Smoked Baby Back Ribs
This smoked recipe is designed for the beginner who wants to learn how to smoke baby back ribs on a pellet grill.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- butter knife
- Pellet Smoker
- Smoking pellets
- Insulated gloves
- trimming knife
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- basting brush
- food-safe spray bottle
Ingredients
- 1 rack loin back ribs (also known as baby back ribs)
- 1 Tb salt source either plain salt, or a salt pepper garlic rub
- ¼ c BBQ rub
- 1 stick butter
- ¼ c apple cider vinegar (or substitute apple juice, etc.)
- ¼ c brown sugar either light or dark
- ⅛ c honey
- 1 c BBQ sauce
Instructions
- After removing the ribs from the package, pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any residual moisture. Use a sharp trimming knife to remove any hanging bits or bone fragments.
- Flip the rubs, meat side down and carefully insert a butter knife under the membrane between two bones in the middle of the rack. Then reach in with your finger until it can reach the opposite end of the rack. Grab a firm hold of the membrane and pull up to remove the whole membrane from the rack. TIP: if the membrane tears, use a paper towel to grab and pull what's left.
- Sprinkle a medium coat of your salt source, followed by a heavy coat of BBQ rub on the bottom side of the rack, and then gently pat it into the rack. Let that sit for 15 minutes before flipping over to season the other side.
- Turn the rack back over, bone side down, and repeat on the top: sprinkle a medium coat of your salt source, followed by a heavy coat of BBQ rub, and gently pat that into the meat. Allow the ribs and seasoning to rest on the counter for an additional 30 minutes.
- Fill the hopper of your pellet smoker with your favorite hardwood pellets and fire it up to 225°. Check to make sure your grill grates are clean and your grease bucket is properly attached before starting the grill.
- After the pellet smoker is up to temperature and the seasonings have had enough time to set, transfer the ribs to the grill grates. Arrange the ribs exactly how you want them to finish. Bunch them up so they're not stretched out. Make sure they're straight and not bent. Close the lid and leave them alone for 90 minutes.
- After 90 minutes, melt half a stick of butter and use a basting brush to coat the ribs in butter. Close the grill and set another timer for 60 minutes.
- After 60 minutes, spritz the ribs with apple cider vinegar (or apple juice substitute). This should be a mist of liquid, not a direct squirt. Close the lid and allow the ribs to continue smoking for an additional 30 minutes.
- Lay out 2 sheets of heavy-duty foil on top of each other. The foil should be 3-5 inches longer than the ribs on each end. Arrange pats of the remaining 1/2 stick of butter in the middle of the foil, approximately the length of the rack of ribs. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of the butter, followed by a drizzle of honey. Place the ribs, meat side down, over the honey, sugar, and butter pile. Wrap the aluminum foil around the sides of the ribs, followed by the ends.
- Transfer the wrapped ribs back to the pellet smoker, remaining meat side down. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
- Gently open one end of the foil wrap, just enough to insert an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pork. Be sure to measure the meat between 2 bones, without touching the bone with the thermometer. If the pork has reached about 200°, proceed to the next step. If not, close the wrap back up and check back in every 20 minutes or so until it has reached the target temperature. TIP: If you're concerned about timing, feel free to increase the grill temperature to anywhere between 250-300° to speed things up. Since the ribs are wrapped, the grill temperature isn't as important now.
- Remove the ribs from the wrap and sprinkle another even coat of BBQ rub over the meat side of the rack. Return them to the grill for about 5 minutes.
- Prepare your barbecue sauce by heating up the sauce and adding additional liquid (vinegar, juice, or even water) to thin it out. You want it to be more of a maple syrup consistency than ketchup.
- Drizzle the barbecue sauce over the ribs and let it run to the edges for a complete coat, not too thick. Leave them on the smoker for 10 more minutes.
- Remove the ribs from the pellet grill and begin the shutdown cycle. Transfer your beautiful baby back ribs to a tray or cutting board to rest for 10-20 minutes.
- Before slicing, paint a light coat of your BBQ sauce mixture on the cutting board and then place your baby back ribs, meat side down, on the sauce. Try to center your slicing knife equally between each pair of bones before making a cut. Flip the cut ribs back over and serve immediately.
