Best Way To Smoke Ribs - Traeger Ribs With Dry Rub

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Smoked Ribs

By Justine

5 from 2 votes

Updated Dec 16, 2025

Published May 08, 2024

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This is how to smoke ribs with dry rub that’s salty and sweet so you don’t even need barbecue sauce. Here are trick to get them fall off the bone tender at 225. One of our all time favorite easy smoker recipes.

If your mouth is watering when you look at this picture above we’ll show you how to make them! They are our all time favorite dinner ever! Yes you can use beef if you’d like but pork ribs are our very favorite overall. First watch the video below which explains the best way to smoke ribs in an electric smoker.

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Video

To get your meats absolutely perfect we have this printable meat smoking chart to refer to so each and every time it will be fork tender.

Recently we upgraded to this Traeger pellet smoker and grill and love it.
- We started with an electric smoker that was a Charbroil which worked well to start with.
I like applewood pellets, we always have those on hand and make almost everything.

How Long to Smoke Ribs at 225

You are going to want a good 6 hours or so to ensure they are done, longer if you want the bone to just slide right out. Low and slow is key for this outcome and the longer you can leave them in the more tender they will become (to a point).

What is the most important thing to do for fall off the bone ribs?

The biggest secret or kitchen hack you need to know is to remove the membrane from ribs. This simple step will make them ultra tender when done. If you have never done this it isn’t a big deal and we show you step by step how to do that, just click on the blue link above and read that post first.

Dry Rub for Ribs

Now we can go into specifics of the best dry rub for ribs and reiterate the directions shown in the video. The dry rub we use on all the things really. Since we loved it so much on this dinner I thought I’d give it a whirl on dry rub pork chops and they became wildly popular too. Those could be smoked but were baked in the oven that go around.

You can make it in a large batch if you begin to love it as much as we do. That will save you a step thereafter if you have it already made and in a sealed container in your cupboard. We have been told that we should bottle it and sell it on it’s own but don’t think we have time for that so the secret is out. Just make it yourself. 😉

We use the same things to slow cook ribs in oven, but outside if you don’t want to use your oven. Normally I am not super particular about brands but when it comes to these I tend to not buy store brand. Foster Farms is great and Smithfield has a great rack too.

Should you add bbq sauce?

I mean you can definitely add any sort of Bbq sauce at the end if you want but honestly there is tons of flavor without it with these seasonings. If you choose to do both you want to brush on the top during the last hour or so.

Smoked ribs cooking in smoker, topped with seasoning and a meat thermometer inserted—truly the best way to smoke ribs to perfection.

Smoking Ribs on Pellet Grill

As he states you want to get a really thick layer of rib rub on the top and the bottom. Yes put it on the bone side too! Yes you can use a thin layer but we prefer a lot! Some will fall off in the cooking process but most will stick and caramelize.

The key to smoking in general is a great dry rub and cooking it at a low temperature for a longer duration of time. Don’t rush it, slow and steady wins the race on this one for sure. Start these in the morning if you want them for dinner.

1 rack of ribs is usually just enough for the 5 of us. My girls finish each one eating the bones dry because the smoke flavor is so good.

I usually love a lot of barbecue sauce on meats but I literally use none when my husband makes this dry ribs rub. He coats them really well. It’s a salty and sweet flavor that you can heat up with more pepper and/or chili powder but the rib rub below is mild as far as heat goes.

Want to spice these up a bit more than we did? No worries, you can easily do that with some dry Sriracha, more chili powder or red pepper flakes will make it more spicy. I am more of a mild or medium kinda’ leveled person but occasionally I get a hankering for heat and those work well. Let us know if you tweak it with something else!

Two racks of seasoned ribs cooking smoker, placed on separate wire shelves – a method hailed by many as the best way to smoke ribs indoors.

A plate with two racks of seasoned, grilled ribs showcases the best way to smoke ribs. In the background, there's a slice of watermelon on a table.

5 from 2 votes

Smoked Ribs Recipe

By Justine Best way to smoke ribs at 225 with dry rub that's salty and sweet so you don't even need barbecue sauce. What are the best ribs and the trick to get them fall off the bone tender when you're smoking them at home. Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 1 hour Total: 4 hours 15 minutes Servings: 6 Save RecipeSaved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

1 smoker
1 Bowl

Ingredients 1x2x3x

▢ 1 rack ribs, pork baby back is what we use

Dry Rub

▢ 1 cup brown sugar
▢ 1/2 cup sugar
▢ 1 tbsp garlic powder
▢ 2 tsp chili powder
▢ 2 tsp pepper
▢ 2 tbsp salt, kosher salt preferred
▢ 2 tsp paprika

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Instructions

Rinse ribs, pat dry and remove the membrane from the back of the ribs to make them more tender. (instructions for removing membrane link in post)
Mix all spices in a bowl well.
Lay ribs on cutting board and spread rub on the top and bottom getting as thick of a coat on as possible. (can cut rack in half if desired to layer in smoker, that is what we do)
Set smoker to 225 degrees and lay 1/2 rack on top rack and 1/2 rack on lower rack.
Use temp. probe if desired to reach 160 minimum degrees internally, or check after about 4 hours to check. Depending on size of ribs they may take up to 6 hours to look as the picture does with rub caramelizing. Done when meat is pulling away from the bone which means they're done and they will be tender.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 3oz, Calories: 215kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Sodium: 2352mg, Potassium: 103mg, Sugar: 52g, Vitamin A: 265IU, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main CourseCuisine: American Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

Feel free to line the bottom pan though with aluminum foil for an easier clean up. 😉 Once you’ve tried these, try our other electric smoker recipes like making our Smoked salmon recipe, a tender Smoked pork loin And serve them all with our cheesy smoked bread recipe!

There are many ribs recipes out there. We still love our easy crockpot ribs using apple juice to tenderize them even further. We hope you love these as much as we’ve enjoyed them over the years and they become a new family favorite at your house too.

Here’s the printable recipe. Now get lots of paper towels ready because this will be a fantastically sticky dinner: Rinse ribs, pat dry and remove the membrane from the back of the ribs to make them more tender. (instructions for removing membrane link in post)

After you fall in love with these you might want to give our country style pork ribs Instant Pot recipe a whirl too! Both will save quite well if you have leftovers, you just want to keep the air out of the bag or container when you store them in the fridge. Air is the enemy when it comes to leftovers of any kind, but especially when it comes to meat.

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About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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9 Comments

Do you need to add water to the tray in the electric smoker?
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The heading says that it takes 4 hours to cook, but later in the recipe it says to check after 5 hours and yours went for 6. You might want to correct that. I’ll plan on 5 and go from there. I’m also wondering where all the salt comes from?
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How often do you change the wood chips?
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1. Every time you make a new recipe
  Reply
I’m confused on the ingredients one place has paprika and then another doesn’t show paprika but shows 2tsp pepper twice. Can you clarify?
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2,352 mg of salt per 3 oz serving is a show stopper for me.
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I usually coat the ribs with some mustard so that the rub sticks on them better. And you don’t taste the mustard after they’re smoked.
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1. We do, as well. Best trick for any smoked meat.
  Reply
Did you soak the wood chips in water or put them in dry?
Reply

Hi, I'm Justine!

Welcome to The Typical Mom blog where we share easy Instant Pot recipes, use our Ninja Foodi, Crockpot and air fryer daily, and share fun family travel destinations!

More about me A fork with cooked elbow macaroni hovers above a glass bowl of pasta on a wooden surface, showcasing the effortless results of mastering how to cook pasta in the microwave.