The Best Smoked Baby Back Ribs You Will Ever Eat!

One of my best purchases ever was a small electric smoker I bought about ten years ago – my life has never been the same since! I’ve smoked all kinds of meats over the years, but one of my favorites are pork ribs. And if you don’t have a smoker, don’t worry – you can also smoke these ribs on a grill. To get you started, let me share my hints for making the best smoked ribs you will ever eat!

Is there anything better than the scent of smoke wafting out of a smoker slow cooking a beef brisket, pork shoulder, or ribs? My vegetarian or vegan friends might disagree with me (you all can stop reading now if you want – there’s absolutely nothing else of interest to you for the remainder of this blog post!), but I think it’s one of the best scents of summer!

And my all-time favorite thing to smoke, especially over the 4th of July weekend, are ribs - and more specifically, baby back ribs - which come from high on the back of the hog. Why baby back? Because they are incredibly flavorful and when cooked correctly, are the most tender of all the different rib choices out there. Other rib choices include St. Louis ribs (these come from the side of the ribs), pork spareribs (which come from the lower section of the ribs near the belly), beef back ribs, and beef short ribs to name a few. And while I like these other ribs, I find that they take longer to cook and often turn out tougher than baby back ribs.

There are also many ways to cook ribs. You can cook them in the oven, on the grill, or in a smoker. My preferred option is to use a smoker. First, smoke is the key to a good rib, and a smoker box provides the best vehicle for delivering great smoke flavor into the ribs. Also, I find it easier to control the heat in a smoker box (especially an electric smoker where you can simply set the temperature and walk away for a few hours) – you can’t do that with a grill where you have to constantly monitor the temperature. And lastly, you can create a nice moist environment in the smoker box because it’s enclosed and with a bit of liquid, you can actually add a bit of steam to the cooking process to help ensure moist, fall-off-the-bone ribs.

I should also mention that not all baby back ribs are equal. It’s worth it to shop around to find a market or grocery store that carries meatier, thicker baby back ribs. For example, my local Whole Foods store has baby back ribs, but they are always pretty small and relatively thin. After searching around a bit, I found that an Amish market in Sarasota (Detwiler’s Market) carries a large selection of different kinds of ribs, to include huge, thick, and meaty baby back ribs (probably twice the size of those at Whole Foods). For these ribs, you need to “go big or go home”!

In addition to shopping around to find the best ribs possible, there are three other things you need to consider as you are prepping and cooking your ribs. First, you need to pick out your rub – there are hundreds to choose from out there, but my favorite is Bone Suckin’ Rub for pork. Next, you need to choose your BBQ sauce. Again, there are plenty to choose from, but we prefer Memphis or Kansas City style red sauces as opposed to mustard or vinegar-based sauces. The last thing you need to choose is the wood you will use for smoking. Any wood chips will work, but I’m partial to pecan wood combined with a fruit wood such as cherry or apple wood for smoking pork – they infuse the meat with a less intense smoke flavor and brings a hint of sweetness into the mix as well.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think – happy smoking!!

Smoked Baby Back Ribs (Serves 3-4)

These dry-smoked ribs (meaning only dry rub is used during the cooking/smoking process – no sauce allowed until you are ready to serve them!) are fall-off-the-bone tender and have a nice, light smoky flavor that compliments but doesn’t overpower the tender sweet meat. “Marinating” the ribs in the dry rub overnight will ensure a deep BBQ flavor, while brining the ribs for an hour will ensure moist and juicy ribs. Serve these ribs with potato salad, BBQ baked beans, and coleslaw from one of your favorite local BBQ joints. And a nice spicy red Zinfandel is the perfect match for these ribs.

Ingredients

1 large rack of pork back ribs (also known as baby back ribs)

¼ cup kosher salt

4 – 6 tbsp. of store-bought BBQ rub (my favorite is Bone Suckin’ Rub)

1 jar of your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce (we like Bone Suckin’ Sauce or Lillie’s Smoky BBQ Sauce)

Directions

Prep the ribs. Fill a large pot with cold water. Add ¼ cup kosher salt and stir to combine until kosher salt has dissolved completely. Place ribs in the brine, cover, and store in refrigerator for one hour. Remove from the refrigerator, drain, and dry ribs with paper towels.

Next, place the ribs on a flat surface, meat side down. Remove the silver skin (a thin clear membrane of connective tissue) by pulling it up on the edge of the rib. Then, with a paper towel, grab the lifted piece of the silver skin and pull up until it separates from the rib and then discard. Flip the ribs over and place on large sheets of Saran Wrap. Rub the ribs generously on both sides with the BBQ rub. Wrap in the plastic wrap until sealed, and then wrap in foil and place in refrigerator for at least four hours or preferably, overnight.

Smoke the ribs. If using a smoker, place wood chips in the smoker box and heat the smoker to 220 degrees. If you want, also add a liquid (such as apple juice or water) in a heat proof bowl to add moisture while cooking. If using a grill, place wood chips in water and soak for one hour. Then, place the wood chips on foil and wrap until sealed. Punch 8 to 10 holes onto the top of the foil to release the smoke. Place foil packet directly on the coals or briquettes and turn on one burner to heat the grill to 220 degrees. Once smoke forms, place the ribs meat side down in the smoker or on the non-heated side of the grill for indirect cooking. Smoke the ribs for two hours, maintaining the temperature of the smoker or grill at 220 degrees.

After two hours, remove the ribs from the smoker/grill and wrap tightly in foil (this will help to steam the ribs, ensuring they stay moist and don’t dry out). Return to the smoker/grill for another 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the size/thickness of your ribs (cook the thicker, meatier ribs for 2 hours vice 1 ½ hours).

Remove the ribs from the smoker/grill and unwrap – be careful to avoid the hot juices that might have accumulated inside the foil! Place the ribs meat side down on a cutting board and cut into individual ribs. Serve 3-4 ribs per person, along with BBQ sauce and any sides such as potato salad, coleslaw, or baked beans.