If you are looking at that rack of pork that you bought at Costco and are wondering what to do with it then you have come to the right place! It turns out that this cut is perfect for cooking on a smoker and is incredibly easy to prepare.
We are going to cover:
- Rubs and Sauces
- Cooking Temperature and Time
Prepare the Rack of Pork for the Smoker
Getting the pork ready for the smoker is incredibly easy.
The racks of pork at Costco have already been injected with a saline pork broth, up to 10% of the total weight of the package, so the meat is going to turn out super juicy.
This means we have absolutely no need to mess around with brines or marinades as the pork is already loaded up.
All I do to prep this cut is to:
- Take it out of the plastic wrap
- Pat it dry with paper towels
- Apply a dry rub
- Wait 30 minutes
- Put it on the smoker
For the dry rub you want to hit the Sweet/Salty/Spicy notes and put some nice color on the meat. I suggest usingour Award Winning Rib Rub to season the meat (given below).
Smoked Rack of Pork Dry Rub
- 3/4c Paprika
- 1/2c White Sugar
- 1/4c Granulated Garlic
- 1/8c Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp. Chili Powder
- 2 tbsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. Cayenne
- 1 tbsp. Cumin
- 1 tbsp. Black Pepper
- 2 tsp. Oregano
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 tsp. Thyme
Smoke the Pork at 225F
Turn on your pellet grill at set the temperature to 225F. I was using a Z Grills pellet grill but this recipe works fine on a Traeger, Pit Boss, etc.
I used Hickory pellets for this cook but other great choices would be Pecan, Cherry or Apple. To be honest, this cook takes less than three hours so the choice of pellets is not that important.
There is also nothing magical about the temperature of 225F. You can run hotter if you want but I wouldn’t go past 275F as you don’t want to scorch the sugar in the rub.
Get the rack of pork on the smoker with the thin fat cap down. Having the fat closer to the heat source is going to help it render better at these low temperatures.
Here is the process I followed:
- Smoke at 225F for two hours.
- The internal temperature will be about 130-135F at this point.
- Glaze the meat with barbecue sauce.
- Smoke for another 30 minutes until an internal temperature of 145F is reached.
- Remove the rack from the smoker.
I wanted to continue to build on the Sweet Heat flavor profile so I used Head Country Apple Habanero barbecue sauce. I suspect that you could also use something like Sweet Baby Ray’s Red Chili Sauce and also get great results!
Slice and Serve the Smoked Rack of Pork
Once the pork hits 145F get it off the smoker and slice it up.
There is no need to let the meat rest as it was pumped full of pork broth and was gently cooked. The juices are plentiful and do not need extra time to “redistribute” through the meat.
I sliced the boneless edge sections super thin with a granton edged slicing knife. Once I got to the bones I sliced them into thick “steaks” with the bone still attached.
The pork was super juicy and the Sweet/Salty/Spicy/Smoky flavor profile was just about perfect.
This would be great served with the traditional side dishes like mac n cheese, baked beans, Cole slaw and potato salad.
Smoked Rack of Pork
A 5 pound rack of pork is seasoned with a dry rub, slow smoked and glazed with a Sweet Heat barbecue sauce.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total Time 3 hours hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Rack of Pork
- 4 tbsp Award Winning Rib Rub
- 1 cup Head Country Apple Habanero BBQ Sauce
Instructions
Remove the pork from its packaging and pat dry with paper towels.
Season the pork liberally on all sides with the dry rub.
Let the meat rest for 30 minutes so the rub can work into the meat.
Set your smoker to 225F.
Put the rack on the smoker fat side down.
Smoke the pork at 225F for two hours.
Baste the pork with the barbecue sauce.
Smoke the pork for another 30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 145F.
Remove the meat from the smoker, slice and serve.
Keyword Smoked Rack of Pork
FAQs
Smoke pork rib rack for 4 hours, or until internal temperature has reached 120°F to 125°F.
How long to smoke a rack of pork ribs? ›
Smoking Time & Temp
- Smoke at 225 to 250°F for 4 to 5 hours.
- Baste or mop the ribs occasionally, but don't open the grill too often.
- Maintaining a steady temperature is important. ...
