Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- Wood chips or pellets, for smoking
- 3 (2½- to 3-pound) racks baby back ribs
- --
- DRY RUB
- ½ cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- --
- MOP SAUCE
- ¾ cup apple cider
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
- --
- Barbecue sauce, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225° to 250°. Soak wood chips or pellets in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Let ribs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- For dry rub: In a small bowl, stir together paprika, brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Reserve 2 tablespoons rub mixture for mop sauce and Smoked Cream Cheese (recipe precedes).
- Using a sharp knife, pierce thin membrane on back of ribs; peel off, and discard. Rub remaining dry rub onto all sides of ribs.
- Brush smoker rack with oil.
- Sprinkle soaked wood chips or pellets over coals. Place ribs, bone side down, on rack. Cover with lid, and cook for 2 hours.
- For mop sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together cider, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon reserved dry rub.
- Cook ribs, mopping top side of ribs with mop sauce every 30 minutes, until ribs are very tender, 2 to 2½ hours. Serve with barbecue sauce.
Kitchen Tip: When the rack of ribs bends in the middle when picked up with tongs and about ¼ inch of bone appears on the ends of ribs, that is usually a good indicator that ribs are tender.
