Discover the best way to smoke rib tips to achieve the perfect balance between a smoky bark and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

Rib tips are often overlooked in barbecue, but they pack incredible flavor when cooked properly. These cartilage-filled morsels come from the lower portion of spare ribs and can be smoked to develop a deep bark and juicy texture. The challenge? Finding the ideal cooking method that softens the cartilage without overcooking the meat. In this experiment, we test four different techniques to determine the best way to smoke rib tips for that “Goldilocks” balance of tenderness and bite-through texture.

Step 1: Preparing the Rib Tips

Start with high-quality St. Louis-style spare ribs. The rib tips are the flap portion that extends beyond the rib bones. Trim them off and save them until you have enough for a full cook.

Seasoning

• Use a simple but effective rub. We applied Smoke Trails General Purpose Rub for a classic BBQ base.
• Follow with a layer of Oklahoma Joe’s Carolina Style Mustard Rub—mustard and pork are a match made in heaven.
• Let the rib tips rest for 30 minutes while the smoker comes up to temp.

Step 2: Setting Up the Smoker

• Light up an Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Offset Smoker using a charcoal starter.
• Burn down to coals, then add wood splits for a consistent 250°F smoking temperature.
• Arrange the rib tip pans strategically in the smoker to avoid direct heat exposure.

Step 3: Smoking the Rib Tips

Initial Smoking Phase (Unwrapped)

• Smoke at 250°F for two hours to build color and bark.
• Flip them to develop even bark on both sides.

Wrapping for Tenderness

After 3-4 hours of smoking, the rib tips reach 170-175°F internally.

• Wrap in foil to retain moisture and continue cooking.
• Two trays are taken to 203-205°F immediately.
• One tray is pulled at 145°F, then held at 150°F for 18 hours.

Step 4: The Long Hold Experiment

The extended hold phase mimics sous vide cooking, allowing the collagen to break down slowly.

• Low & Slow Hold (145°F, 18 Hours) – Maintains juiciness without overcooking.
• High Temp Hold (203°F, 18 Hours) – Further tenderizes, but risks going “pot-roasty.”

Step 5: The Taste Test

The next day, we evaluated the results:

• Unwrapped Rib Tips (205°F, No Hold): Great bark but slightly drier texture.
• Wrapped & Finished at 203°F: Very tender, juicy, and good bite-through.
• Wrapped, 145°F & Held for 18 Hours: Maintained the best texture with soft cartilage and a juicy bite.
• Wrapped, 203°F & Held for 18 Hours: The most tender, but slightly “pot roast-like.”

Conclusion

For the perfect smoked rib tips, a low finishing temp (145°F) followed by an 18-hour hold at 150°F produced the best combination of juicy meat and edible cartilage. If you love a strong bark, leaving them unwrapped longer before wrapping to finish works well too.