Best rib recipe

[CJR]

Looking for the best baby back ribs recipe you have. Going to do them on my smoker tomorrow but not sure what I should use for rubs and the best way (time, temp, wood choice) to cook them. Thanks in advance!

 

[Lou63]

I dont do baby backs so not sure if I will be much help. I do the full sparerib, more fat more flavor. Electric smoker and I use either apple or hickory wood, my own dry rub, I set the smoker at about 200 to 210 degrees and know I don't need to check it for about 2 3/4 hours and they are actually usually done at 3 or 3 1/4 hours.

my dry rub I use is the following no exact measuring just by sight and taste.

about 1/2 of the batch is the cheap cajun spice mix from the dollar store or wally world
cumin to taste
garlic powder to taste
onion powder to taste
montreal steak seasoning to taste/sight
bit of oregano
black pepper
red pepper
if I have any dried ground jalapeno ( I dehydrate the peppers then run them through the blender to grind them)
what ever else in the spice cabinet that looks good at the time I am mixing up a batch.

 

[svnmag]

I know this is pedestrian to a lot of you guys but it works. Season how you like, place in foil with a few smacks of liquid smoke, wrap like a tent then 8hrs in the oven at 170. Incredible barbecue sauce is to be made with the drippings. Last batch I made was soaked in apple cider for 24hrs after removing the silverskin. Won't mention the dry rub because I thought it sucked. Too much thyme. Rib texture was perfect sans a smoke ring. I also can't say with authority the cider bath did anything positive or negative for the flavor. I thought it was a great idea at the time.

Main point being: Decent ribs can be made in the oven...low and slow.....

 

[NodakBuckeye]

Is there even a way to cook pig and not make it taste good?!

 

[svnmag]

I get what you're saying. Have you ever tried wild pig? This is still on my bucket list and I've HEARD it can be inedible to the culinary nancies like me.

 

[huntorride365]

I know this is pedestrian to a lot of you guys but it works. Season how you like, place in foil with a few smacks of liquid smoke, wrap like a tent then 8hrs in the oven at 170. Incredible barbecue sauce is to be made with the drippings. Last batch I made was soaked in apple cider for 24hrs after removing the silverskin. Won't mention the dry rub because I thought it sucked. Too much thyme. Rib texture was perfect sans a smoke ring. I also can't say with authority the cider bath did anything positive or negative for the flavor. I thought it was a great idea at the time.

Apple is very good with pork. I like to smoke with a dry rub for 4 hours or so, then wrap in tinfoil with apple juice. The steam will break down any remaining fat and silver skin. Do this for an hour or so. Then back on the smoker for another hour or so.

 

[NodakBuckeye]

I get what you're saying. Have you ever tried wild pig? This is still on my bucket list and I've HEARD it can be inedible to the culinary nancies like me.

A buddy and I went to Louisiana to duck hunt with a vendor rep back in 2000. He had some pig traps and gave us a young one, halved lengthwise. We took it back and I kept it in my freezer until New Years Day 2001. It had been through 2 freezer unplugs by my father in law and one power outage. Needless to say it was looking a little short of being a food item. I trimmed it up and made a rub of garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary and her sister olive oil and salt n pepper. Early in the roasting process my wife started calling pizza shops to see who was open and I got out venison and duck breasts and got them ready to grill as a back up. By the time my hunting buddies and significants had arrived and we grabbed the piglet out of the oven and checked a morsel it had become the best tasting pork any of us had eaten. My son is 8; I hope to line up a pig hunt somewhere in a couple years.

- - - Updated - - -

CJR keep your smoker around 200- 225° or so and start checking around the 3 hour mark. They shouldn't take much more than 4 hours; give or take. I like hickory, cherry and maple with pork. Keep the smoke light, in other words not like you are trying to zend smoke signals.

 

[SDMF]

PLAN on them taking at least 4hrs. No hotter than 225. That should get you to "fall off the bone" tender, which is what makes or breaks ribs IMO. After that, you know best what you like for seasoning.

 

[CJR]

Thanks everyone! They went in at 8:00. Am just getting ready to pull them out and foil them for another hour or two. Smelling amazing!!!

 

[NDwalleyes]

Ribs are like sex...even the worst you had was still good. Don't sweat the details.

Put some rub on them, put the smoke to them for 1/2 of the total cooking time. My vent is always at least 1/2 open at 225 degrees. Cook until fall off the bone tender. I always finish mine in the oven, so 3 hours in the smoker (with smoke) and three in the oven. Last hour is uncovered with the sauce on them.

 

[badland mule]

I know it is kind of late but for future reference this is what I do. rub the night before with brown sugar salt cyan pepper garlic powder and onion powder. put in a 225 degree smoker for 2 hours minimum wrap in foil for 2 more hours at 225. I then throw them on the grill and slather them in homemade bbq sauce flipping and re-slathering with sauce every couple of minuets until there is a good coat of caramelized bbq sauce.I usually flip and slather them 4 or 5 times.

 

[svnmag]

Ribs are like sex...even the worst you had was still good. Don't sweat the details.

Put some rub on them, put the smoke to them for 1/2 of the total cooking time. My vent is always at least 1/2 open at 225 degrees. Cook until fall off the bone tender. I always finish mine in the oven, so 3 hours in the smoker (with smoke) and three in the oven. Last hour is uncovered with the sauce on them.

Yeah! I forgot to mention a brush of Sweet Baby Ray's uncovered for the last hour or so! The homemade sauce I mentioned was made by a pard doing a pork loin in similar fashion.

 

[huntorride365]

Yeah! I forgot to mention a brush of Sweet Baby Ray's uncovered for the last hour or so! The homemade sauce I mentioned was made by a pard doing a pork loin in similar fashion.

Sweet Baby Ray's is a very good product, so is Famous Dave's. Famous Dave's should go into just making barbecue sauce, I'm becoming less and less a fan of the restaurant.
I typically either dry rub or smoke with a sauce, I don't use both. Sounds like most use both? I like to keep the flavors separate.

 

[svnmag]

Yeah, I guess I did use both. I never really thought about it... It tasted "good" except for the aforementioned thyme (maybe it was rosemary--not a big fan of either except for poultry) I just did it for a nice crust. As said before I impressed myself with the texture.

 

[Lostlunker]

Some great advice and tips on here, also don't forget to pull the silver skin/membrane off the back of the rack. One way I like to cook them is bake them covered with foil in your favorite rub on a rack with some apple juice in the bottom of the pan. If you have happen to have some onions,carrots, or peppers cut them and throw em on top just for some added flavor. I bake them for 4 hours on 220 degrees and before they are done baking I fire up the charcoal grill with some applewood chips and get the coals nice and hot. Throw the ribs on the grill meat side down but you have to keep an eye on em them. I throw em on the hot grill to get a nice crust but watch them closely so they don't burn. Flip em over and sauce em, let em stay on the grill for another minute or so covered to get the sauce hot and pull em off. Be careful pulling them off though because they will be so tender they will want to fall apart.

 

[svnmag]

My next project is brisket. I believe it could be done the same way.

 

[MuskyManiac]

I've removed the silver skin before, but many times I don't. There are those (me included) who don't want fall-off-the-bone ribs. That doesn't mean they're not tender, but I like picking up the bone and chewing off the meat.

A combination of Tantonka Dust and Famous Dave's Rib Rub is my dry rub of choice.