Description

This easy smoked baby back ribs recipe delivers succulent, tender, and juicy ribs with a rich smoky flavor. The ribs are rubbed with a flavorful spice blend and smoked low and slow to perfection. For best taste, marinate with the rub a day or two ahead. Wrapped in heavy duty foil to lock in moisture, these ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and perfect for a crowd. Serve with cornbread muffins, roasted fries, or slaw for a hearty meal.

Ingredients

Scale

Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs

Spice Rub

3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 teaspoons granulated onion or onion powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Sauce

2/3 cup barbecue sauce, divided
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes

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Instructions

Prepare the ribs: Loosen the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs by slipping a small sharp knife between the rib bone and membrane. Using paper towels for grip, hold the membrane tightly and pull it off. Discard the membrane.
Make the spice rub and apply: In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and smoked paprika. Rub both sides of the ribs generously with the spice blend. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Preheat the smoker: Heat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, maintaining steady temperature throughout cooking.
Smoke the ribs: Place the rib racks meat side up on the smoker grates. Smoke for 3 hours with the smoker lid closed to infuse smoky flavor.
Wrap ribs with sauce and liquids: Remove ribs from smoker and keep smoker heated. Lay each rack on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Brush ribs with one-third cup barbecue sauce (reserve remaining sauce), drizzle apple cider and apple cider vinegar around edges, and dot the top with cubed butter. Tightly wrap each rack in a double layer of foil, creating leak-proof packets.
Finish cooking in foil: Return foil-wrapped ribs to the smoker. Cook for 2 to 3 more hours until the meat is tender when pierced with a knife.
Unwrap and glaze: Carefully unwrap foil packets, taking care to retain juices. Brush ribs with remaining barbecue sauce, then smoke uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the sauce becomes sticky and caramelized.
Serve: Transfer ribs to a cutting board and slice into portions. Drizzle reserved cooking juices from foil packets over the ribs. Serve hot with plenty of paper towels for easy enjoyment.

Notes

The uncooked ribs can be rubbed and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead for deeper flavor.
Use heavy duty aluminum foil and double wrap the ribs to ensure no juices escape during cooking.
If you don't have a smoker, bake ribs wrapped in foil at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 2 hours until tender, then finish on a grill with barbecue sauce for 10 minutes to caramelize.
Use your favorite barbecue sauce; Stubbs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce is recommended for flavor and gluten free status.
Serve with jalapeño cheddar cornbread muffins, herbed oven fries, or red cabbage slaw for a complete meal.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 rack)
Calories: 550 kcal
Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 870 mg
Fat: 35 g
Saturated Fat: 12 g
Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 20 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 40 g
Cholesterol: 110 mg