Water Pan
Smoke flavors permeate the meat best when smoked in a moist environment. If your cooker does not have a water pan, a simple foil pan helps provide moisture.
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Olive Oil
Slather your pork shoulder with olive oil or yellow mustard to help the rub adhere to the meat. (You likely won’t pick up the mustard flavor later.)
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Rubs
There’s a whole universe of rubs out there that you can choose from. Here are a few of our favorite rubs.
Texas Crutch
Some people wrap their ribs after two hours or so of smoking. The so-called “Texas Crutch” can help speed cooking and keep ribs moist. However, the ribs can overcook, so the meat falls too easily off of the bone.
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Rib Racks
To cook several racks of ribs at once on your smoker or grill, roll each rack into a ring with the bones standing vertically, and secure them with a bamboo skewer.
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