Things You'll Need:
- Wood chips
- Charcoal chimney
- Newspaper
- Metal pan
- Water
- Rib rack
- Aluminum foil
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Step 1
Soak the wood chips to be used to produce the smoke in water for at least 30 minutes. Hickory chips are the most commonly used type of wood for ribs, but mesquite is also a popular choice.Soaking the wood chips prevents them from quickly flaring up and allows the chips to smolder and smoke. Four handfuls of chips should suffice.
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Step 2
Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over low heat. Indirect cooking means that the heat source is located only on one side of the grill. To prepare a charcoal grill, first fill a charcoal chimney (a metal cylinder with a handle on its side) with unlit coals. The chimney has grate: Stuff one or two pieces of newspaper underneath the grate of the chimney then light the newspaper. Allow approximately 35 minutes for the coals to ash over. Dump the hot coals onto only one side of the barbecue. Gas grills can easily be prepared for indirect heat by only lighting one burner. Heat is considered "low" when it is between 250 degrees and 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Step 3
Fill a metal pan with water then place the pan next to the heat source on the grill. The water in the pan will create steam, which will prevent the ribs from drying out.
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Step 4
Insert the ribs into a rib rack. The rib rack holds the ribs in an upright position so that the heat circulates around the ribs and allows the fat from the ribs to drip down and away from the ribs. Place two handfuls of the soaked wood chips directly onto the coals if using a charcoal barbecue or into the smoker box if using a gas grill. Place the rib rack onto the cool side of the grill with the bone side of the ribs facing the heat source. Close the barbecue's lid, open the vent on the lid halfway and allow the ribs to cook for one hour.
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Step 5
Add two more handfuls of soaked wood chips and, if using a charcoal grill, add eight to 10 unlit coals to the barbecue to maintain the temperature. Turn the rib rack so that the bone side of the ribs now faces away from the heat source. Close the barbecue's lid and allow the ribs to cook for one hour.
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Step 6
Add eight to 10 unlit coals after an hour to maintain the temperature if cooking with a charcoal grill. Reposition the ribs in the rib rack so that the rack closest to the heat sources is now the farthest away from the heat source and the rack that was farthest away from the heat source is closest to the heat source. If cooking three racks, do not move the middle rack. The ribs should also be turned so that the bone side faces the heat source. Allow the ribs to cook for one hour.
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Step 7
Remove the ribs from the grill once the meat has receded from the ends of the bone by about one-quarter of an inch. Wrap each rack in aluminum foil and allow them to stand for 30 minutes before eating.
