Smoking Ribs on Your Propane Grill

Smoked ribs are the essential BBQ recipe to master, and although it sounds like it would take a lot of work to recreate the tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs you get at BBQ restaurants, it’s easier than you think. Let’s take a look at how to make your own ribs that will have family, friends, and neighbors wondering where you went to BBQ school.

After choosing your ribs and a simple spice rub, the first thing to tackle is going about smoking. Most stores that sell propane grills, like home improvement stores and the like, sell wood chips. The most popular are hickory to mesquite. After choosing which wood chips you want to use, the next thing you’re going to need is a wood chips smoker box.  Take your pick, but we really like the cast iron model. Smoker boxes are actually quite inexpensive and a good quality smoker box for your propane grill will last for years.

Next it’s time to soak the wood chips in water or fruit juice. Soak your chips for about an hour, then place them into the smoker box. The smoker box should be placed over one side of the grill where you’ve turned the burner up to its maximum heat. Close the lid until you begin to see smoke escaping. When you can see smoke, turn the burner underneath the wood chips down to medium, while leaving all the other burners off. This is grilling with indirect heat. Place the ribs on the opposite side of the grill, and maintain a temperature of 225-235 degrees. The wood chips and the smoke produced from them will go out after about 45 minutes, but the flavor that the ribs will get from just those 45 minutes of smoke will make all the difference.

Cooking Time for Your Ribs on Your Propane Grill

The ribs will need 4–5 hours to completely cook, and every 30 minutes will need to be sprayed with apple cider vinegar to prevent them from drying out.

When you think the ribs are done, stick a toothpick between the two most center bones. If the toothpick goes through without meeting any resistance, you can be sure your ribs are ready to eat. If you don’t have a toothpick, use a knife to cut through the two most center bones to make sure there is no pink juice. A meat thermometer cannot be used to check for doneness; the thinness of the ribs will prevent an accurate reading.

Once you’ve verified that the ribs are cooked, use your favorite sauce and dig in! The smoke infused by the woodchips will add a whole new dimension to your ribs, and the ribs won’t stick around for long!

Of course it goes without saying that you don’t want to run out of propane while you’re cooking your ribs. Mighty Flame propane exchange locations are always nearby to help you make sure your cookout is a smoking success. Mighty Flame propane tank exchange has been around for over 25 years with clean, reliable propane tank exchange wherever you live.