Wicked Easy Electric Smoker Pork Ribs Recipe with a Unique Rub

This rib recipe features 2 ingredients that you don’t often see in other articles:

• Ground cinnamon
• Ground cloves

Combined with other sweet and savory ingredients it creates an awesome bark that really compliments the pork.

Rib Rub Ingredients

Combine all of these ingredients in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Ground Gloves (only grind the flower, not the stem)
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne
• 1 Tsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper (fine grind)
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder

Note: If you’re not a fan of any of these ingredients, you’re safe to omit them.

You’ll notice there is no salt added – This is because my chili powder contains salt.

If your chili powder is salt-free, add 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1/2 Tablespoon Morton’s.

Preparing the Pork Ribs

Take the ribs out of the packaging and pat dry with a paper towel.

Remove the membrane or crosshatch with a knife.

Liberally apply the rub to both the meat side and bone side of the ribs.

Setup Your Electric Smoker

Set your electric smoker to 250F.

Once at temperature, put your ribs on the grates and then close the door.

Add 5 wood chips – I like using cherry and pecan but I only had cherry.

Add 5 wood chips to the smoker every hour until you wrap.

Allow the ribs to smoke until the bark is set.

You’ll know it’s set when you take your finger and swipe it across the bark, if any rub sticks to your finger, they’re not ready to wrap.

If you’re a fan of using internal temperature, usually 175-180F is when I wrap.

Wrapping the Ribs

Wrap ribs in aluminum foil.

Add 1/4 cup of apple juice to the wrap and then return to the smoker meat side down.

If you don’t have apple juice mix 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of cider vinegar and add this to the wrap instead.

Waiting for Tenderness

Pork ribs are typically tender at around 190-205F internal.

BUT, I prefer to use the bend test to determine when they’re tender to my liking.

To illustrate, these ribs aren’t done:

These ribs are done:

If you prefer fall off the bone ribs, smoke the ribs until the internal temperature is ~212F.

Saucing, Resting, and Slicing the Ribs

Once the ribs are tender, you can sauce them.

I opted not to sauce these ribs and simply put more dry rub on them to finish them off.

If you’re saucing:

Apply your barbecue sauce to the meat side of the ribs.

If you prefer the ribs “wet” simply allow the ribs to rest for 15 minutes with the sauce on them and then enjoy.

If you prefer the sauce more tacked up, return them to the smoker with the sauce on them for 10-15 minutes and the sauce should be more setup; Then rest for 15 minutes.

Once sauced and rested, slice between the bones and enjoy!

Print Pin Recipe

Electric Smoker Ribs Recipe

Sweet and Savory, with a Kick of Heat

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Active Time4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Resting Time15 minutes mins

Total Time5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Equipment

• Spice Grinder or Pestle and Mortar

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Rack Baby Back Ribs

Rib Rub

• ▢ 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• ▢ 1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1 tbsp Onion Powder
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves only grind the flower, not the stem
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Cayenne
• ▢ 1 tbsp Paprika
• ▢ 1 tbsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper fine grind
• ▢ 1 tbsp Chili Powder

Wrap Liquid

• ▢ 1/3 Cup Apple Juice

Instructions

• Take ribs out of packaging and pat dry with paper towel. Remove membrane, or cross-hatch with a knife.
• Combine dry rub ingredients in a spice grinder and then liberally apply to the meat side and bone side of the ribs.
• Allow rub to sweat into the meat for 10-15 minutes so that it sticks.
• Set electric smoker to 250F.
• Once at 250F, put your ribs on the grill grates and close the door.
• Add 5 cherry wood chips to the smoker. Every 45-60 minutes add another 5 wood chips until you wrap.
• Once at 175F internal, or when the bark is set, wrap with aluminum foil or butcher paper.

  If using foil, add 1/3 cup of apple juice to the wrap.
• Put the ribs back on the smoker. Ensure that they're meat side down in the wrap.
• Wait until the ribs reach tenderness. This typically occurs at 190-205F internal.

  I prefer to bend the ribs with tongs. Simply count 5 ribs from the side and then bend the ribs at the 5th rib. If they bend at a 45 degree angle, they're done.

  If you prefer fall off the bone ribs, smoke them until they're ~212F internal.
• Once at tenderness, sauce with your favorite bbq sauce. If you like the ribs wet, simply apply the sauce, rest for 15 minutes and then slice.

  If you like the sauce tacked up, sauce them then return to the smoker for 10-15 minutes, then rest for 15 minutes, then slice.

Notes

If you like using probe thermometers, probe the thickest part of the meat.

If you don’t like any of the ingredients in the rub, feel free to omit.