Description

This easy smoked baby back ribs recipe yields succulent, fall-off-the-bone tender ribs. For optimal flavor, rub the ribs with a spice blend 1-2 days before smoking. The ribs are smoked low and slow, wrapped in heavy-duty foil to lock in juices, and finished with a sticky barbecue glaze. Perfectly paired with jalapeño cheddar cornbread muffins, roasted oven fries, or red cabbage slaw.

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

⅔ cup barbecue sauce, divided
¼ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes

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Instructions

Remove Membrane: Loosen the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs by sliding a small sharp knife between the bones and membrane. Grip the membrane with paper towels and pull it off entirely. Discard the membrane.
Apply Spice Rub: In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and smoked paprika. Rub the mixture evenly on both sides of the ribs. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days for best flavor.
Preheat Smoker: Heat your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, maintaining a steady temperature.
Smoke Ribs Initially: Place ribs meat-side up on the smoker racks. Smoke uncovered for 3 hours to build smoky flavor.
Wrap and Cook: Remove ribs from smoker. Place each rack on a large double-layer heavy-duty aluminum foil sheet. Brush ribs with ⅓ cup barbecue sauce, drizzle apple cider and vinegar around edges, and dot with butter cubes on top. Wrap foil tightly to prevent leaks. Return wrapped ribs to smoker and continue cooking for 3 hours until tender.
Unwrap and Glaze: Carefully unwrap foil without losing the juices. Brush ribs with remaining ⅓ cup barbecue sauce. Cook unwrapped for 15 minutes until sauce becomes sticky and caramelized.
Serve: Transfer ribs to a cutting board, reserving juices from the foil. Cut ribs into portions, arrange on a platter, and drizzle with the reserved juices. Serve immediately with paper towels on hand.

Notes

Do Ahead: Rubbed raw ribs can be refrigerated up to 2 days before smoking. Smoked ribs can be cooled and refrigerated in foil packets with juices, then reheated wrapped in foil at 350-400˚F until warmed through.
You need a smoker to make this recipe as intended, but oven instructions are available in the article. For oven method, bake ribs wrapped in foil at 300˚F for about 2 hours until tender, then grill briefly with sauce to caramelize.
Use heavy-duty aluminum foil doubled for wrapping to create airtight packets that lock in moisture.
Choose your favorite barbecue sauce. The author recommends Stubbs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, which is gluten free and has a balanced peppery flavor.
For serving, pair smoked ribs with jalapeño cheddar muffins, herbed oven fries, or red cabbage slaw.