Kamado Joe - How to Prep and Cook Pork Ribs

Hey Guys! Here's your definitive guide from Kamado Joe on how to prepare and cook pork spare ribs. This video will show you everything you need to know about the proper preparation and cooking technique for your pork spare ribs. There are, of course, varied ways to do this but this basic technique will get you started and make you successful on your first try!
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[@finarm]

i think this is your best video so far, very nice info with the cuts and everything

[@73664]

Made this recipe today... (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). My guest told me he'd never had such great ribs. I must admit, they were outstanding. Thank you for posting this video. Much appreciated!

[@LucidCoder]

I followed this recipe to a T, and my ribs turned out excellent last night. My friends and family were super impressed with my A+ results on my very first attempt and very first use of the Kamado Joe! I think my only deviation was in what wood (hickory), rub (something Texas-style), and sauce (Sweet Baby Rays) I used.

[@BabyBackManiac]

I'm behind on my subscriptions feed so just now getting to this. Ribs look great. I'm glad you explained the bend test because I have misunderstood it for years. Looks like you nailed the doneness level.

[@stormysamuel4666]

I'd prove them with a small meat thermometer for health reasons!!!!!

[@txboss2318]

@@stormysamuel4666 to what temp?

[@kcee7841]

The bend test is wayyy many times better than probing ribs. Bbq is controlled overcooking. Food is done and pulled by you, off the cooker to your preference.

[@gus13letter]

Love all your videos. Just got the Big Joe and have been successful using your videos to cook. Tomorrow I will be cooking these style ribs and will be following your process. Cant wait.

[@martyvanord984]

John just came by to look before doing some ribs. As usual you nailed the cook and left no thing unexplained on how to get top shelf results. Thanks John.

[@williamobrien1707]

Awesome video thanks! Just bought the Classic 3 and fired it up today with some ribs.

[@andyw3152]

This was ones of the best videos on how to cook ribs properly, many thanks.

[@dq6229]

John, you are the real deal. Thank you for this. Will give it a shot on Super Bowl Sunday.

[@bigddawg]

Always enjoy your cooks. Keep 'em coming.

[@blueyepaul]

Cooking ribs for the first time, temp set on 250F and follow the vid guide. All good so far. Its nice that the smoke has reduced down to nil. Last time I smoked out the house lol

[@TROYCOOKS]

Another fine looking cook John. I love St. Louis ribs and those looked fabulous brother!!!

[@jeffbobold]

Just bought a Big Joe, and have only cooked on it twice but I'm already super impressed! I know this video is a few years old, but if/when you see this comment, I'm hoping you'll edit your description and add a bullet point list of cooking times and other instructors. Looking forward to making some ribs!

[@lumpyq6385]

John those are the best Ribs I have seen on You Tube yet. Absolutely fantastic! I have done Baby Backs on my Big Joe but this is the next one I am going to try.

[@Bigfish1day]

Great video, I got my Bug Joe 2 months ago. I cook my ribs what I call ‘eating’ style. No trimming and I don’t worry about the membrane. I season then cook until the are fall off the bone. But I sure as hell won’t turn my nose up to those.

[@jlfeld1]

So much good information here. Thanks!

[@ArkansasBadBoy]

Man o man, I been trying to decide on an offset or pellet smoker but I'm really liking what I'm seeing here. I'm used to grilling with lump hardwood so I guess I would have to just do the trial and error thingy until I get the dos and dont's figured out

[@tomcleveland7973]

Ok John, I usually like the 3-2-1 method but going to try this method today. Grill coming up to temp right now!

[@jasonpreston7504]

Wow! These look soooo good.

[@ryno7437]

This guy is the best.

[@darylsol]

Nice! Baby back ribs are on special at my local market. I'm going to give this a go for NY 2021 day supper. Thanks John

[@harryflashman9201]

Thanks a lot--this was extraordinarily helpful

[@themartinezmafia]

Great video John. Those ribs look delicious.

[@mdags1978]

Well explained. Thank you.

[@bingin15]

Looks delicious! Gonna follow this video for when i make ribs

[@peterolive8485]

Thank you bud great advice

[@AnthonyHarris-fe6zo]

Great cook - thanks!

[@semmes5342]

stunning doing this on Sunday for family thanks for sharing your skills boss

[@aross924]

Excellent explanation

[@mgalan16]

great video. I just got a big joe and will be making some ribs tomorrow.

