Smoked Country Spare Ribs

Country Spare Ribs are not ribs at all, they are actually a cut from the shoulder. They are a bit tougher, but they are very flavorful. They lend themselves to many cuisines from BBQ, Asian, Pacific Islander, Cuban, and many more.  This preparation is to smoke them.   The basics here are: a good rub (spice blend), good wood, and slow and low even heat. For those without a smoker charcoal grills and even some gas grills can be modified to achieve pretty good results. Unfortunately the smoked Country Spare Ribs can not be made in an oven and liquid smoke flavoring products will not do the end result justice. To modify this for the oven reduce the brown sugar in half and baste the Country Spare Ribs with your favorite smokey BBQ sauce during cooking. It wont be the same, but it will still be delicious.  Lastly, if you don’t have all day to smoke the Country Spare Ribs, you can smoke them for about 1 to 2 hours, and then pop them in the oven set to 200 degrees, or a slow cooker on low for the remaining time.

5 pounds Country Spare Ribs

4 cups water

2 cups apple wood chips soaked
¼ cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
1 teaspoon Everglades All-Purpose Seasoning or other all purpose seasoning.
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Step 1: 

Remove the Country Spare Ribs from the refrigerator, and place them at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl to make the spice rub. Rub (massage) the country spare ribs well. Place the rubbed Country Spare Ribs in a sealed container or zip top bag and refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours.

Step 2: Soak the wood chips in the water for 30 to 45 minutes, drain,  and reserve.

Step3: 

Remove the Country Spare Ribs from the refrigerator.  Get the smoker going to 180- 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the wood chips. Once the chips are smoking place the Country Spare Ribs inside the smoker. Ensure the temperature is no more than 180 to 200 degrees through out cooking. Smoke the Country Spare Ribs for 6 hours.