My favorite rib to cook and eat is the baby back, because I learned competitive cooking at MIM contests and that’s their rib of choice. I just developed a real love for them. They’re fun to cook and fun to eat, and they almost always earn me money. Even I can’t ask for more than that!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
What You’ll Need
Preparation
Step 1
One at a time, place the racks on a cutting board, bone side up, and remove the membrane (or “silver”): At whichever end of the rack seems easier, work your fingers underneath the membrane until you have 2 to 3 inches cleared. Grab the membrane with a towel and gently but firmly pull it away from the ribs. Pulling off the membrane exposes loose fat that will need trimming, so take your knife and cut out any excess fat. Now the racks are ready.
Step 2
Set the racks in an aluminum baking pan and cover them completely with the rib marinade. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and let it sit for 4 hours, either in the refrigerator or, if you’re at a contest or in a picnic situation, in a cooler packed with ice.
Step 3
When you are ready to cook them, remove the ribs from the marinade. Pat them dry with towels. Apply the rub lightly around the edges of the ribs, over the back side of them, and on top. Then let the ribs sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 4
In the meantime, heat a smoker to 250˚F.
Step 5
Put the ribs in a baking pan, put the pan in the smoker, and cook for 2 hours. After the first 30 minutes of cooking, spritz the ribs. Continue to spritz at 15-minute intervals for the duration of the cooking time. (The ribs should be uncovered so they can absorb as much smoke as possible.)
Step 6
Remove the pan from the smoker. Pour the apple juice into a clean aluminum baking pan. Place the ribs in the pan, bone side down, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 1 hour.
Step 7
Remove the pan from the smoker and shut off the heat on the smoker. Remove the foil, and apply the glaze to the top and bottom of the slabs of ribs. Re-cover the pan with foil, return it to the smoker, and let the ribs rest in the smoker for 30 minutes as the temperature gradually decreases.
Step 8
Remove the ribs from the pan and let them rest for 10 minutes on a wooden cutting board. Then cut and serve.
