Baby Back Ribs

“I want my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby back ribs…”  Our weekday evenings have become so busy lately that we have started cooking more on Sundays but yesterday, I think we might have overdone it.  David fired up the Big Green Egg and the urge to grill everything in sight takes over.  On goes the rack of ribs and a few chicken breasts and a 5 lb brisket in the oven.  I think it’s safe to say that we are set for the week.  And you are invited over if you are hungry.

If you don’t have a green egg (big or otherwise), try it on a grill (indirect heat) or in a smoker.  The kids licked the rib bones and their fingers clean (not to be confused with their finger bones ‘cuz that would just be gross).

Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

1.      1-3 racks of baby back pork ribs

2.      Dry rub – store bought or recipe below

3.      Apple juice

4.      BBQ sauce

First, you want indirect heat so you will need to have a plate setter or something else in between the coals and ribs.  Low and slow is the key.  Get the temperature to 225 and then hold it steady.  If you are using wood chips, soak them for 30 minutes to 1 hour in water, drain and then place the chips directly on the coals at the beginning.

For the ribs, coat them with olive oil and then add a dry rub.  We used Kuby’s but select one that you like.  A dry rub recipe that I found on the web is listed below – we did not use this so I don’t know if it’s good.

Put an aluminum pan under the grate and fill it about half way with apple juice.  You may need to add more if needed during the cooking.  David used a v-rack and put the ribs on top of the rack.

Cook for 2 hours and then baste with BBQ sauce.  Cook another hour.  Remove from the egg/grill/smoker, put the rib rack in aluminum foil, add more BBQ sauce and a little apple juice (not too much, just enough to keep them moist) in the foil, and wrap up tight.  Return to the egg/grill/smoker and cook for 1 ½ hours more, basting every 30-45 minutes with additional BBQ sauce.

These ribs were done in about 5 hours or so, but some recipes say closer to 6 hours.

Dry Rub:

Ingredients (per slab)

1.      1 T onion powder

2.      1 T granulated sugar

3.      1 t chili powder

4.      1 t non-iodized salt

5.      1/2 t black pepper

6.      1/2 t cayenne pepper

7.      1/2 t cumin