Hi! Welcome to Sarah Kate’s! It’s football season which means it’s time to start smoking BBQ!

This recipe is super easy and produces THE BEST ribs!

Personally, I use a Traeger to smoke ours but you can use a green egg, homemade smoker, or any other similar grill. I highly recommend getting hickory pellets or a hickory combo if you have a pellet grill. I think it gives the ribs a great flavor! I also recommend using a Mexican style rub for the base, a sweet heat rub for the second layer, and finish it off with a bacon rub (because why not put more pork flavoring on pork). This flavor laying is inspired by Meat Church’s rib recipe which is linked below. For all my Macon people, these rubs can be found at Salt Lick.

Ingredients

FOR THE RIBS

• Hickory Pellets (or a hickory combination)
• Baby Back Ribs
• Yellow or Dijon (non grainy) Mustard
• Fiesta Seasoning
• Sweet Heat Seasoning
• Bacon Rub
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 of Brown Sugar (per slab of ribs)
• 4 tablespoons of Butter (per slab of ribs)

FOR THE SAUCE

• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 2 cups of Yellow Mustard
• 2 cups of Ketchup
• 4 cups of White Vinegar
• Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes
• Tablespoon of Salt
• Tablespoon of Pepper
• Tablespoon of Sugar

To start, preheat your smoker to 275 degrees.

While the grill is preheating, the membrane from the underside (bone side) of the ribs. This is like a thin plastic-like piece on the bottom. You remove it so that the rubs can get more flavor into the meat. This is not necessary, but I feel makes a huge difference. You can use a paper towel to get a hold of the membrane to remove.

Before seasoning, rub the entire slab with mustard. This does not change the flavor but just helps the rub bind with the ribs. Start by lightly seasoning the ribs with the fiesta style seasoning. Do not over do this seasoning. It should be light, then season with a heavier coat of the sweet heat. Add the same amount of the bacon rub on top of the sweet heat. Let the rubs rest on the ribs for 15-30 minutes on each side and no longer than 30 (do one side at a time for best results). During this time, the rub will adhere to the ribs making the ribs look like they are wet or glazed. It’s now time to put them on the smoker.

Put your ribs on the smoker bone side down! They are going to be on the grill for 2 hours. During that time, spritz the ribs with apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes. I use a spray bottle I bought at the grocery store. If you need to, you can brush or baste the vinegar on. I feel like spritzing is best though. This helps create a crust and keep the ribs tender at the same time.

TIP: I recommend starting your sauce (recipe below) now so the flavors can meld while the ribs smoke.

There will be a dark crust on the ribs when you pull them off at 2 hours. Once you pull them off, you are going to add your brown sugar and butter to tin foil and wrap the ribs. You need to make sure the brown sugar and butter are meat side up when wrapping the ribs. Wrap with 2-3 pieces of tin foil to prevent tearing and losing all that delicious glaze! Throw them back on for another hour and a half. Make sure to check your pellets!

TIP: The ribs will be tender when you are taking them on and off the grill. To avoid them falling apart, use two spatulas or tongs and a spatula to hold everything together when moving them.

After an hour and a half, pull the ribs off and unwrap the. Throw them back on the smoker for 15-20 minutes to make sure and get that super delicious crust. Take them off and let sit for 20-30 minutes (if you can!). Cut them meat side down, bone side up so you can see where each bone is! Dig in!

FOR THE SAUCE

This sauce is inspired by an old co-workers recipe! I love a vinegar based sauce so much I actually reduce the ketchup and mustard measurements just a tad! Combine all the above ingredients in a pot and whisk together to prevent clumping. I recommend putting the vinegar in first then adding the condiments. Heat until simmering. Take off the stove, put in a container, and throw in the fridge until ready to eat! I use a mason jar!

References

https://www.meatchurch.com/blogs/recipes/baby-back-ribs?_pos=1&_sid=208fda9e1&_ss=r