The great thing about having your family favorite recipes in an online blog is that everyone always has access to them AND that you can improve them when you come across something that makes a great recipe even greater. That’s exactly what I am doing today, after a follower messaged me suggesting that his smoker must work much different than mine.
Of course, that is always true with every cooking method. Ovens, grills, and smokers all have some degree of variation in heating capability, smoke volume, and the thermostats attached to these devices. Also, most recipes are simply timing based. To me, most recipes are BS, like the 3, 2, 1 popular rib recipe. (3 hours of smoke, two hours wrapped in foil and 1 hour back on the smoker with sauce on). Variation exists in all things including grills, weather and the meat.
Again, this recipe is for baby back ribs, not for spare ribs. It is important to know the difference in that spare ribs are much larger and from a different part of the pig.
Smoking is an art, though it’s made much better today by having great smoking equipment. We now use a pellet smoker to perfectly control the temperature. Pellet smokers allow you to fill the hopper with enough pellets to last the entire smoke, not have to constantly tend to the temperature level, and use any wood I want to use by ordering them online, or stopping by a store that carries all varieties.
We enjoy many woods, and traditionalists may only use hickory, but we have found a certain enjoyable sweetness comes from using a blend of 1/2 hickory and 1/2 pecan. We also suggest two homemade sauces and both recipes, Bourbon Barbeque Sauce (most popular and sweet) and Carolina Sauce (more vinegar based), are found here.
Ingredients
- 2 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
Dry Rub
- 1/8 Cup Granulated Onion
- 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
- 1/8 Cup Granulated Garlic
- 1/4 Cup Paprika
- 1/4 Cup Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Ancho Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Morton Seasoning Salt
Spray
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Foil Wrap Mixture
- Bourbon Barbecue Sauce featured in this book/blog.
Directions
- Remove your ribs from the refrigerator and let them sit on your counter for 20 minutes, to come closer to room temperature.
- Cut each full rack in half for ease of handling.
- Remove the rib membrane by taking the ribs and placing them bone side up. Then insert a butter knife under the membrane on top of one of the bones. Wiggle the knife around to loosen the membrane. Take paper towels and grab the loose membrane with it, while holding the rack down with your other hand. You should be able to pull the membrane right off.
- Mix all the dry rub ingredients in a bowl.
- Rub yellow mustard on both sides of your ribs and shake the rub onto both sides.
- Start your smoker and set the temperature at 275 degrees.
- Insert or fill your smoker water tray. You can use a small foil pan filled with water, under the ribs if possible. This keeps your ribs moist during the smoking process.
- Then, put the ribs bone side down on the racks and shut your smoker.
- Put Apple Cider Vinegar and Apple Juice in a spray bottle, and spray your ribs every 45 minutes.
- At 2 1/2 hours check to see if your ribs are the correct red mahogany color. When they are, take aluminum foil, pour some or the Bourbon Barbecue Sauce on it, place your ribs meat side down and wrap them tight.
- Put the wrapped ribs meat side down back in the smoker.
- In 1 1/2 hours start checking your ribs by taking a towel and lifting them up on one end. They are done if they do not feel stiff and sag nicely when held.
- Remove them from the smoker but leave them in foil on the counter for 15minutes.
- FYI, rib meat is not supposed to fall off the bone and that’s why all rib competitions want the meat to be on the bone, yet come off easily to the bite. Nevertheless, many love them falling off the bone.
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