:

• Learn how to do the Minion method by reading this article.
• Learn how to do the Snake method by reading this article.

Add your favorite hardwood – I used Cherry and Pecan.

Add new wood every 45-60 minutes.

Scrunch Up Your Ribs When You Put them on the Smoker

This puts more meat on top of the bones, rather than the sides.

Simply push the sides of the ribs inwards:

If you’re someone who likes to probe the meat – the raised edges also make it easier to probe the meat, rather than probing a bone.

Wait for the Bark to Be Dark and Internal Temperature Above 170F

This is after 4 hours of smoking – we have a dark bark and they’re 176F internal.

Wrap to Speed Up the Cook Time

At a minimum, spritz the foil with some warm water.

If you like to wrap with liquids you can add:

• 1-2 tbsp Barbecue sauce
• 3-4 pats of Butter or margarine
• 1-2 tbsp White or dark brown sugar
• 1-2 tbsp Agave nectar
• 1-2 tbsp Maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup Apple juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Beer
• 1-2 tbsp dry rub

It’s up to you – personally I don’t like ribs this way and just use water or ACV.

Return Ribs to Smoker Wrapped

They will take 30-45 minutes wrapped @ 250F to reach tenderness.

Testing to See If Your Ribs are Done

I don’t like fall-off-the-bone ribs, If you’re like me follow these tests:

Take the ribs with a pair of tongs at about the 5th rib and allow them to bend.

When they’re done they’ll bend at a 45 degree angle.

I also tear near a bone.

If the bone pulls cleanly away from the meat, they’re likely done.

You can also probe between the bones and it slide in and out with no resistance.

These ribs were tender at 202F, typically they’ll finish at around 195-205F.

If you like fall off the bone ribs, cook them longer – internal temperature of 210F+ is around where they should be.

Rest the Ribs for 10-15 Minutes and Then Sauce

I prefer my ribs wet.

If you like the sauce tacky, return the sauced ribs back to the smoker for 10-15 minutes until they’re glazed on.

Once rested, slice between the bones and enjoy!

Print Pin Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Smoked Pork Ribs on the Weber Kettle

Super simple backyard barbecue ribs on the Weber Kettle

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Active Time5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Resting Time10 minutes mins

Total Time5 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 rack Baby Back Ribs

Dry Rub

• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Morton's Kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp Dark brown sugar
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Cracked peppercorns
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Garlic powder

Sauce

• ▢ 1/4 Cup Your favorite BBQ Sauce

Instructions

• Prepare your ribs by removing the membrane, small bones, flap, and scraggly pieces.
• Apply dry rub to bone side and meat side of the ribs.
  1/2 Tbsp Morton's Kosher salt, 1/2 Tbsp Dark brown sugar, 3/4 tsp Cracked peppercorns, 3/4 tsp Garlic powder
• Get your Weber Kettle to 250F for smoking.
• Once at 250F, place your ribs in the cool zone – opposite of your fire. Add a chunk of your favorite hardwood; I used a chunk of cherry for the first hour.
• Every hour or so, add another chunk of hardwood. The second hour I added a chunk of Pecan.
• Allow the ribs to come up to around 175F – 180F internal.
• Once they reach around this temperature, you can wrap with aluminum foil.
• You can use any number of ingredients in your aluminum foil wrap. I prefer to spritz with a small amount of water. Once wrapped, return to your weber kettle meat side down.
• When wrapped with aluminum foil, it will only take 30-45 minutes for the ribs to reach tenderness.
• After 30 minutes, use the bend test to see if the ribs are tender. Pick the ribs up at the 5th bone with a pair of tongs. When tender, the ribs should bend at a 45 degree angle.

  Combine this with the tear test to see if the meat pulls cleanly away from the bone.

  Ribs typically finish at around 195-205F internal.
• Allow the ribs to rest on the counter for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature is between 145 – 165F. During this time, put your barbecue sauce on your ribs. You can also "paint" the sauce on with a basting brush.
  1/4 Cup Your favorite BBQ Sauce
• Once rested, slice between the bones and enjoy!