# Baby Backs ...



## pelican (May 22, 2004)

... it's what's for supper. 

Well, after 3 tries, I think I've got my butt (boston) down pretty good, but I'm having a little trouble getting my ribs as tender as I'd like. Think I figured out from last time that I didn't let them smoke until the meat pulled back from the bone. duh. :redface:

Anyway, giving it another shot today for the 'perfect' baby backs. Rubbed down with Tex-Joy and left in the fridge overnight. Set out for an hour before going on the grill. Going to try and keep the fire a tad lower (normally 225 is my target) for longer. Then wrap in foil for the final hour with some apple juice. Smoking on oak and pecan.

They've been on for an hour now ... any other suggestions? I know some folks mop every hour, but the best I ever had weren't. ?


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## jake/jenny (Jul 18, 2008)

*pork sickles*

i made me some pork sickles sunday.....the same way i have been for a while now. we love them.......my pit is just a 22" pipe----no seperate fire box.....i season the ribs with Tony's creole seasoning (original) and brown sugar......a pretty good amount of each. the spicy and sweet just hits the spot with us. i build the fire on one end and keep the ribs on the other. the pit stays about 200-225 for about 2-3 hours.......when the meat crawls back a little get a beer and get after it. dont put the ribs over a fire with the sugar on them.......wasted pork ribs is a crime in these parts.


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## raz1056 (Jun 16, 2006)

After you get them drawn up a little try and tear apart, if they will tear without too much resistance, wrap in foil and leave on an extra 30 minutes and them let sit opened about 15 minutes before slicing. Now you've gone and made me hungry. 

Some tender porkribs and cold beer--that's living the HIGH LIFE!!!!!


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

I boil my ribs for an hour to hour and a half and the smoke on the pit for the same lenght of time, the meat will fall of the bones.

*Sprinkle with your best rub and refrigerate overnight.
*The next day boil them for at least an hour.
*Coat the rack in a mixture of 1/2 mustard and 1/2 honey and throw on the pit for another hour to hour and half.
*30 minutes before pulling off baste one side with Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce and 15 minutes later repeat for the other side, wait 15 min and pull off the pit.


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## salth2o (Sep 21, 2004)

jjtroutkiller said:


> I boil my ribs for an hour to hour and a half and the smoke on the pit for the same lenght of time, the meat will fall of the bones.
> 
> *Sprinkle with your best rub and refrigerate overnight.
> *The next day boil them for at least an hour.
> ...


With all due respect...boiling ribs makes me throw up in my mouth. 
http://www.howcast.com/videos/10477-How-To-Make-BBQ-Ribs check out the video at about the 1:29 mark.









Many people consider rib meat that "falls off the bone" to be overcooked. I am one of them. I think you should have to bite the meat off the bone.

I never foil mine until after the cook (I smoke my ribs at 200-225*F for about 3 hours), when I rest in a cooler for an hour or so. I like my ribs to have a good bark and, IMO, foiling while cooking tends to soften the bark.

I prefer coating the ribs with a rub (Fiesta rib rub from HEB is actually a good commercial rub) rather than a just a sprinkle and I use sauce for dipping not cooking.

I know there are a million ways to skin a cat this is just my .02

Pelican....I do not mop simply because every time you open the pit door you lose heat and that affects the consistency of the cook.


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## seattleman1969 (Jul 17, 2008)

My uncle has taught me a few things about tender juicy smoked ribs: 

1. Don't put anything with salt on them before cooking, salt removes moisture from meat and makes it tougher. 

2. Marinate the meat overnight in whatever you want, we use a mix of apple and mango juice.

3. Monitor the heat and keep it in the proper range. Don't open the pit and add wood/coal before the temp gets too low. Consistency is key, you don't want the temp range jumping up and then plumetting down.

4. after the initial cooking period, remove the ribs from the foil (Meat should already be pulled back) this is the time for your rub, sauce, or whatever you want for flavoring. also, this is the time to increase the smoke output to finish off the ribs.

5. Finish off by cooking until just starting to brown a little on the outside. 

6. Enjoy!

These are the steps my uncle follows and his ribs are among the best I've had.


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

salth2o said:


> With all due respect...boiling ribs makes me throw up in my mouth.


Different strokes for different folks, you may like your meat to turn out like boot leather :frown: , I myself and along with the rest of my family and friends prefer the meat to be tender off the bone. The way I posted up on how to cook ribs seems to be the prefered method along with everyone I work with, but as stated before to each his own.

I wonder why the thought of boiling ribs would make you want to throw up in your mouth, I would rather boil them and have the whole family eat up whats on the pit versus smoking non stop for 3-4 hrs and having them tougher than boot leather and with most people picking the potato salad over the ribs.


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

anyone have an electric smoker. 
let me tell ya it is the cats meow. I have a cookshack 055. set the dial at 225, throw in some sort wood chips/chunks. apply rub, close door, return in 4.5 hrs, enjoy. as good as you can buy anywhere.


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## ifish2 (Aug 13, 2005)

I agree with salth2o about the storebought Fiesta Rib Rub. My favorite though is the original rub at www.texasbbqrub.com (by the way, there is a ton of info on that site, especially if you sign up for the newsletter and he is local). I do the 3-2-1 method...cook for 3 hours (at about 225), then wrap for 2, then open back up for 1 or 2 more. When I wrap, I put a little sauce, then when I open it back up for about the last hour, I put some Pineapple Habanero jelly from(www.texaspepperjelly.com also local) on them. They rock...and I'm a girl! I've learned almost everything about BBQ from the Texas BBQ Rub site! Good luck, if I can do it, then you can too!


