Smoked Ribs on the Weber Kettle

6 Hour Smoked Ribs on the Weber Kettle Using the Snake Method

Many people think that without a dedicated smoker, you won't be able to smoke ribs (or other meats). I like smoking ribs on my kettle grill so much, that I've stopped using my smoker for ribs. It's easier than you think. The only thing you'll need to learn is the Snake Method of lining up your charcoal so that it cooks low and slow for 6 hours.

St. Louis, Spare, Baby Back, Dry Rub, 3-2-1 Method- Help!

Don't be intimidated by all of the various terms used for ribs. The recipe and method is not only one of the more simple methods, but is actually my favorite. I've tried various methods and ingredients that make the process more complicated, and I don't think the results are worth the time. I love making these ribs. After my last rack I smoked, my daughter told me they were the best ribs she'd ever had. I asked her, "Do you mean the best ribs that I've ever cooked?" She said, "No these are the best ribs I've ever had anywhere!" Follow the instructions and recipe below, and you'll be able to make the exact same ribs.

Setting Up the Kettle Grill- The Snake Method

We're going to use the snake method to set up our grill, and shown above. Take off the grilling grate, and place two rows of charcoal, overlapping each other around the charcoal grate in a ring around the perimeter. There should be a bottom layer two briquettes wide, with a top layer of a single briquette. Place wood chunks at intervals to add some extra smoke flavoring during your cook. Milder woods tend to go best with pork such as apple, cherry, or pecan. If you don't have a local grill supply store, you can buy small bags of wood chunks at a big box hardware store near you.

Next, place a small tin container in the middle filled 1/2 to 3/4 full of water to help regulate the temperature and help the meat from drying out.

When you're ready, light one end of the charcoal "snake." As the charcoal briquettes burn, they will light the adjacent briquettes slowly, providing the right amount of heat (the grill should stay at roughly a constant temperature of 225-250 degrees, with slight adjustments needed on occasion). The charcoal will burn for 8 hours or more. We'll only be cooking for 6 hours.

RECIPE: Hellslayer Ribs- Classic, simple, delicious.

Ingredients:

1 rack of spare ribs

Hellslayer The Spear- Rib Rub

Your favorite barbecue sauce

Steps:

Depending on the rack of ribs you got, you may need to do a little bit of trimming. If there's a large flap of meat on the bottom, cut that off. It won't cook well, and will likely burn or just turn tough. I like to take this meat flap and cook it next to the rack of ribs. It cooks much faster than the ribs, so it gives me a little snack while I'm cooking.

If there are any tiny bones or sharp corners of meat, cut them off. Any meat that is too thin, will just burn. If there are large chunks or pieces of fat, trim those off. They won't render in the cook, and you'll be left with... well a large chunk or piece of fat that you won't want to eat. 

Next, turn it upside down so the side with no meat is facing up. We're going to take the membrane off, unless the butcher already took it off. Place the tip of a  sharp knife under the corner of one of the bones, and you should be able to lift of a small flap of membrane. It's slippery. Put the knife down, and grap a kitchen cloth or paper towel to get a good grip. Rip that membrane off in one smooth motion.

Once the ribs are trimmed, pick up your bottle of Hellslayer The Spear- Rib Rub, and take a look at it. Now smile, because this stuff is not only going to help you create crazy good ribs, but it means that your barbecue matters. Part of the proceeds of that bottle you purchased are being donated to help victims of human trafficking. Having fun around the backyard barbecue and helping others at the same time- that's how we do it. That's good living.

Sprinkle The Spear-Rib Rub on both sides of the rack of ribs, patting it gently to ensure good coverage. 

On your kettle grill, light one end of the charcoal "snake" and let the temperature get up to 225. Place your ribs on the grilling rack, so that the ends of the rack of ribs are facing away from the lit charcoal.

You'll want to make sure that the temperature stays between 225-250. Don't stress if it gets hotter or colder for a bit. Ribs are forgiving. You may need to occasionally adjust the air dampers to regulate the temperature. Bottom and top fully open = more oxygen getting to the charcoal = hotter. Dampers mostly closed =  less oxygen = cooler. Usually, I keep the bottom damper open and just adjust the top one.

To ensure that the meat stays moist, you'll want to occasionally spritz the ribs with a mixture of 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 water. Additionally, you'll want to rotate the ribs once or twice so that the lit charcoal is never under the meat.

With 20-30 minutes left in your cook, I like to brush a thin layer of barbecue sauce on my ribs. Some people like their ribs dry, with no sauce. That's fine, too. Eat how you like. Other than that, in 6 hours your ribs will be done.

NOTES

A common method of smoking ribs is the 3-2-1 method. You smoke the ribs for 3 hours, wrap them in foil for 2 hours (maybe adding some apple juice or other ingredients in the foil, and then take them out of the foil for the last hour. That's how I started smoking ribs. It's great, but I found that it's not necessary as long as you spritz them occasionally to keep them from drying out. 

Also, some people like to rub a small bit of mustard as a binder to help the rub stick to the ribs. I've found this unnecessary. Feel free to experiment and have fun. For me, the simple method I described here is my favorite method and produces amazingly delicious ribs.

Let me know how your ribs turn out. I’d love to see your cook. Tag me on Instagram @Matt_Hellslayer. If you're not subscribed to The Quick Slay newsletter where I provide recipes, tips, and trivia, you can do so on the website.