Hickorysmokedbbqbabybackribs Recipes

SMOKED RIBS

Steps:

• Turn the ribs over onto its back and you will see a thin white covering on the bones all along the rack. Starting at one end, use a small knife to slide right under the membrane and gently pull up, but don't cut it. The easiest spot to get under the membrane is right on the bone and not on the meat.
• Grab the membrane with a paper towel. (Paper towel will give you a nice grip so you can hold onto it as you pull.) Gently but firmly pull the membrane off the entire rib.
• You can clean and season the ribs the night before or about an hour before smoking. If you will season the night before, make sure to place them on a metal rimmed tray and cover with plastic wrap air-tight. (Keep in refrigerator if holding them overnight.)(It's good to prepare the ribs the night before if you need to get them on the smoker bright and early the next day. Just take them out of the refrigerator before preparing the smoker.)
• Mix all ingredients for the rub together in a bowl. Pat ribs on all sides with a paper towel.
• Generously sprinkle the rub in an even layer over both sides of the rib so the meat is not showing. Gently pat and even out the seasoning with your hands. Let ribs sit while preparing the smoker.
• Set up your smoker and preheat it to 225°. I highly recommend including a water pan or water/drip pan to the smoker. Use a digital oven thermometer to track the temperature on the grill grate. Don't rely on the thermometer built into the lid of the smoker, they are always at least 20 degrees off.
• (If using wood or charcoal smoker, maintain the temperature right around 225° but don't let it get below 225° or over 250°)
• When the smoker temperature is at 225°, place ribs on the grate and close the lid.
• Smoke ribs for 5-7 hours, depending on their size. (Large, meaty racks could take a little longer and if you stack more than 2 racks in a rib holder, expect to add at least 1 more hour.)
• Use long metal tongues to gently lift the rib rack off the grate but hold it only about 1/3 -1/2 of the way up the rack. Give it a gentle bounce to see how easily the meat cracks. (See picture in the post.)If it cracks easily and right away, the ribs are ready. If the meat is having a bit of a hard time cracking and feels rubbery when bouncing, the ribs need at least another hour.
• If you plan to add the sauce, glaze ribs with BBQ sauce an hour before they are ready. Remember to keep the lid of the smoker open as little as possible so you don't let the heat out. This is especially important for wood and charcoal smokers.

HICKORY-SMOKED BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• The Rainford Method
• For the ribs, stir together the sugar, salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, regular paprika, onion powder, black pepper and thyme. Set aside.
• With a small, sharp knife, release the edge of the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs. Grasp the edge with needle-nose pliers or a piece of paper towel and peel the membrane off the rack. (If you leave the membrane on, the ribs will be chewy.)
• Spread the dry rub all over each rack of ribs until completely coated. Make sure you press the dry rub into the meat. This is where your flavor is going to come from. Arrange the ribs in a rib rack, with all the racks facing the same direction. A rib rack has 8 slab compartments, looks like a rack of coat hangers and can be purchased at most barbecue stores.
• Fire up your charcoal grill and prep the grill for cooking over indirect heat. You need a low temperature of around 250 to 300°F (120 to 150°C) to grill the ribs. For gas grills, preheat the grill to low then turn off one side of the grill to achieve indirect heat. Place a drip tray on the cooler side of the grate and half fill the pan with warm water or the beer of your choice.
• Drain 2 chunks of hickory, place them on top of the charcoal and set the grate in place. For gas barbecues, place half of the hickory chips in a foil pouch and place the pouch directly on the heated side of the grill. Wait for the hickory to start to smoke.
• Place the rib racks over indirect heat as far from the heat as possible, with the bone sides facing toward the heat. Close the lid and close the top vent on a charcoal grill about halfway. This will maintain a temperature between 250 and 300°F (120 and 150°C). Cook the ribs for 2 hours.
• Once the ribs are on, it's time to start working on the barbecue sauce. If you have a side burner this can be done outside. If you don't, go inside and use your stove top to simmer your sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce reaches a glaze consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• The first batch of charcoal should be cooling down after 2 hours. Now is the time to use your chimney starter and get another batch of charcoal lit. Add the remaining wood chunks to the coals to get a little more smoke. If using a gas grill, wrap the remaining chips in foil and place directly on the hotter side of the grate. Close the lid and grill for another 2 hours. Make sure to come back every hour on the hour to check the temperature and to add more charcoal, if necessary. In the last hour of grilling, your ribs will start to show signs of cooking all the way through. When the meat pulls back from the bone, the ribs are almost ready. Baste the ribs with the barbecue sauce during the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking. I like to tent my ribs before serving, so take them off the grill and let them rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes.

HICKORY SMOKED/BBQ BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Combine the salt, sugar and water in a large plastic container or non-reactive stock pot.
• Place ribs in brine and refrigerate for one hour.
• Meanwhile, combine all rub ingredients except sugar and grind into a green thick liquid with a food processor, blender or immersion blender.
• Remove ribs from the brine (after the hour) and pat dry with paper towels.
• Brush or rub green liquid over both sides of the ribs, sprinkle with sugar and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
• Place in refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, but preferably 4 hours, you can go overnight for a really flavorful treat.
• Wood/Charcoal method: Soak 2 large chunks of hickory in water. Light about 40-50 coals or you may also use an equal amount of dry hickory chunks for an intense smoke flavor.
• Do not use lighter fluid, a fire starter chimney is the best method.
• Once coals are covered with a gray ash push them over to one side put the soaked hickory chunks on the coals and replace the grate, form a pan with some heavy aluminum foil large enough for the rib, put it on the cool side of the grill, place the ribs in the"pan" add about 1 cup of water and put the cover on the grill with the holes over the meat.
• Turn the meat 180 degrees and over every 30 minutes.
• Add some more coals/wood in about 2 hours.
• Smoke ribs for a total of 4 hours.
• Gas Grill: I don't recommend this as it can leave a very slight chemical gas taste to the meat, but it does work.
• It's the same basic technique as the charcoal method, light the grill and turn off half (or 2/3rds) of the burners, use soaked hickory chips in a throw away aluminum pan on top of the hot side of the grill.
• For either method the temp inside the grill should be around 275°F with a total cooking time of 4 hours.
• Serve with your favorite bbq sauce. Se like recipe#26794, Lee Lee's Famous Barbecue Sauce for Ribs w/ Preserves.
• Brush some on the meat for the last 5-10 minutes of the cooking process if desired.