Baby Back Ribs
Classic Southern Baby Back Ribs. Fall of the bone tender, deep flavor, and complexity, minimal effort.
Buying the ribs:
Getting the ribs:
Before starting to cook it is important to understand the types of ribs that exist. The broad term of ribs can be broken down into two categories: Beef or Pork. This refers to the animal where the ribs are from; beef ribs are from cows, and pork ribs are from pigs. Beef ribs are expansive and interesting, but not the topic of this recipe. If you are interested in beef rib types check, out this video by The Bearded Butchers. Pork Ribs also have many types, but for smoking, the main types are spare ribs and baby backs. The spare ribs are bigger and come from more toward the head of the pig. The baby back's are smaller and near to the tail. I choose baby back because they are more tender and easier to handle. For an in-depth look into pork rib anatomy check out this video by The Bearded Butchers.
When shopping for baby back ribs, make sure to get high quality ribs from a butcher you trust because the star of the show is the meat. When shopping for ribs, I look for full racks. If they don’t have full racks at the counter, don't hesitate to ask to butcher if they have full racks, as they almost always will. The great thing about this recipe is that is very expandable so buy the amount of racks based on how many people you are cooking for. I usually opt for 2-4 racks, which gives my family plenty of leftovers for the week, and extra racks to share with friends. A single person will usually eat 3-4 ribs per meal.
Prepping:
1) After getting the ribs, it's time to prep them. The first step is to let them come to room temperature, which should take about 1/2 an hour.
2) Next, blot the top and bottom of the ribs with a paper towl to remove any excess moisture from the ribs
3) Finally, turn the ribs onto their bottom, less meaty side up, and get a dull knife. I usually use a butter or plastic knife. Insert the blade under the membrane of the ribs and grab the displaced membrane with a paper towel. Use this paper towel to create more grip as you peel the membrane across the rack so it removes as one piece. this might take a few tries but be patient.
Seasoning:
1) Seasoning is an important part of the cooking process because it introduces more flavors to complement the meat.
2) Before starting to season apply, a binder to the meat to help the seasoning stick. Many people use yellow mustard, but I use olive oil with paprika mixed into it. The dissolved paprika helps give the meat a red color. Spread this mixture onto the top and bottom of the meat rubbing it across the surface.
4) To season the meat, many people use a spice blend made for smoking. While you can opt for this, I feel that it doesn't strike the balance I enjoy, so I make my own.
5) Crack salt and pepper to taste, and then apply a generous dusting of cinnamon, garlic powder, and onion powder to both sides of the meat.
Starting the smoker:
The important thing to remember when starting the smoker is that charcoal is like an 18 wheeler. It is very slow to start but once it gets going it won't stop. The best way to maintain a low temperature while cooking is to be patient and let the charcoal slowly come to temp. Being impatient and lighting more charcoal is a sure way to overshoot, which is hard to come back from. Even if it takes 30 minutes be patient and wait for charcoal to light itself and create heat.
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1) To start the charcoal use an oil-soaked paper towel, fire starter, or electric charcoal lighter to heat up a small 2-inch circle in the middle of the charcoal box.
2) Insert the indirect heat stone into the smoker.
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3) Slightly open the bottom and top vents and allow the smoker to heat up to 250F, closing the vents slightly as it passes 150F.
4) Before putting the ribs on the smoker throw 3-4 pieces of apple wood chunks into the fire.
Starting the ribs:
Time to cook the ribs. The key is to open the lid as little as possible when checking the temperature. Also check if there is blue or white smoking rising from the smoker as it is the sign that the charcoal is active and burning. If there is absolutely no smoke on the top of the smoker it means the charcoal is dead. To fix this open the vents and wait for 2 minutes before making more adjustments.
1) Place the ribs onto the smoker, meat side up and allow them to cook, untouched for 2 hours.
2) Every 15-20 minutes check the temperature, without opening the smoker. Adjust the vents as necessary to keep the temperature at 250F.
Wrapping the Ribs:
After two hours, the ribs should be full of smokey flavor, but they won't be soft and tender. To achieve this, wrap the ribs with a foil and flavored liquid that will steam the ribs and tenderize them.
1) Place the ribs meat side down onto a sheet of tinfoil that is big enough to wrap the ribs. Then create a boat shape around the ribs so that the liquid will not seep out of the tinfoil.
2) Pour the steam liquid, such as apple cider vinegar or apple juice around the meat.
3) Wrap the meat by folding the sides over each other creating a sealed cocoon around the meat.
4) Wrap the ribs twice more so that the ribs are triple-wrapped. Wrapping will ensure that the juice cannot seep out. Importantly alternate the sides you start wrapping from so it is harder for the juice to seep out.
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5) place the wrapped ribs back on the smoker — meat side down — at 250F for another 2 hours. Check the temp every 15-20 minutes to ensure that the temperature stays constant.
Glazing the ribs:
After the ribs have been wrapped and smoked, they will be tender and cooked through. The final step is to create the bbq lacquer on top. This can be done by waiting another 1/2 hour on the smoker, but can be much more easily achieved by broiling the ribs in the oven.
1) Mix bbq sauce with Tabasco and brown sugar to create the glaze.
2) Brush the glaze across the top creating a smooth even coat.
3) Broil the ribs for 1 minute while watching them like a hawk. Once the sauce creates the desired glaze, take it out of the oven and serve.
Ingredients:
2 slabs of baby back ribs
olive oil
paprika
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cinnamon
apple cider vinegar
apple wood
large lump charcoal
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