Baby Back Ribs For Dummies

[JDSwan87]

This is a thread for the newbies (such as myself) who have never smoked ribs.  This thread is a compilation of information I gathered from here and chose tocombine it into one convenient thread. I, personally, have only ever done ribs in a crock pot. This is my first try at smoking them, here is the list:

SmokinIt #2 (or whatever your number is!)
SI Rib Rack
Ribs (DUH!)
Mustard (optional)
McCormick Pork Rub ( or a custom homemade rub)
2.5-3 oz of your favorite wood
Heavy Duty Foil

Here goes, cut the whole racks in half because they are too long to fit in the SI-2 whole. Grab your handy dandy mustard bottle and squirt a squiggly line of mustard on each side of the rib chunk. Smear the mustard all over the rib chunk. Take a TEASPOON of the McCormick pork seasoning and rub it all over the rib chunk (half rack) like you really mean it! (The McCormick jar actually calls for 2 tablespoons per pound but I felt that was a little strong) Place the rib chunk in the SI Rib Rack and repeat as necessary. Now you can either wrap the rack and ribs in plastic wrap together and refrigerate or put your ribs on a plate and refrigerate for 12ish hours, you choice.

Meanwhile, take the HD foil and line the bottom of your smoker with it. Make sure to run the foil an inch or two up the left and right sides and poke a hole where the drain hole is in the bottom. Add your wood the smoke box (I chose to foil the bottom of my wood), close the lid and take another piece of HD foil and cover the "roof" on the smoke box (this is just for easier cleanup).

After your ribs are done "curing" (with the rub on), stick them on a shelf in you SI Smoker. Then take a mini loaf pan and fill it partially with water/apple juice/cider/whatever and put it TOUCHING the fire box on the bottom of your smoker.

I chose to not remove the membrane on any of them and didn't have any issues. We put the 2 meaty-est chunks on a separate flat rack on the bottom shelf (bone side down) then the rib rack above it. We noticed no difference from the ones smoked in the rib rack vs the ones layed bone side down.

Close the door, set to 235 and DONT PEEK. After 4.5 hours begin checking your ribs for desired "doneness" on 30 minute intervals.

RESULTS:

This is fresh out of the SI-2 after 4 hours 45 minutes! PERFECT! (I think!)

Just a little bit o sauce. I used Cherry Republic BBQ sauce. Its not overpowering in any way and is a nice change of pace from "the usual" sauce types.

The aftermath!!

My wife LOVED them and ribs aren't her "go-to" BBQ food. Tomorrow I take some in to the guys at work! All smoking was done with an outdoor temp of 28* F.


Everyone: feel free to add any other ideas to this!!

 

[jcboxlot]

Just a chuckle, that smoker looks way too new unseasoned!


I'd cook a tad longer before check,  5+ hours.

Did you pull the membrane off those ribs?


Overall looks solid, I need a rub rack myself.

John

 

[SuperDave]

I need a rub rack myself.

Borrow someone you know's first.  I'm not a fan of them.  The juices run out of the top of the ribs via gravity and leave them drier than the other end.  Or at least that has been my experience.  I've got a couple sets that I wish I could sell. 

 

[JDSwan87]

Just a chuckle, that smoker looks way too new unseasoned!


I'd cook a tad longer before check,  5+ hours.

Did you pull the membrane off those ribs?


Overall looks solid, I need a rub rack myself.

John

Its only my third smoke...lol... Don't get to use it much as I work 12 hour shifts on afternoons 7 days a week...

Supredave, I hope I don't have that issue as I will be rather disappointed. They smoke tomorrow!!

 

[SuperDave]

Josh, they sell a lot of them so maybe I'm one of the rib dummies of which you speak.  I'll be interested to read your results tomorrow. 

 

[jcboxlot]

Guess I should have said rib rack.

I made two spare slabs last week, cut in 1/2.  Had to use two racks to spread them out on the #2. 

1st time I did that, made me wonder what was dripping from upper 1/2 to lower 1/2.  Just a thought.

FYI, all turned out aok. 

I digress, as for original post, you will love the ribs! The recipe looks great and just find time to do them.

 

[NDKoze]

I think the rib racks are OK if you are really filling up your smoker and don't have enough space, but I'm a fan of putting them bone side down on multiple trays, with the larger half racks on the lower shelf.

 

[Barrel99]

Josh I have used the rib racks many many times on the BBQ with no issue whatsoever but have not tried them in the smoker. Do exactly what you said and they should be great. It does look like the membrane was still in in your picture. If you leave it on this time it will be fine. Remember the first time is a test to see whether you need some changes in your approach. Just for fun put a half rack or two on a shelf not the rib rack and see if there is a difference.

