Arkansas Smoked Pork Ribs
Slow-smoked pork spare ribs finished with a thin tomato-vinegar sauce, the style poured at Arkansas smokehouses and roadside pits.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 300 min
- Total
- 325 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 720 kcal
Equipment
- •Smoker
- •Instant-read thermometer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 720 kcal
- fat
- 52
- carbs
- 12
- protein
- 46
- calories
- 720
Instructions
- 1
Peel the thin skin off the bone side of each rack. Cut away any loose fat.
- 2
Rub mustard lightly over the ribs. Coat all over with the paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne.
- 3
Let the seasoned ribs rest for 30 minutes. Heat the smoker to 250°F (120°C) using hickory chunks.
- 4
Smoke the ribs bone side down for 3 hours. Keep the lid closed as much as possible.
- 5
Simmer the vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire, and a spoonful of the rub for 15 minutes.
- 6
Spray the ribs with vinegar and wrap each rack in foil. Smoke 1 to 1.5 hours until meat pulls back from bones.
- 7
Unwrap the ribs and brush lightly with sauce. Smoke uncovered 30 more minutes to set the crust.
- 8
Let the ribs rest 15 minutes. Slice between the bones and serve with extra sauce on the side.
Chef's tips
Cook to feel, not the clock: the rack should bend and crack slightly when lifted from one end. Keep the sauce thin so it seasons rather than coats. Hickory is traditional, but a mix of hickory and pecan gives a gentler smoke.
Storage
Refrigerate wrapped ribs up to 4 days, or freeze whole sections up to 3 months.
Reheating
Rewarm wrapped in foil at 275°F (135°C) for about 25 minutes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Running the smoker too hot, which dries the meat before the fat renders.
- •Saucing early so the sugars scorch.
Serving suggestions
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