The weather is rapidly warming up here in California—the temperatures have been in the 70s and 80s lately. Spring is my second favorite season. It’s not too hot, not too cold. It’s perfect for playing outside with the girls, horseback riding, beginning the camping season, and dining al fresco. It’s also ideal for some slow-smoked pork ribs!

When the weather warms up, so does my grill. After surviving the wildfire, we bought a pellet smoker grill and I have begun taking my cooking experiments to the outdoors. I have tried smoking just about anything at this point. I just love that earthy, smoky flavor that enhances any meal. I’ve used my smoker for burgers and bratwursts, meatloaf, pizza, ribs, salmon, vegetables, and more.

Today, I’m going to tell you my secret to smoking flavorful, tender ribs everyone will enjoy as they fall off the bone. First of all, I highly recommend pork over beef. The pork ribs just seem to have more natural flavor. Once you decide on pork or beef, should you get spare ribs, baby back, or Saint Louis style? That all depends on what is most important to you—meatiness or flavor. While small, baby back ribs tend to have the most meat. However, if you’re looking for the most flavor, I recommend getting the spare ribs, which come from the belly. If you want to lose the cartilage, go for Saint Louis style—bonus that these ones often come pre-marinated as well!

Once you get your rack of ribs, it’s time to get the party started—or at least the grill. Make sure you do this on a day when you are home and have the time. It’s a slow process, but it’s more than worth it and you aren’t likely to have much in the way of leftovers.

Slow-Smoked Pork Ribs

Preheat your smoker to 200°. Meanwhile, generously season your ribs with your favorite seasoning and/or barbecue sauce. (This time around, I used a sauce and a rub from two different establishments within a few hours of our hometown. Both of them are places we have visited multiple times and enjoy. The barbecue sauce is Larrupin Goods‘ Red Sauce, and the rub is Tahoe House‘s Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Rub.) When the smoker reaches 200°, put the ribs directly on the grill and smoke for 2 hours.

When the first step is completed, remove the ribs from the smoker. Brush on more barbecue sauce, and then wrap them in foil. Return them to the smoker and let them cook another 2 hours. This is the most important step as it makes those ribs fall off the bone in delicious, juicy tenderness.

For the final step, you need to remove the ribs from the smoker and unwrap the foil (you can throw the foil away at this point). Feel free to add more sauce if desired. Then return the unwrapped ribs to the smoker for 1 more hour.

Now is the best part—you get to enjoy those delicious ribs! Serve them with cheesy homemade mac and cheese (I have a wonderful recipe for this that I will add in the near future!), and some salty bacon and green beans. This recipe is sure to please your family, satisfy everyone’s belly, and leave a smile on those messy faces!