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## chaser2008 (Jan 23, 2008)

here is the best wait to do this use wat ever you want to season them with i use salt,pepper,garlic,andlittle bit of lime juice cook till i get my desired color red or orange pink or wat ever color you want rap in foil but be for you rap them you take manderin orange glaze sauce its in the oriental section in the store and rub that all over them and rap till ribs are done let cool before cutting thay will be so tender that you will be able to pull the ribs out and have rib sandwitchs promise if it done you can come see me and i will show you but i hope you like it this way promise you will love it i cooked 20 racks of ribs one time like that and in ten minutes all were gone good luck


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## Dookie Ray (Apr 9, 2008)

[I prefer coating the ribs with a rub (Fiesta rib rub from HEB is actually a good commercial rub) rather than a just a sprinkle and I use sauce for dipping not cooking.]

I agree with Salt on this too. I use all their different kinds of seasonings. Even the brisket rub when I'm in a pinch. Good flavor, but be careful, too much and it gets salty.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

dry rub , throw on the pit , mop occasionally, when the bone starts to show well, place on long tin foil, mop heavily, close lid over on foil and wrap tite. cook at about 275 for another 30-45 mins, open and ck, it is easy to get them too tender then you dont have any good bone handles, just sticks....LOL


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## manintheboat (Jun 1, 2004)

Never boil ribs. Learn how to cook them correctly. The key to good ribs is learning exactly when to take them off of the pit. As mentioned above, falling off of the bone is considered overcooked by many, especially by bbq contest judges. Most prefer that they meat has a little bit of "tug" to it getting off of the bone. That is how I like mine. the meat is still very tender, but not falling off of the bone which is no bueno when cutting ribs. The best test is to grab two bones and twist them to tell how tender the meat is. by trial and error, you will be able to reach the right amount of tenderness.


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## lotsofline (Feb 19, 2008)

Take your rib rub or what ever you use and mix with a coke or dp and let it sit in the ref for about 2hr. yummmm


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

*One more way...*

I season, wrap in foil, and put in oven for 1 1/2 hrs @ 220. This kind of steams them and gets them tender in their own juices. Then unwrap, and put on grill over the firebox for just a very short time to sear them (like 1 min /side). Then smoke (indirect heat) til they are "right" usually about 2 hrs. Sweet Baby Ray had to be made for baby backs!! Add SBR to each side, about 15 min before done. My way for telling when they are "just right" is to whack off one and try it....if not sure do a second one!! LOL

PS...dont forget to peel off the membrane on the inside before cooking!
Later
R3F


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

The juices in the ribs are actually held in the meat by the membrane as the ribs cook.: so they hold much more of their natural juices. Some argue that smoke and spices will not penetrate the membrane and get into the meat...not true..when it comes to low..slow cooking...200-225 degrees, the menbrane will actually pull apart. If u are Grilling ribs, remove the membrane because thew ribs will be exposed to long periods of of low heat but rather high heat for short periods. Your decision.
Spare Ribs: comes from the side of the pig, right next to the belly. Have U ever heard of the term "side of ribs". Helllllo! U buy spare ribs in the "whole rack". There are usually 13 bones in the rack. Try to find a rack of ribs are that are "3" and under. Meaning 3 pounds for a rack. There are 2 distinct sides of the rack of ribs, the bone side and the meat side. Spare ribs are a little meatier than baby backs and they are more fatty. I prefer spare ribs!! They cost about 1/2 as much as BB's. Spare ribs have flavor is alot better IMO. 

Baby Backs: Sometimes referref to "back ribs" or loin back ribs. "Baby" in abby back actually comes from the size of the ribs themselves. They will weigh about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds. Meatier the spare ribs w/ less fat, they come from the loin where the better cuts of the pig are located. U can grill them or smoke them. IMO they are the best rib to GRILL. Why? Because the BB is smaller and leaner and will cook in a short period of time and are geared to the high temperatures that grilling is all about. I recommend removing the membrane before cooking. They won't be exposed to the smoke and fire long enough to break down the membrane by cooking.
Try this dudes...Rub the ribs down w/ Worcestershire sauce and apply ur rub. On spare ribs apply 1/2 cup of rub on the bone side and 3/4 cup on the meat side. BB's will take 1/2 that much. Place on grill or pit bone side down. Smoking: 200-225 degrees..6-8 hrs.for spare ribs and 3 1/2-4 hrs. for BB's. No need to turn them over and no sauce needed.. The ribs will be done when the meat will be pulling away from the bone. As a great finishing sauce, try some pineapple habanero jelly. BB's on the grill and spare ribs will take some work. Try not to burn. remeber grilling is high heat cooking and sugars in the rub will usually burn at 300 degrees, so keep turning. BB's cooking time will be about 30-45 minutes and spares about 1 - 1 1/2 hrs. Top off w/ ur sauce. My $.02


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## Roger (Aug 12, 2005)

Don't boil your ribs that sucks. Put a good rub on them and let set for 12 -24 hrs. Get your smoker up to 200 -225. Put your ribs on for 3 hrs. Take them off and wrap in foil, put a cup of apple juice in there before you wrap them up. Leave on the smoker for 2 hrs. Take them out of the foil and put them back on for 1hr. 6hrs. total. It works!


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