Smoked BBQ Ribs
I am a big fan of ribs and pretty much anything that can be grilled/smoked and covered in BBQ sauce. I’ve never (and still don’t) have a smoker, so I ordered a pellet tube smoker from amazon (Affiliate link) and decided to try it out. It’s pretty cheap and it gave the ribs a nice smoked flavor! Granted, they weren’t as smoked tasting as they would be with an official smoker, but they were still really delicious!
The ribs were first rubbed with a spice mix below that is really flavorful- if you’re not wanting a lot of spice, you can reduce or omit the chili powder. The BBQ sauce is very sweet with a nice little vinegar punch. I used the 3, 2, 1 grilling/smoking method and the rib meat was barely hanging on by the time I was done cooking the baby back ribs.
I replicated this with St. Louis-style ribs and they took longer to cook, so just cook until the consistency is where you want it, which for me is fall-off-the-bone tender.
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BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back ribs
- 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 stick of butter, salted and sliced in slabs and divided in half
- 1.5 cups ketchup
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by removing the membrane from the back of the ribs. Use a butter knife to lift the membrane from one end of the rack, then grip it with a paper towel and peel it off.
- In a small bowl, mix together kosher salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder to create the dry rub. Rub the mixture generously over both sides of the ribs, evenly. NOTE: If you don’t like spicy foods, you can lessen the amount or omit the chili powder.
- Preheat your grill to 225°F (107°C) using indirect heat. If you're using a charcoal grill, place the charcoal on one side and the ribs on the other. If you're using a gas grill, only turn on the burner on one side.
- Once the grill is preheated and the smoke is rolling (optional), place the ribs on the side of the grill opposite the heat source. Close the lid and let the ribs smoke/cook for 3 hours. NOTE: I rotated the ribs every hour so that one rack wasn’t constantly closest to the heat.
- While the ribs are cooking, prepare the barbecue sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Stir well and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- After 3 hours, remove the ribs from the grill. Lay out two large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place each rack of ribs on its own sheet (you may want a double layer, so 4 sheets total). Coat each rack of ribs generously with barbecue sauce on both sides. Top each rack with 4 pats of butter. Wrap the ribs tightly in the foil.
- Return the foil-wrapped ribs to the grill and cook for an additional 2 hours. NOTE: I rotated the ribs here, again.
- After 2 hours, remove the ribs from the grill and carefully unwrap the ribs from the foil. Brush the ribs generously with the barbecue sauce on both sides. Place back on the grill and continue grilling, uncovered/no foil, for 1 hour.
- Once the ribs are caramelized and super tender, remove them from the grill and let them rest for a few minutes. Slice between the bones and serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side!
