The Best BBQ Sauce for Ribs (And How We Smoke Ours)
Ribs are where a BBQ sauce either earns its place or gets ignored. At Fox & Hound Smokehouse, our St. Louis-style ribs go out low and slow over fruit wood, finished with Lake Level Mild — the sweet & smoky sauce we built specifically to let smoked pork shine instead of covering it up. Here's our process, start to finish.
What You'll Need
- 1 rack St. Louis-style or baby back ribs
- BBQ dry rub: Sunset Rub
- 1 bottle Fox & Hound Lake Level Mild BBQ Sauce
- Smoker with fruit wood (cherry or apple)
- Aluminum foil
How to Smoke Ribs Low and Slow
1. Remove the membrane. Flip the rack bone-side up and peel off the thin membrane along the back. This single step makes a bigger difference in tenderness than almost anything else you'll do.
2. Rub generously, both sides. Coat the ribs evenly with your dry rub. Let them sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor.
3. Smoke at 225°F. Set your smoker to a steady 225°F with fruit wood for smoke. Place ribs bone-side down and let them smoke undisturbed for about 3 hours.
4. Wrap to lock in moisture. After 3 hours, wrap the rack tightly in foil and return it to the smoker for another 1–2 hours. This step — sometimes called the "Texas crutch" — helps break down connective tissue without drying out the meat.
5. Unwrap and check for doneness. Ribs are ready when the meat has pulled back from the bone ends and a toothpick slides in with little resistance. You're looking for tender, not falling-apart mush.
6. Sauce and set. Brush Lake Level Mild over the ribs and return them to the smoker, uncovered, for 10–15 minutes. This lets the sauce tack up into a sticky glaze instead of just sitting wet on the surface.
Why Lake Level Mild Works on Ribs
Ribs already carry a lot of smoke flavor by the time they're done — the last thing they need is a sauce that fights for attention. Lake Level Mild is sweet and smoky rather than sharp or vinegar-forward, which lets it glaze into the bark instead of masking it. It's the same sauce we serve daily on ribs at our smokehouse in Lake Tahoe, made without high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, or artificial preservatives.
Try It Yourself
[Shop Lake Level Mild BBQ Sauce →]
Prefer something with more kick? Our [High Altitude Heat chipotle & habanero sauce →] brings real heat without losing the smoke.