American · Main · Medium
BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Low-and-slow smoked ribs with a caramelized bark and a sticky glaze. Tender enough to bite clean off the bone.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
BBQ Baby Back Ribs, in 5 ideas
- 225F is the magic number. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside tenderizes. Low and slow renders the fat and melts the collagen.
- The wrap is called the Texas crutch. It powers through the stall (when the temp plateaus) by trapping steam. That is how you get tender without drying out.
- Do not sauce too early. Sugar burns. The glaze goes on in the last 30 minutes only, just long enough to set and caramelize.
- Let them rest. Fifteen minutes lets the juices redistribute. Cut too soon and they run out onto the board.
- No smoker, no problem. A kettle grill with indirect coals and wood chunks works. Even an oven at 225F with a drop of liquid smoke in the wrap gets you close.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 lbs total)
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup apple juice, for spritzing
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
How to make it
Directions
- Remove the thin membrane from the bone side of each rack. Slide a butter knife under it at one end, grip with a paper towel, and pull it off in one sheet.
- Rub a thin layer of mustard over both sides of the ribs. This is the binder that helps the rub stick.
- Mix the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne. Coat the ribs generously on all sides with the rub.
- Set up your smoker or grill for indirect heat at 225F. Add wood chunks (hickory or apple). Place the ribs bone-side down.
- Smoke for 3 hours, spritzing with apple juice every 45 minutes to keep the surface moist.
- Lay out two large sheets of foil. Place each rack on foil, drizzle with a little apple juice and honey, and wrap tightly. Return to the smoker for 2 hours.
- Unwrap the ribs and brush with BBQ sauce. Return to the heat unwrapped for 30 to 45 minutes to set the glaze and firm up the bark.
- Rest 15 minutes before slicing between the bones. The ribs are done when they bend and the bark cracks slightly.
The bend test never lies. Pick up a rack with tongs from the middle. If it bends nearly 90 degrees and the bark cracks, they are ready. If it stays stiff, give it more time.