😋July 4th Calls for Amazing Raspberry Glazed Pork Ribs!

Published: Thu, 07/01/21

Raspberry Glazed Ribs for July 4th

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Pork ribs are no doubt the main topic for July 4th.. I get more questions about pork ribs than any other thing this time of year and I totally get that.. they are amazing when they're done right.

I just happen to have a complete, step-by-step recipe that will walk you though doing these up perfectly even if you've never cooked them before in the smoker.

God bless America and thank God for pork ribs!

Note: Something that's not in the recipe below but worth noting is seasoning these up ahead of time. I use my original rub to create the best bark known to man and if you want it to be the best it can be, apply my original rub the night before instead of waiting till right before you cook them. It makes a big difference!

Helpful Information

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours (use my alternate method to get these done in 4 hours)
Smoker Temp: 225/275°F
Meat Finish Temp: 194°F
Recommended Wood: Cherry and/or pecan

What You'll Need

1 or more racks of St. Louis style spare ribs
Jeff's original rub
Raspberry spreadable fruit (jam also works)

Step 1: Remove the Membrane

Lay the pork ribs bone side up on the cutting board.

Use a butter knife or your fingers to lift up on the edge of the plastic like membrane that covers the bones. Once it's loose a little, grab it with a paper towel or a pair of catfish skinning pliers and pull the membrane clean off.

Occasionally, it can be stubborn and if so, do the best you can and don't worry about the rest. It's a nice thing to do but it doesn't ruin the ribs in any way if you can't remove all of it. Some people choose to skip this step altogether.

Step 2: Trim Flap

See that flap of meat that runs diagonally from upper middle to lower right in the image above? I like to cut this off and cook it separately as this can interfere with the cooking process not to mention, it's a nice snack about halfway through the cooking process.

Note: This flap of meat may have already been trimmed off by the butcher.

Step 3: Season Bone Side

While there ‘s not a lot of meat on the bone side, I still recommend putting some of my original rub on it. We eat with our eyes so it's great for color and in addition, since we also eat with our hands, some of this rub will transfer to our mouth and make it taste even better.

Go ahead and season that flap of meat you cut off as well.

Step 4: Season Meaty Side

Flip the rack of ribs over to meaty side up.

Season the meaty side real good with my original rub.

I often use mustard to help the rub to stick but I had a little time to let these sit so I just placed the rub on the ribs dry. The little bit of salt in the rub pulls juices to the surface of the meat where it mixes with the rub. You will see this happen within about 10-15 minutes. As the juices come to the surface, it will moisten the rub making it look darker.

Step 5: Cook with Smoke

Once you season the ribs real good with Jeff's original rub, you'll want to leave them sitting for at least 15-20 minutes to let the magic happen. This is a great time to get the smoker going.

Set up your smoker for cooking at about 225°F using indirect heat and cherry wood for smoke if you have it. If not, pecan or another fruit wood will also work well. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.

Once the smoker is preheated and ready to cook, place the ribs on the smoker grate bone side down.

If you want to minimize cleanup, it is perfectly acceptable to leave the ribs on a cookie sheet as I did.

Set a timer for 3 hours on your phone, watch, etc.

Once the timer goes off, feel free to turn up the heat to 275°F to get these done a little faster. I decided to crank mine up and within 1 hour they were done.

These two options yield very similar results. the first one is traditional, the 2nd one is a sped up version that works very well:

225°F for about 6 hours
225°F for 3 hours then 275°F for 1 hour

Important: Remember that temperature is the determining factor for when the meat is done, NOT the time. Time is only used as a way to estimate how long it will probably take.

Step 6: Glaze with Raspberry

This is what I purchased from my local grocery store.. find something similar and it will work just fine.

When the ribs are about 20-25 minutes away from being finished, place the raspberry spreadable fruit or jam in a sauce pan over medium low heat

Stir with a whisk to smooth it out.

Spread a generous portion of the raspberry glaze onto the top side of the ribs with a spoon or a brush.

Step 7: Finish, Slice and Eat

Check the temperature of the rib meat, right between the bones with a handheld digital meat thermometer. Make sure the tip of the probe is not touching the bone.

You are looking for about 194°F to get perfect, competition style ribs that are perfectly tender but not falling off the bone.

Note: If you want super tender fall-off-the-bone ribs then follow my recipe HERE and just add the raspberry glaze when they are almost finished.

Once the ribs have reached the perfect temperature, remove them from the heat and lay them on a cutting board.

Slice the ribs right between the bones using a really sharp knife

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Keep Smokin'!

Jeff Phillips