Applewood-Smoked Pork Ribs with Brown Sugar Rub

By AislePrompt Editorial · ·

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are drafted and published.

Tender pork ribs smoked with applewood chips and a sweet-spicy brown sugar rub, offering a perfect balance of smoky flavor and caramelized crust. This pork recipe, ready in about 290 minutes, pairs pork baby back ribs, brown sugar, paprika for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 450 calories and feeds 6, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 20 min Cook: 270 min Serves 6 450 cal/serving
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Ingredients

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Instructions

  1. Step 1: Remove the membrane from 2 racks of pork baby back ribs (about 4 lbs) by sliding a knife under and pulling it off. Pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Step 2: In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, and 1 tsp chili powder. Rub this mixture evenly over both sides of the ribs.
  3. Step 3: Preheat your smoker to 225°F and add 2 cups of applewood smoking chips to the smoker box or directly on the coals.
  4. Step 4: Place the ribs bone side down on the smoker grate. Maintain temperature at 225°F and smoke the ribs for 3 hours.
  5. Step 5: After 3 hours, mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar with 1/2 cup water in a spray bottle. Spritz the ribs every 30 minutes for an additional 1.5 hours to keep them moist.
  6. Step 6: Smoke until the ribs reach an internal temperature of 195°F to 203°F and the meat pulls back from the ends of the bones, about 4.5 hours total.
  7. Step 7: Remove ribs from the smoker and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing between the bones and serving.

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