Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Video - Smoked ribs

What are baby back ribs?

Baby back ribs are pork ribs that come from a pig. They are the part of the rib that connects to the spine after the loin is removed. They are called 'baby' because they are short and small, not because they come from a baby pig!

If you are looking to cook larger ribs, those are called spare ribs and come from the end of the baby back ribs. The part that wraps around and connects to the breast bone of the animal.

These ribs needs to be cooked low and slow to be tender, that's why they are PERFECT for smoking. Smoked baby back ribs are my favorite thing to smoke because they are extremely easy and incredibly tasty!

How much to buy

Each rack of baby back ribs will have 10-13 ribs which will be around 1 ½ - 2lbs. Count on 1 rack of ribs to feed 2 people when accompanied with sides.

These ribs are very common and can be found at your local grocery store or butcher as well. They are relatively inexpensive and are fantastic for backyard BBQ's or summer dinners.

Step 1 - Prepping the ribs

Baby back ribs will normally come in a thick plastic packaging, simply remove and wash the ribs with fresh water. Dry the outside of the ribs with paper towels to remove any excess water.

Removing the membrane

Taking off the membrane isn't a must, but it will produce better ribs. Removing it will allow more of the flavor from your spices to penetrate the meat and when eating the ribs you will avoid stringy membrane pieces. No one likes having those stuck in their teeth.

The only time I recommend not removing the membrane is when making Beef Dino Ribs.

• It's best to remove it, so simply get a dull knife like a butter knife and a couple paper towels. Simply turn the ribs so the meatier side is down on your cutting board and the ribs curve up towards you.

• Starting at one end, slide the knife under the thin membrane the runs along the whole rack of ribs. Pull up enough of the membrane so that you can grab it with your fingers and tear the rest off. This will be slippery, so using a paper towel to grip the membrane is the best way to get a good hold of it.

• Pull the membrane in the direction opposite of the side you started on, it should peel off the ribs. Pull it entirely off and discard in the garbage, it can't be used for anything.

Step 2 - Seasoning

I love to make ribs several different ways, mainly because people have different preferences when it comes to ribs. My wife loves the sticky BBQ ribs, my Father likes Dale's marinade, and I prefer a simple rub.

When doing ribs, starting with a nice layer of dry rub is the way to go. The only exception is when using a real thin liquid marinade.

Marinade

When using a thin marinade, make sure that it does not have a lot of sugar. Sugar can burn if it's on the smoker too long. I like using Dales Marinade because it's more of a salty flavor, which I love. Start by marinating the ribs in the marinade for 30 minutes to 3 hours in the marinade before smoking.

This marinade will be brushed on the ribs during cooking as well every hour or so.

BBQ Sauce

When finishing with a BBQ sauce, start with a good base of dry rub. Season the ribs on both sides with your favorite dry rub. I like using a dry rub that compliments the BBQ sauce being used. So if I'm going to finish with a sweet BBQ sauce, I'll use a sweet dry rub such as Meat Church's Honey Bee.

If you are going to go with a spicy BBQ sauce, start with more of a peppered dry rub to keep your flavors consistent.

The ribs are going to be smoked without the BBQ sauce until about the final hour. This is when the sauce will be mopped on using a meat or painters brush.

Dry Rub

There is no need to always have sticky or wet ribs, sometimes a nice dry rub yields the best results. I guarantee you will enjoy some smoked baby back ribs with Ben's Heffer Dust. This stuff is amazing on ribs!

I have also included a great tasting dry rub ribs recipe below. With ingredients such as sweet brown sugar and the bold flavor of paprika, it's a must try!

A dry rub is the easiest way to do ribs because there is no other seasoning other than the initial coat before putting on the smoker. No need to baste or mop on more sauce, it's one and done.

Step 3 - Smoking the ribs

The ribs can be smoked as 1 whole rack, no need to cut the rack of ribs in half.

