Kansas City Style Pellet Grill Ribs Recipe

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4.84 from 6 votes

Kansas City Style Pellet Grill Ribs Recipe

Tender smoked ribs on a pellet smoker with a sweet and heat based Kansas City Style sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Resting Time15

Total Time5 30

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, barbecue

Keyword: pellet grill recipes, pellet grill ribs

Servings: people

Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge

Cost: $30.00

Ingredients

2 racks St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 cups Kansas City BBQ Sauce

Rub

1/3 cup turbinado sugar (dark brown sugar works as an alternative)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Dry Rub

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.

Preparing Ribs

Using a sharp knife, gently cut away a corner of the membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Then remove the membrane with a paper towel.
Trim excess fatty pockets that may be on meat side of the ribs. Also remove any flap of meat that is on the bone side of ribs after removing membrane.
Place 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard on each rib and coat both sides of ribs. Liberally apply the dry rub to both side of the ribs.

Smoking the Ribs

Preheat smoker to the "SMOKE" setting. The temperature will range between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the two racks of ribs on the smoker, and close the lid. During the smoke phase we are adding smoke flavor as the smoke passes over the ribs and through the smoker. You’ll start to see the color change, and the meat on the ribs will slowly pull back exposing some bone. Cook the ribs for 3 hours on the "SMOKE" setting.
After 3 hours, adjust temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. The higher heat will speed up the cooking process without losing the smoke flavor.
After 1 hour smoking at 275, add some glaze. One cup of glaze will work on two racks of ribs. Brush on the Kansas City Style Sauce (or your favorite style) on both the bone and meat side of the ribs. Continue smoking for 1 more hour.
After that additional hour, it is time to check the ribs to see if they are done. The ribs will have a dark mahogany color and the bones of the ribs will be slightly poking out as the meat retracts while cooking. Using an instant read thermometer, gently probe the ribs between the bone. When probing, the texture should feel like you are inserting the probe into room temperature butter. The temperature should hover between 195 and 205 degrees. If the probe feels tension, then check again in 30 minute increments.
After you have determined the ribs are done, remove them from the smoker and glaze with the remaining sauce. At this point we just glaze the top, or meaty side and let rest for 10 – 15 minutes.

Notes

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Nutrition