- If smoke starts to die down, add more wood chips.
Any higher, and you can risk stringy dry pork and tough connective tissue that doesn't break down properly. In general, the cooking time for a 4-pound pork shoulder smoking at 225° degrees is around 90 minutes per pound, but this can vary greatly depending on what type of smoker you're using.
Should I smoke pork loin at 225 or 250? ›
Smoke your pork loin at about 225–250°F (107–121°C). The lower, slower temps at play in a smoker make hitting your target of 145°F (53°C) easy—the meat temperature isn't racing up as fast as it can go, so it's easier to hit the sweet spot.
Can you overcook pork on a smoker? ›
One thing is certain about ribs and pork: If you overcook them, they do become dry and tough.
How long should smoked pork rest before pulling? ›
Allow pork butt to rest for as little as 30 minutes to as long as 5 hours; however, the ideal resting period to rest pork butt is between 1 and 2 hours. This gives the meat enough time to relax and allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
How to smoke ribs for beginners? ›
Start by placing your ribs directly on the grill grates of the smoker for 3 hours to infuse the meat with that good, smoky flavor. 2 hours wrapped. Next up, wrap those smoky ribs in foil (usually with brown sugar, apple cider, butter, and other goodies) for 2 hours to add more flavor and keep that rib meat juicy.
Is it better to cook ribs at 225 or 250? ›
I start cooking ribs in the oven at around 200 degrees if they're wrapped in foil, and unwrapped ribs at 225 degrees to compensate for the cooling effect of evaporation from the exposed meat surface. These temperatures bring the inner meat temperature up to around 170 degrees in 3 to 4 hours.
What is the best temperature to smoke ribs to make them tender? ›
Most ribs hit their sweet spot for doneness around 198 degrees F, but some take until 203 degrees F to be perfectly tender. This spread in final temperature is one reason why thermometers are a great jumping off-point for rib perfection, but not the be-all-end-all indicator.
Is smoked pork belly good? ›
The important part being that they are incredibly tender and full of flavor. They practically melt in your mouth. We love serving these with a cool and crunchy broccoli salad for excellent contrast in textures and flavors. We make our smoked pork belly recipe using our Traeger grill and it's incredibly easy to do.
When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165 to 170 degrees F on an instant read meat thermometer (after about 4 to 5 hours), remove it from the grill and double wrap in aluminum foil to keep the juices from leaking out.
Is 250 too high to smoke pork shoulder? ›
Cooking the Pork Shoulder
When the pit reaches operating temp, I usually smoke a pork shoulder at 250 degrees F, place the pork shoulder on the pit, and let it smoke for about one hour, bone side down.
How do you keep a pork loin moist when smoking? ›
A big part of making sure smoked pork loin does not end up dry is in cooking it to the right temperature however, wrapping it in bacon also helps a lot to keep it juicy and it's so easy to do!
Should I wrap my pork loin in foil when smoking? ›
We don't wrap pork loin in foil when smoking because the foil prevents the smoke from flavoring the meat. Larger cuts of meat like pork butt are sometimes wrapped in foil to help speed the cooking process. But it shouldn't last long with pork loin which is a smaller cut.
Can you overcook pork at 225? ›
However, if the pork is cooked too long, it may become dry and hard instead of tender. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 210 degrees F or more, the muscle fibers become tougher, and the meat becomes dry and chewy.
What temperature should a rack of pork be cooked at? ›
Cooking the meat to a final temperature of 145°F (63°C) ensures that it'll be tender and juicy. A pull temperature of 130°F (54°C) allows for carryover cooking to bring the meat to its perfect final temperature. While the roast is in the oven, soak the morels in 1 cup warm water until soft—20 to 30 minutes.
Can I smoke a pulled pork in 10 hours? ›
For what it's worth, pork butt (Boston butt, pork shoulder) normally takes 12-14 hours to turn it into tender, juicy pulled pork.
What is the best temperature to smoke pork? ›
Do you wrap pork in foil when smoking? ›
It is always encouraged to wrap your pork shoulder at some point in the smoking process. Many BBQ pitmasters believe that you should wrap it in foil or peach paper once it hits an internal temperature of 165°.
