2LaneCruzer
Super Star Member
I know I have posted this before, but I was unable to find it, so I'll post it again in case anyone is interested. Yeah, my memory ain't what it used to be. I'll probably embarrass myself and discover I've posted it twice in the last month.
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Here you go!
Baby back ribs on the Big Green Egg or your own brand of smoker
INGREDIENTS
2 Slabs nice meaty baby back ribs, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
olive oil or Pam; spray can works best
Rib Rub
Turkey bake-in bag
chunk charcoal
CURED wood chunks for smoking; I prefer about 1/3 Mesquite, 1/3 blackjack oak and 1/3 pecan. Blackjack isn't available everywhere, so regular oak is OK. Hickory is good also. I never use green wood nor do I soak mine.
Lay the ribs in a cookie sheet, bony side up. Spray a fine coat of olive oil on the ribs and add a generous coating of your rubb. I use the #2 almost exclusively.
Turn the ribs over, spray the other side with the olive oil and generously coat the meaty side with the rub. Place into the bake-in bag overnight in the frige. I like to prepare them the day before if I can, but I don't always have that luxury.
I usually add a few chunks of wood to the smoker before I add the burning charcoal on top. I use the chunk charcoal in the Egg, and I start it using the chimney device so I don't have to use charcoal lighter. Add the hot charcoal to the smoker and place the rest of the smoking wood on top. I usually use about 2 or 3 medium size chunks of each on top of the coals. Mesquite is a great smoking wood, but it doesn't take a lot to make the meat bitter, so go easy with it until you learn how much to use.
When the coals are ready, I place the ribs on the grill bony side down. If I cook more than 2 slabs, I use a rib rack but prefer they lie flat. I also cook directly over the coals instead of indirect because I like them to brown a bit. If you insist on a brush on sauce, I recommend Woody's Cooking Sauce.
I set the smoker to cook at about 250 degrees Farenheit or a bit below. It takes about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours usually for baby backs; much more and they will just fall apart. I start checking them after about 2 hours. The hardest part is deciding when they are done; when a toothpick penetrates the meat easily they are done; look for the ribs to starting pulling away from the ends of the bones.
I like to let them sit for a few minutes until they cool before slicing them up. If you are transporting them say to Grandma's house, wrap them in aluminum foil, and then in a beach towel or two and put them in your small beer cooler. They will stay warm for a couple hours.
Enjoy.
A few comments on rubs...There are a couple commercial rubs I like very much. The first is Bad Byron's Butt Rubb. It is an excellent rub, but it is too spicy for most folks, especially the kids. I also like Cain's BBQ Rub; it is milder and has a great flavor, but it does contain MSG. I have formulated my own rubs; the recipes are below. The # 1 is as close to Bad Byron's Butt Rubb as I could get, but here again, it's fairly spicy hot. The #2 is what I use almost exclusively any more; not too hot for the kids and everyone seems to like it really well.
Sorry, these recipes make a pretty good size batch, but I use a lot of the #2. If you want less, you'll have to go to the conversion charts and cut it down some. When I'm cooking just for myself and Sharn Jean, I usually add a little extra garlic directly to the ribs during the prep phase. There are a lot of prep variations I have used; I often will spread a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard on the ribs, gives them just a hint of vinegar, but here again, you can get too much if you aren't careful.
D.G.'s #1 Rib Rub
1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black pepper ( mix of regular and coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder
D.G.'s #2 Rib Rub
1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black Pepper (I use coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (light)
1/3 Cup Ginger
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder
3 TBSP Lemon Pepper
3 TBSP Celery Seed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here you go!
Baby back ribs on the Big Green Egg or your own brand of smoker
INGREDIENTS
2 Slabs nice meaty baby back ribs, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
olive oil or Pam; spray can works best
Rib Rub
Turkey bake-in bag
chunk charcoal
CURED wood chunks for smoking; I prefer about 1/3 Mesquite, 1/3 blackjack oak and 1/3 pecan. Blackjack isn't available everywhere, so regular oak is OK. Hickory is good also. I never use green wood nor do I soak mine.
Lay the ribs in a cookie sheet, bony side up. Spray a fine coat of olive oil on the ribs and add a generous coating of your rubb. I use the #2 almost exclusively.
Turn the ribs over, spray the other side with the olive oil and generously coat the meaty side with the rub. Place into the bake-in bag overnight in the frige. I like to prepare them the day before if I can, but I don't always have that luxury.
I usually add a few chunks of wood to the smoker before I add the burning charcoal on top. I use the chunk charcoal in the Egg, and I start it using the chimney device so I don't have to use charcoal lighter. Add the hot charcoal to the smoker and place the rest of the smoking wood on top. I usually use about 2 or 3 medium size chunks of each on top of the coals. Mesquite is a great smoking wood, but it doesn't take a lot to make the meat bitter, so go easy with it until you learn how much to use.
When the coals are ready, I place the ribs on the grill bony side down. If I cook more than 2 slabs, I use a rib rack but prefer they lie flat. I also cook directly over the coals instead of indirect because I like them to brown a bit. If you insist on a brush on sauce, I recommend Woody's Cooking Sauce.
I set the smoker to cook at about 250 degrees Farenheit or a bit below. It takes about 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours usually for baby backs; much more and they will just fall apart. I start checking them after about 2 hours. The hardest part is deciding when they are done; when a toothpick penetrates the meat easily they are done; look for the ribs to starting pulling away from the ends of the bones.
I like to let them sit for a few minutes until they cool before slicing them up. If you are transporting them say to Grandma's house, wrap them in aluminum foil, and then in a beach towel or two and put them in your small beer cooler. They will stay warm for a couple hours.
Enjoy.
A few comments on rubs...There are a couple commercial rubs I like very much. The first is Bad Byron's Butt Rubb. It is an excellent rub, but it is too spicy for most folks, especially the kids. I also like Cain's BBQ Rub; it is milder and has a great flavor, but it does contain MSG. I have formulated my own rubs; the recipes are below. The # 1 is as close to Bad Byron's Butt Rubb as I could get, but here again, it's fairly spicy hot. The #2 is what I use almost exclusively any more; not too hot for the kids and everyone seems to like it really well.
Sorry, these recipes make a pretty good size batch, but I use a lot of the #2. If you want less, you'll have to go to the conversion charts and cut it down some. When I'm cooking just for myself and Sharn Jean, I usually add a little extra garlic directly to the ribs during the prep phase. There are a lot of prep variations I have used; I often will spread a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard on the ribs, gives them just a hint of vinegar, but here again, you can get too much if you aren't careful.
D.G.'s #1 Rib Rub
1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black pepper ( mix of regular and coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder
D.G.'s #2 Rib Rub
1 Cup Paprika
2/3 Cup Black Pepper (I use coarse ground)
1/2 Cup Granulated Garlic
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar (light)
1/3 Cup Ginger
3 TBSP Salt (fine sea salt; no Iodine added)
3 TBSP Granulated Onion
3 TBSP Chipotle Powder
3 TBSP Lemon Pepper
3 TBSP Celery Seed
