Photo Credit: Drizzle Me Skinny.
Master the art of baby back ribs on a kettle grill with these expert tips from a BBQ pro! Achieve tender, juicy, and deliciously smoked ribs on your Weber Kettle, rivaling those from an offset smoker. With just five simple ingredients and a straightforward three-hour smoking process, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create bold, smoky pork ribs. Follow these easy steps: slather on mustard, coat with rib rub, smoke for two hours, then add BBQ sauce and a spritz of apple juice. Enjoy the incredible flavors of perfectly smoked baby back ribs right from your kettle grill!
Ingredients For Weber Kettle Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs
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- One rack of baby back pork ribs
- ½ cup yellow mustard
- 1 cup of your favorite rib rub
- 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1 cup apple juice in a spray bottle
- Charcoal briquets
- Small smoking wood chunks (see “chop the wood chunks” below)
Directions For Weber Kettle Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs
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Elevate your barbecue skills with these directions for Weber Kettle Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs. Infuse tender ribs with smoky, savory flavors using your Weber Kettle grill, and achieve a perfectly caramelized crust for a mouthwatering, fall-off-the-bone experience.
Prepare the Grill
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Set up the Weber Kettle for indirect smoking by filling a charcoal chimney with briquettes. Once ready, empty it into the center of the charcoal grate, then move the coals to both sides of the grill. Add three briquettes and one piece of wood to each pile. Place an aluminum pan filled halfway with water between the coals.
Prepare the Ribs
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Remove excess moisture from the rib rack with a paper towel. Use a sharp knife to separate and pull off the membrane from the underside of the ribs.
Season the Ribs
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Brush yellow mustard over the ribs on both sides. Apply rib rub liberally on both sides and pat it on to stick.
Smoke the Ribs
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Place the ribs on the grill grate in the center, away from the coals. Smoke for 2 hours, maintaining moderate heat and adding coals and wood chunks every 30 minutes as needed.
Wrap and Sauce
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Remove the ribs from the grill and place them on a large sheet of foil. Brush with BBQ sauce and wrap tightly. Return to the grill and smoke for 1 hour.
Finish on the Grill
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Unwrap the ribs and place them back on the grill. Spray with apple juice and cook for an additional 15 minutes with the lid closed.
Serve
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Slice between the bones and serve with extra BBQ sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Variations and Substitutions for Weber Kettle Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs
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- Pork Rib Rubs: Experiment with different rubs like Kebsa or Kabssah mixed with mesquite rib rub. There are many pork rib rubs available to try.
- Different Pork Ribs: Instead of baby back ribs, use spare ribs or St. Louis style ribs. They are larger and require longer cooking times.
- Wood Types and Sizes: Use small wood chunks or prepackaged wood chips for smoking. Soaking wood chunks or chips in water can increase smoke, but avoid adding too much water to prevent extinguishing the coals.
Tips and Tricks for Weber Kettle Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs
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- Use a Hinged Grill Grate: The hinged grill grate allows you to add charcoal or wood without removing the entire grate.
- Chop Wood Chunks: Cut wood chunks into smaller pieces to fit better in the smaller Weber Kettle.
- Aluminum Drip Pan: Place an aluminum drip pan with water between the charcoal piles to keep ribs tender and moist.
- Checking Doneness:
- Temperature Check: Use a meat thermometer. The temperature should be 195–205°F.
- Bend Test: Lift the ribs with tongs. If they bend easily and almost flip, they’re done.
- Skewer Test: Insert a wooden skewer between the bones. If it slides in easily, the ribs are done.