Unlike when cooking 321 smoked ribs, there is no specific cooking time when making this smoked baby back ribs recipe. So keeping them whole helps to test when the ribs are finished cooking.

Smokers

I'm using a pellet smoker just like this Traeger Pellet Grill. That's why you might hear me call these Traeger baby back ribs. An offset smoker can also be used when smoking ribs. Both types of smokers will produce great tasting ribs!

Types of wood

I like using hickory or pecan wood chips / pellets when smoking baby back ribs. Fruity woods such as apple and cherry will also produce great results.

Many companies also have a competition blend of several different woods, these turn out fantastic tasting ribs! I like using these pellets when making my smoked prime rib recipe as well.

Temperature

We want to smoke low and slow when smoking baby back ribs. Start your smoker at 225°F with your favorite wood, as I mentioned before, apple or hickory wood chip or pellet work great. We are going to maintain this temperature for the entire cooking process.

Positioning

Once the smoker is ready to go, set the ribs in the smoker meat side (bone side down) up or you can use a rib rack which will stand them on their end. If making a lot of ribs, the rib rack will help save a lot of space!

Time

How long do smoked pork ribs take to cook? They will take on average about 5-7 hours to smoke. So make sure you start your prep work early, giving yourself enough time to finish them by your desired meal time. If you have real thick ribs with a lot of meat, the time could take a little longer.

Spritzing

Many people like to spritz their ribs with apple juice or apple cider vinegar. This will keep the ribs moist and help the smoke adhere to the ribs better. If you are using a barbecue sauce, spritzing is not needed. But if using a dry rub, it will help give those ribs more smoke flavor.

To do this, simply fill a small spray bottle (often found in the grill section of your local store or the travel isle where small toothpaste and deodorants for vacations are found) with apple juice or apple cider vinegar. Lightly spray the ribs every 45 minutes to an hour while smoking to keep them nice and moist.

Looking for a really cool spritzing and marinade bottle? Oklahoma Joe's has a great 2in1 spray bottle that allows you to inject and spray your meat with flavor!

Step 4 - Testing if finished

Ribs are hard to cook to a specific internal temperature because of all the bones. These bones can really throw off a thermometer and give you false readings. The best way to test ribs is to perform the bend test.

The Bend Test

The bend test is when you pick up the ribs from one end, holding about 3 or 4 ribs with tongs or hands (when using gloves with a liner) and begin picking straight up. This will cause the rack of ribs to bend.

What you want to see is the meat start to crack and separate where it's being bent. When this happens, the ribs are finished. The IT will be around 200°F.

If it doesn't crack, that means it is not cooked enough and needs to be smoked a little longer. Once finished, pull off the smoker and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing into individual ribs.

Bite

When learning how to smoke ribs, understand that the goal here is NOT to have fall off the bone ribs. You want these ribs to have a little bite to them. Don't worry though, they will be extremely juicy ribs!

Some of the smaller bones on the rack might pull clean, but that bite and pulling away meat from the bone is what you are striving for.

If all of the ribs fall off the bone, that means they were a little over cooked. Try pulling them off the smoker a little earlier next time if this is how they turned out.

Side dishes

Smoked baby back ribs are great for backyard BBQ's, so those easy to make sides work the best. Here are a couple of recipes that go great with Traeger baby back ribs.

Corn

I love making smoked corn with ribs. It's that perfect side dish that also requires the use of your hands to eat, no fork needed!

Baked Beans

Baked beans are also a great dish to serve with smoked baby back ribs. I LOVE baked beans. Check out my smoked baked beans with bacon recipe, it's ridiculously good!

Try smoking this

Old pro tips

• The bend test accompanied with the bones becoming more visible (meat contracting on bone) is the best way to tell if the ribs are finished
• If all of your ribs are fall off the bone, they are over done. They will still be tasty, but overdone
• Cooking a lot of ribs? Use a rib rack to stand ribs on end giving you more space on the smoker

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