[@falcon81701]

I have done the 3-2-1 method on my Classic Joe a few times and was never happy with the results. Tried this today and its been the best result for Pork Ribs on my Kamado so far. I cooked two spare ribs and they were amazing. Im almost sure the Pork in Australia is bred a bit smaller than the Pork in the states so I would suggest less is more. Next time I'm going to reduce my cooking time by another 20-30mins mins as I was sure the ribs were done before adding the bbq baste for the final stage of cooking.

[@mrwezbo]

Agree, just bough 2x ribs in Brisbane and they are noticeably smaller then what's used in this vid.

[@86hosh]

You can always do the bend test if you think they are done early. edit: there is also a slightly different bend test that most people do to the one in this video. You grab your ribs from one end to about 1/3 way down (length ways) and just pick the mup. If you start seeing nice cracks then it's done. Aaron Franklin has a good video on this as well.

[@mikemccann2900]

Fantastic! I know what I'm doing this weekend....

[@milesmcmillin4680]

John, I love your rib-cooking process, including 3-2-1 ribs. However, I have a heck of a time getting the silverback off when prepping. (adds so much time to prepping!). Is it better to have the ribs at room temp when attempting to pull the silverback off, or does it work right out of the fridge just as well. Thanks.

[@arthurrtjr]

Great video !

[@MrFavrefromdun]

Hi John what type of torch lighter was that, that you used to light the charcoal? I would like a small one like this for my Akorn Jr.

[@dippermcgee7]

hi John! are those big chunks of charcoal from kamado Joe?

[@getoutandgrill]

Man - cant go wrong with ribs..Nice

[@kwhitejr]

250*F, bottom vent open 1 inch, top vent 3/4 closed, start ~2.5 hours, then spritz every 30 mins thereafter.

[@Justin.Hawkins]

I know this is an old video, but I have a question. Once you start spritzing the ribs every 20 minutes for that hour, do you continue doing that until they are done, or just for that one hour? Cooking spare ribs this weekend and your videos have not failed me yet. Thanks

[@marcust999]

GREAT demo sir! One question - why not flip the ribs over during the cooking process?

[@187manowar]

Just make these the same way. AMAZING!!! Best ribs I've ever had. I liked them so much I went out and bought a small chest freezer to store more meat so I can make these whenever I want.

[@okimike100]

You're great!!

[@StephanLacasse]

Good video John. Do you prefer this method or the 3-2-1 method to cooking pork spare ribs?

[@tookalook1777]

oh sorry I had the probs mixd up the outside the deflector probe was 310 the grill probe is 248 looking real good

[@amatijaca]

Hi, Really enjoying these videos, however, can you please put on the video description the time and temperature? Thanks..

[@christymoen9247]

Great video, just got a Jnr and very helpful. Did I notice it was raining during the video? Is that OK while cooking? Thanks

[@christymoen9247]

+Kamado Joe great, thank you for the reply. I'm from the UK, so rain is a given!

[@shortymeller55]

Hey mister John I'm a fan and a poster over on guru. Just wanted to ask do you get a better flavor if you rub them or treat them overnight first??

[@B3GINNER]

best explanation on how to slow cook ribs. awesome brother

[@WhiteThunderBBQ]

excellent tutorial John!

[@DunesDigger]

I wonder can you us a rib rack to get more ribs cooking at a time on my Classic?

[@kermitthefrog3685]

a good method i saw for the membrane is to get under it in the middle with a rounded spoon handle and pull up. That helped me a lot. Sometimes they don't come off easily.

[@matthewtieszen2569]

Another tip, sharing for those like me that never knew it, is to grasp the membrane with a paper towel. Much better than simple bare fingers.

[@lukemacdonald567]

The first open of the grill the smoke was intense, but then almost nothing when opening further into the video. It's still smoking despite the lack of smoke coming out of the grill when you open it John?

[@sueturnerhc9321]

Just bought my kamado and struggled to find a relatable person as my mentor. Found them. Going to try this method for my ribs, thank you

[@user-fi1yt6vg8d]

Great video, do you need to add fuel at all ? Will it hold the temperature for that long ?

[@AngiesPantry58]

Oh my Goodness.. Those ribs look awesome... :")

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

Nice vid, John. That's almost exactly how I do mine. Only thing I don't do is spritz.

[@BEERNBBQBYLARRY]

+Kamado Joe I used to do that all the time in my old offset smoker but quit after going kamado. Maybe I'll go back to trying it again.

