Smoked Baby Back Ribs are a classic comfort food that are full of flavor and is a must for your next get together!

They are smokey, succulent and finger-lickin gooooood.  You need a good smoker recipe for your baby back ribs? Here you go.  This is not a “quick and easy” recipe — this is a “we are hanging out at home today” kind of recipe (if you are looking for more of a quick and easy version – try this Instant Pot BBQ Rib Recipe!)  The attention and work that goes into these is well-worth the wait.  Just look at them.  And yes, they taste as good (if not better) than they look!

How to Make Smoked Baby Back Ribs

We started with 2 racks of baby back ribs.  Before you even begin, you need to remove the thin layer of skin or connective tissue on the bone side of the ribs:

Remove and discard.

Then mix your rub together:

Once your rub is all mixed together, rub it generously over the ribs.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight.

The next day get your smoker out (If you don’t have a smoker and are in the market for one – I would recommend the this one!).

Turn smoker on to 225.  Additionally, get some smoking chips – use half hickory (I use these!) and half mesquite (these are the ones I use!)- put 2 cups of the hickory and 2 cups of the mesquite chips together in a bucket of water to soak (enough water to cover the chips).  In your electric smoker there should be smoker basket to put your chips in.  Add additional chips about every 30-45 minutes.

When the ribs reach room temp and the smoker has reached 225, place ribs in the smoker (meat side up) and a handful of chips in the smoking box.

Smoke for 2 hours.

Throughout the smoking process, you are going to need to do a couple of things.  First, you need to apply a mop to the ribs every 45-60 minutes.  The “mop” is made up of 1 part apple cider vinegar, 1 part apple juice and 1 part water.  Mix that up  –  you can just put that in a spray bottle and spray the pork shoulder all over.  Additionally, if the smoke coming out of the smoker dies down, you know you need to put additional chips into the smoking basket.  This should happen about 1-2 times per hour.

After two hours, remove ribs and place in foil with 1/4 cup apple juice (wrap each rack separately with 1/4 cup of apple juice each).  Smoke for an additional hour.  Remove again and take out of foil.  Sauce with your favorite BBQ sauce and smoke for another hour.

Remove and serve immediately (always double check the internal temperature to ensure meat has reached 165 internal temp).

Quick rib recommendation:

If you are looking for a great “rib guy” I highly recommend Butcher Box (a service that delivers 100% Grass-Fed and Grass-Finished Beef, Heritage Breed Pork, Free-Range Organic Chicken and Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon).  All of their meat, including their ribs, are absolutely amazing. Click here for $20 off your first order + free bacon!

Other recipes you might like:

• Smoked Pork Shoulder
• Instant Pot BBQ Ribs 
• Baked Beans + Thick Cut Bacon
•  Purple Cabbage Coleslaw with Cilantro and Anaheim Peppers.

Enjoy guys!

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Love,

E

Smoked Baby Back Ribs

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Erin
• Prep Time: 24 hours
• Cook Time: 4 mins
• Total Time: 24 hours 4 mins
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: Electric Smoker
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

• 2 racks of baby back ribs (I love using Butcher Box ribs!)
• 2 Tablespoons smoked garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoons onion powder
• 1 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 Tablespoons cumin
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried mustard
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 cups mesquite smoking chips
• 2 cups hickory smoking chips
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 bottle of your favorite (smokey) barbecue sauce
• [Mop: 1 cup water, 1 cup apple juice; 1 cup apple cider vinegar]

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Instructions

1. Take ribs and remove the thin layer of connective tissue on the non-meat side.
2. Combine smoked garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, salt and dried mustard; mix well.
3. Apply rub to all sides of ribs.
4. Wrap ribs in plastic wrap, tightly, and store in fridge over night.
5. The next day, remove ribs from fridge and let ribs come to room temperature.
6. While ribs are warming up, turn smoker up to 225.
7. Combine smoking chips in large bowl and cover with water.
8. Add a handful or two to the smoking box of your smoker.
9. Add additional chips every 30-45 minutes.
10. Place ribs in smoker for 2 hours.
11. Spray with “mop” every 30-40 minutes.
12. After 2 hours, remove from smoker and place each rack in foil along with 1/2 cup apple juice; tightly wrap up in the foil and place back in smoker for 1 hour.
13. Remove from smoker and from aluminum foil.
14. Sauce the ribs generously with your favorite BBQ sauce and place back in smoker for 1 hour.
15. Ensure internal temp is 165; remove and serve along with additional BBQ sauce.

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Notes

• here is a great recipe for how to make BBQ ribs in an Instant Pot! Always fun to try out different kitchen gadgets!

Keywords: smoked ribs

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