 

[JDSwan87]

Josh I have used the rib racks many many times on the BBQ with no issue whatsoever but have not tried them in the smoker. Do exactly what you said and they should be great. It does look like the membrane was still in in your picture. If you leave it on this time it will be fine. Remember the first time is a test to see whether you need some changes in your approach. Just for fun put a half rack or two on a shelf not the rib rack and see if there is a difference.

I will try doing this! I will put my two thickest racks on a flat rack below the rib rack and give her a shot. As for the membrane, I did not remove the membrane as I didn't know it was there, OOPS!! Wish me luck!!

 

[Barrel99]

Have fun and enjoy your first smoke. Check ur temp through the smoke hole. I cook at about 230-235. 4.5 hours maybe good for baby backs. Ckeck them, but it might take a bit longer. If they break when u bend them ur good. Good luck.

 

[JDSwan87]

Have fun and enjoy your first smoke. Check ur temp through the smoke hole. I cook at about 230-235. 4.5 hours maybe good for baby backs. Ckeck them, but it might take a bit longer. If they break when u bend them ur good. Good luck.

Its actually my 3rd smoke but since I can count how many times I've used it its FAR too few times! Thanks for the tip!!

 

[NDKoze]

I don't usually check until at least 5 hours. But, experimentation will tell you how early you need to check yours. If this is your first rib smoke, you may want to try 4.5 hours.

 

[SuperDave]

I don't usually check until at least 5 hours. But, experimentation will tell you how early you need to check yours. If this is your first rib smoke, you may want to try 4.5 hours.

He said he is going with 235 so that will have a little impact on cook time.

 

[SconnieQ]

Usually when using a rib rack, you would put the thicker, fattier, more boney side of the ribs at the top. Yours look like maybe the meatier, thinner side is at the top? I've not had any trouble with dryness when placing the ribs in the rack this way. The fat from the thick end should drip down and keep the rest of the rib moist. I look forward to your results.

 

[JDSwan87]

Updated original post to reflect the aftermath...  8)

 

[SuperDave]

Those are some clean bones! Nice job!

 

[Barrel99]

Fantastic job Josh. Looks like a home run. One thing is for sure on this forum you will get lots of different ideas and they are worth listening to. You have a great start now go from here. Man they look yummy! It's the smell that always gets to me.

 

[DivotMaker]

Looks good, Josh.  Looking at the pictures, it looks like you covered the bottom shelf (with the ribs laying flat) with foil.  Am I seeing that right?  If you did, I would encourage you to not do that.  Foiling a whole shelf like that can really effect the internal box temp of the smoker, and is probably what prevented your bark from fully-developing.  Next time, just foil the bottom of the smoker and smoke box lid, like you did, and don't use any other foil. 

Personally, I don't use rib racks for the reason Super Dave said.  I find the best results with all the ribs lying flat, bone-side down.  The moisture stays in the meat better.  I've used them in the past, in a charcoal smoker, and wasn't crazy about the results...but that's just my 2¢, for the penny it's worth.

 

[JDSwan87]

Looks good, Josh.  Looking at the pictures, it looks like you covered the bottom shelf (with the ribs laying flat) with foil.  Am I seeing that right?  If you did, I would encourage you to not do that.  Foiling a whole shelf like that can really effect the internal box temp of the smoker, and is probably what prevented your bark from fully-developing.  Next time, just foil the bottom of the smoker and smoke box lid, like you did, and don't use any other foil. 

Personally, I don't use rib racks for the reason Super Dave said.  I find the best results with all the ribs lying flat, bone-side down.  The moisture stays in the meat better.  I've used them in the past, in a charcoal smoker, and wasn't crazy about the results...but that's just my 2¢, for the penny it's worth.

DM, You are correct I did cover the whole bottom tray with foil. I covered it with foil and stabbed a bunch of holes in it for the grease to drain off. You are also correct with the lack of bark, there wasn't much. Next time I will omit the rib rack and use the same prep process. I will lay them all bone side down next time. As for moisture, we didn't have any issues with moisture on any of the ribs, all were VERY moist and tender. The guys at work LOVED them and said they were better than most restaurants! To me that's a HUGE compliment! Its also a huge compliment to the build quality of these smokers!!

I REALLY like this forum, everyone is here to help!

 

[DivotMaker]

Good deal, Josh!  Nothing like being the "office hero!"  

Always remember to remove the membrane - it's thick, and doesn't allow the rub to penetrate the back side of the meat.  I use a butter knife to work my way under it, in the middle of the rack (before cutting the racks in half), from one side to the other.  Once you form a little pocket, in from the sides, you can lift up from the middle (like a suitcase handle), while holding the ribs down.  The membrane peels outward, toward the ends, and usually comes off in one piece.  Takes me about 2 minutes to de-skin 3 racks of baby backs!