How long do you smoke ribs in an electric smoker?

If the roast is the king then rib is the queen when it comes to smoking in an electric smoker. We should know first about the different types of meat ribs available in the market to be smoked. These different rib cuts include the spare ribs, baby back ribs, and the St. Louis spare ribs. The preference while selecting the perfect rib cut is given to the one which is much tender and leaner. Baby back is that special type which most of the meat lovers prefer and comes out to be a real delight out of the smoker and pleases one and all in the family. The spare ribs are also preferred and are prepared with the trimming of the breastbone area. The rib attained after this trimming is known as the famous St. Louis cut.

Preparation and Prerequisites:

Best smoking results could be achieved with the precise smoking time only when we are done with our best preparation. Once you choose your preferred ribs type and the rack is ready then flip it over and there you will see a very shiny thin membrane layer that partially covers the bones. This membrane is tough and should be removed. For this purpose, insert a butter knife right in between the membrane and the bone. Use your fingers than to separate it and pull them off from the ribs. One bine should be trimmed from the larger end and a couple of bones should be trimmed from the smaller end. This will help you in getting a very consistent rack size for smoking.

The simple 3 – 2 – 1 method for smoking ribs:

This is the most popular, yet the simplest method for smoking ribs in a very desirable manner. The 3 – 2 – 1 method relates to three different phases of smoking ribs and it is explained below for your convenience:[su_list icon=”icon: lightbulb-o” icon_color=”#077c0f”]

• 3 hours should be allowed for smoking while the ribs should then be unwrapped and temperature to ensure the electric smoker should be 225 degrees F.
• 2 hours should then be allowed for smoking again, but this time the ribs should be wrapped tightly into an aluminum foil. Make sure, that you allow some liquid as well inside, which ideally should be the apple cider.
• 1 hour should then be given for another round of smoking. The ribs this time should be again unwrapped. Further, the temperature of your electric smoker should be kept high as well this time and it could go over 300 degrees F. This last phase of smoking also demands you to go for a very generous basting of some BBQ sauce.[/su_list]

As we can see above that the 3 – 2 – 1 method totally requires 6 hours of cooking and at varying temperatures at phase 1 and phase 3 of cooking. The end result is that the ribs will be extremely tender and easily chewable. The ribs could be easily shredded, which is what, most of us like.

The above method has proved to be fail-proof and has been tried by many expert chefs and also by many people at home. There were some rumors that this is a controversial method for cooking smoked ribs. But, in reality, that is not true. It is an authentic method which promises to give you desirable results only if you carefully follow the given directions.

You should also wary about using the woodchips in moderation. Smoke in excess could possibly overcook your recipe. Apple woodchip is best along with cherry, but only when used in moderate quantity.

Moreover, for much better, tastier, juicier and crispier results, it is recommended to allow the smoked ribs to rest for 30 minutes or so after the smoking is complete. Once done, then you can serve it with BBQ sauce or any other sauce or topping as per your liking.[su_posts tax_term=”2″ order=”desc”]