Baby back ribs are like the chicken wings of pork, it’s hard to have just a few. With all the different rubs, sauces and techniques out there I created a smoked baby back rib that will stand up with competition judging. I wanted to keep it simple so I picked a few guidelines I wanted to meet. My key points are to have a nice smoke ring, easy to bite into but with a slight pull of the meat, and no heavy sauce.
Ingredients:
- Baby Back Ribs (1 Rack per 2 People)
- John Henrys Honey’s Rib Rub or John Henry’s Pecan Rub
- 1 Bottle Sweet Peppers or Freddie G’s BBQ Sauce
- 1 Can of Soda
- Apple Wood Chunks
- Weber Charcoal Briquettes
- Tin Foil
Steps:
- Smoke for 30 to 45 minutes at 225 F
- Baste and Wrap cook at 250 F to 275 F for about 2 hours
- Probe Ribs for internal temperature of 165 F
Preparation:
There is little prep that needs to be done but is crucial and shouldn’t be skipped. I will refer to the arc of the rib as meat side and the underside, bone side. First the silver skin found under the ribs, bone side, needs to be pulled off. I make a small cut to the end of the rib following the bone down, to help get the silver skin started. Using a paper towel to grip the skin, start pulling the skin down the bone side until you get to the other end. This will expose the bone side meat and make the ribs tenderer.
Now we need to cut the ribs and separate sizes. Looking at the ribs it should be smaller at one end, you want to cut where you can make the larger end consistent in size 5 or 6 bones total. Separate the ribs by large and small make sure you look at how much meat is on the ribs too. Thicker ribs should go with large group.
I seasoned using the John Henry’s Honey Rib Rub on the large group and Pecan on the small group. These are sugar based rubs so coat the meat heavy. Always let your meat rest to absorb the seasoning. Time to get the smoker started.
Weber Smokey Mountain Prep and Cook:
We will be using a dry smoker so cover your water pan with foil. Use the minion method to keep your temperature low and consistent. Place your wood chunks as close to the middle as possible we are smoking for a short time. The reason we separated the ribs small and large is to utilize both rack during the cook. When placing your ribs in your smoker make sure meat side is down. As your Weber Rapid Fire Chimney is going place your large ribs on the bottom rack and smaller ones on the top rack. Once your coals are white hot dump them in and assemble the smoker. Shoot for 225 F and smoke for 30 to 45 mins. During the first 30 mins we need to prepare the mopping sauce. I mixed equal parts Sweet Peppers BBQ Sauce and root beer. But fill free to use your favorite sauce and soda.
Your ribs are smoked and it’s time to baste and wrap. I will pull all the ribs off and reassemble my smoker to keep the temperature low. Lay a sheet of foil out and mop the sauce on the ribs. Wrap them up and keep the groups separated. Place them in the smoker like before and open your vents to reach a temperature of 250 F to 275 F. It’s all about internal temperature so monitor your probes and pull at 165 F. The top rack should finish first.
Let your ribs rest in the foil for about 15 mins. If you are going to eat right away dig in but you can leave them wrapped and refrigerate just turn your oven on 300 F to reheat. When serving BBQ always let your guest try the meat first without sauce, if they want sauce use the sauce from earlier minus the soda.