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–+ servings
Smoked Ribs with Santa Maria Seasoning

Best Ever Smoked Ribs with Pepsi Marinade & Santa Maria Rub

Todd Mitchell
Pork back ribs marinated in Pepsi and Soy Sauce, twice smoked, and fall-off-the-bone delicious
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 18 minutes
Marinade 1 day
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 2 people
Calories 1199 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Smoker With Indirect Heat
  • 1 Grill (ideal, but not required)

Ingredients
  

  • 1 rack pork back ribs membrane removed

For the Marinade:

  • 2 cans Cola Real Sugar Pepsi strongly recommended
  • 1 cup soy sauce Kikkoman

Homemade Santa Maria Seasoning (makes enough for 4 applications, as used in the recipe)

  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional
  • ¼ tsp dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp paprika optional

Second Seasoning (Rub)

  • 1 tbsp Trader Joe’s BBQ Rub with Coffee & Garlic

Optional:

  • BBQ sauce for basting

Instructions
 

Step 1: Marinate the Ribs

  • Peel the membrane off the back of the ribs.
  • Place ribs in a stainless steel bowl, meat side up.
  • Pour in Pepsi and soy sauce to cover the ribs.
  • Sprinkle a generous layer of Santa Maria seasoning on the exposed (top) side.
  • Cold-smoke the ribs with a cocktail smoker if available, then seal the bowl or cover tightly.
  • Refrigerate for 8–12 hours.
  • Flip ribs, season the new top side, and refrigerate another 8–12 hours (max 24 hours total).

Step 2: Prep the Smoker

  • Preheat smoker to 275°F with indirect heat.
  • Drain ribs from marinade and pat dry.
  • Coat thoroughly with dry rub of your choice.

Step 3: Smoking Schedule

  • Place ribs bone side down, smoke for 3 hours, flipping halfway. If smoker is uneven, flip and rotate.
    After 1 hour of smoking.
  • Optional: After 3 hours, apply a modest layer of BBQ sauce to top (meat side).
    Apply a moderate amount of sauce to the ribs.
  • Continue cooking 1 hour.
  • Flip and rotate again. Sauce the bone side (now up).
    Ribs bone side up.
  • Cook 1 more hour (total 5 hours at 275°F).

Step 4: Final Sear (Optional)

  • In the last 20 minutes, fire up a grill to 400°F.
  • Sear ribs 6 minutes per side to caramelize sauce and add char.
  • If using the same smoker, remove ribs briefly while it heats up.

Step 5: Internal Temp

  • Cook until ribs reach 205°F internal temperature. This ensures tender, pull-away-from-the-bone meat.
    Smoked Ribs with Santa Maria Seasoning

Notes

Notes

  • If saving marinade, bring it to a full boil and reduce to use as a glaze or mop sauce.
  • This marinade works beautifully with tri-tip too!

Nutrition

Calories: 1199kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 95gFat: 71gSaturated Fat: 25gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 296mgSodium: 10360mgPotassium: 1402mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 516IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 245mgIron: 9mg
Keyword BBQ, Ribs
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