[@bigdogdjmikebmoreamos8124]

Nice job well done by big dog dj Mike one of b more best peace and love to you all

[@bentopolski4952]

Tried this recipe, only issue I ran into was the bottom got burned and so the bottom was a little too cooked and tough. Top turned out pretty good. I was cooking between 250-275 the entire time and pulled around 4 hours in.

[@jessek3721]

So I've bought two racks of ribs too cook, but they are too big to fit. Would cutting them both in half change the way they should be cooked at all? This is my first time with ribs.

[@peechyman]

I always scrap the blood off the comes out when the heat hits them and put a little more rub on them

[@tvideo1189]

Instead of a sharp knife under the silverskin to lift it for pulling off, use a dull butter knife about the middle of the rack of ribs. It doesn't cut the silverskin and allows you to lift it easily.

[@talezfromthedashcam3138]

One like....not about competition. All about learning

[@clanrocks137]

Did you soak the wood chunks?

[@randywood4782]

I like the Ribs good job

[@grkbullitt01]

Just tried doing 6 full pork ribs using the grill extender this weekend. Experienced uneven cooking and i dont think they were cooked long enough (3.5hr total). they were seared first at about 400 deegrees and tried to get the temps down as fast as possible ( which is nearly impossible with this type of grill ). Obviously i feel these weren't cooked long enough, but is this grill technically capable of being fully loaded and to cook evenly ?

[@swimadamswim]

Love these ribs. I've just bought a Jo junior. Any suggestions ? Can I cut them in half to for the grill space ? Or should I roll them up and use a skewer ? Thanks ! And Happy New Year 🎈

[@swimadamswim]

@@NewWorldHoarder hiya I'm trying tonight lamb ribs but their singular pre marinated ribs no rack so I've decided to 225f smoke them with some apple for about an hour and then foil them for an hour and then just finish off with a 10-minute cook

[@swimadamswim]

Would one hour be too long to smoke? do you think half an hour

[@bgaviator]

I usually foil, but I tried going unfoiled last time. I spritzed just cause I see a lot of people doing that, but I think it hurt the bark formation on my cook. The Kamado seems to be a pretty moist cooking environment so next time I think I’ll try not spritzing.

[@tremaynemyles8276]

Have you tried it without spritzing yet?

[@ocrun6765]

What does "bend over double" mean in measuring your ribs doneness?

[@jsic2515]

Hey man, your video was very helpful. I did side ribs and brisket on my Joe. They turned out ok. The tooth pick went right through the meat. It’s just that I have a little too much char than I would have liked. For the first three hours, the smoker held temperature perfectly. Then after that it got really hot to the point where I had to cook with the lid open for a bit but it got a fair bit of smoke and apple juice at the right temperature. Do you think I added too much charcoal or wood chips? I soaked the wood chips a day in advanced. Instead of chunks I used three handfuls and I placed it around the edge of the charcoal.

[@jsic2515]

@@NewWorldHoarder I made some adjustments and tried again. They came out perfectly! My issue at the time was I had a few half burnt charcoal lumps in there so they caught fire quicker then the others. I have gotten so much better with it. Last summer I smoked a whole chicken and it was 🔥!!! Thank you so much for the reply and advice.

[@jsic2515]

@@NewWorldHoarder cheers mate

[@stormysamuel4666]

I want one of these grills where can I buy it????????

[@brummy103]

what is your fav rub for ribs ?

[@SuperSwitched]

? by all means never peek before it's time. OTOH when the top is open, that is a good time to rotate your ribs (only have to do lengthwise) to ensure an "even" slow cooking. It makes a ton of difference.

[@robertswail3768]

Had my ribs on the Joe classic for ~ 5 hours at 250F, with both heat shields in place and an aluminium drip pan underneath. The ribs were simply amazing, but I was surprised how much the undersides burned over relatively low indirect heat. Anyone else ever seen this and maybe 220F would be better?

[@LucidCoder]

Maybe just the tips of the bones can burn but not blacken, but I don't use a drip pan. (Maybe I should.) The drip pan might be radiating heat because it's conductive. I think I've had my best results when I struggled to get it up to 250F. I think 225F-240F is a pretty good zone to avoid drying out the ribs. You might need to cook a little longer, but don't just "set it and forget it". They need to be assessed for done-ness and not cooked past the done point.

[@dr.noelcutajar7290]

Can you tell me for how long it was cooked and at what temperature?

[@lucasluzzi]

For how long that coal longs?

