Smoked St. Louis Cut Pork Ribs.

Ingredients

Method

1. 01

   Trim and membrane the ribs

   5 min

   Trim any excess fat or meat, then use a dry paper towel to grab and peel the membrane off the bone side of the rack. This lets the rub and smoke actually reach the meat.

2. 02

   Salt the ribs

   1 min

   Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of table salt per pound of ribs across both sides. Salt starts breaking down proteins right away, which helps the meat stay moist during the long cook.

3. 03

   Apply Whole Hog rub

   2 min

   Sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons of Casa M Whole Hog per side, then rub gently to distribute the seasonings evenly across the meat and bones. You want every inch seasoned, not clumped up.

4. 04

   Dry brine in the cooler

   120 min

   Cover the ribs with food film and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. The salt draws moisture to the surface, then reabsorbs it along with the rub—this is your dry brine, and it seasons the meat deep.

5. 05

   Fire up the smoker

   30 min

   Load your smoker with a mix of hickory, mesquite, and apple wood, then heat to 225°F. You want the temperature stable before the ribs go in; too hot and you'll dry them out, too cool and they'll stall.

6. 06

   Smoke the ribs

   300 min

   Place the ribs bone-side down in the smoker and let time and smoke work. Starting around the 5-hour mark, begin testing for doneness—the real skill is knowing when to stop.

7. 07

   Test for doneness

   15 min

   When internal temp hits 190–200°F, grab the rack with tongs from the middle. If both ends stay put but the middle gives enough to lift 4–6 inches without the rack falling apart, you've nailed it—the connective tissue has broken down just right.

8. 08

   Rest and serve

   10 min

   Pull the ribs from the smoke and let them rest for 10 minutes so the juices redistribute. Cut between the bones and serve—this is the payoff for your patience.

From Mike's Notebook