Wet, Sauced Up, Sticky Smoked Ribs
Baby back ribs smoked with dry rub, then repeatedly brushed with barbecue sauce for a sticky finish.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- yellow mustard a light coating
- 1 cup Jeff's original rub about 1/2 cup per rack
- 1 batch Jeff's original barbecue sauce as needed for repeated brushing
- apple juice or other fruit juice optional, for the pan
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Place the racks in a foil pan for seasoning.
- Coat with yellow mustard and season with rub, about 1/2 cup per rack. Let stand a few minutes until the coating looks moist.
- Prepare the smoker for 225–240°F using pecan and/or cherry. Place the ribs in the pan on the grate, or directly on the grate. Add a little juice to the pan if desired.
- Smoke for 2 hours. Brush barbecue sauce generously over the tops and sides.
- Increase the smoker to about 275°F if possible to caramelize the sauce, and cook about 1 hour.
- Move ribs from the pan to the grate if needed. Continue cooking about another hour or until tender, brushing with more sauce about hourly as desired.
- Check tenderness: the rack should bend sharply and begin to break when lifted at one end with tongs. The source gives about 180–190°F as a typical tender range.
- Cut into individual ribs and serve with plenty of napkins.
Notes
Estimated yield: 4 generous servings from 2 racks. Total cooking is about 4–5 hours; tenderness determines the finish. An alternate method is to sauce after 2 hours, cover the pan with foil for 2 hours, then finish uncovered on the grate for about 1 hour. For extra caramelization, briefly grill sauce-side down before serving.