[@ericgalyean9051]

I know this is a few years old but isn’t the grey smoke when u first put the ribs on bad??

[@ChristopherCotter1]

Hello there from LONDON England! Are we talking 250F or 250C?

[@ciarandanielis819]

F

[@BikerBry]

Didn’t mention if you were adding any coal or wood over this extended cook... and how did you go about adding it... when did you see or know when to add it if you did.

[@theHoolser]

no need to add if you start with enough, the grill can last for 20+ hours cooking with 200=250

[@kenking8573]

I’ve heard of generals wearing 2 watches, but only a pit master wears 3.

[@robhutchins2721]

So what is generally the total cook time (Ball parkish)

[@atothek302]

Should I wait till all the charcoals are lit for a slow n low?

[@clanrocks137]

Can the Kamado joe classic 3 cook ribs?

[@gerdsfargen6687]

😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@lanexang8127]

how many time did you fill up charcoal during this process ?

[@theHoolser]

you don't have to if you start with enough, these grill can last for 20+ hours on 200-250

[@Run4urlife13]

holy crap dude! Did you lose some serious weight?!?! I watched the salmon smoke, and it played this automatically. I had to go back and see if this was the same guy! I even thought at first this was the old video, and because of you're fantastic cooking, you put on the weight in the salmon video. I was wrong! How'd you do it?

[@kostalekas6220]

hi joe

[@Hammie0141]

🤤

[@mimblewimble843]

Looks good but no binder? Pete

[@BrianMiller1973]

Boater Don’t need it

[@josephcrowther7559]

Nom Nom

[@tookalook1777]

Wow wish I could get you a picture John Im 1:45 in Back and side rib's filling the JOE to his MAX.running a little hot just less then 310 shut her down to bring it down but my friend Wow Big THANKS bring it down to 250 again. working nights my turn to bring dinner ro work. back to sleep keep you posted.

[@markperkins4019]

Is the kamado dripping black goo on top of the ribs? That would ruin the food. If so, any way to stop it? Thinking about buying one but not if it drips all over my food

[@gerdsfargen6687]

Hopefully you never got one since you know squat about the Kamado Joe.

[@MapSpawn]

Something about this video makes no sense. Charcoal cannot "slowly come to 250 degrees", it goes full blast and then you taper it off. Am I wrong?

[@mrmeaner3917]

Hey guys,,,

[@imdoc7872]

Master, teach me

[@bobbulliard1327]

my ribs always seem slightly dry. i cook indirect at 250 for 2.5 hours, wrap in foil for 2 hours, then remove add bbq sauce and caramelize on grill.(Total time 5.5 hours) How can i get very juicy ribs?

[@bobbulliard1327]

thanks for your very quick reply.! is it likely that I'm not cooking long enough? or too long?

[@bobbulliard1327]

they are babyback. I'll cut time down so on indirect uncovered 1 hour, covered in pan w liquid 1 hour, on grill indirect till tender and see how that works. Thanking you so much for your ALWAYS very quick responses. You're the best!! Bob

[@bobbulliard1327]

I think that will work well. I'll give it a go. Thanks for all your very QUICK replies and excellent video's and advice. Really learning a lot from you and having a lot of fun with the big Joe!! thanks again, Bob

[@bobbulliard1327]

John - I did 90 minutes uncovered, 60 covered, 60 uncovered(sprayed w apple juice a lot), then carmelized w sauce. they were very juicy and came out great!! thanks a bunch!! You're the best Bob

[@sehvoon]

bob bulliard

[@jamessims9146]

Is it better to soak the wood in water?

[@TheBallisticSerb]

James Sims only wood chips big chunks you can put them in dry

[@jamessims9146]

@@TheBallisticSerb Thanks

[@nathanhodges2201]

Did you have to add any more lump?

[@matthewtieszen2569]

While I cant speak for him... I never do. I've simply filled the fire box, light it, get to temp... at 225-250 I've cooked in excess of 16hrs and at the end of the cook (Brisket) I actually pulled coals out to use another day. (Not sure if it makes a difference... did my cook on a Big Joe so there is a larger fire box. ) The Kamados are very efficient.

[@KenCurrin]

Good advice, but I as surprised that you never checked internal temps.

[@Nethanel773]

0:32

[@yefski3273]

This is more like it John! Put your water bath back in the cupboard and get back to what the kamado is all about. This is why we watch you...

[@hfinberg]

To those who have made this recipe: My spousal unit likes her ribs moist. How does this rate? And what rubs do you love?