Smoked Ribs

 

Ingredients
1 slab pork ribs, trimmed
Rub
4 heaping T dried brown sugar
2 palmfuls The Squeal Hog Rub (OK Joes, KC Kansas)
2 palmfuls Chef Tim Love Bad Ass Rub (Smoke, Dallas TX)
2 tsp 33rd and Galena Chicken/Pork Rub (Penzey’s Spice)
3 palmfuls kosher salt
Rib Glaze
6 oz apple juice
3 T brown sugar, not dried
Water to fill a sauce bottle, used to dissolve brown sugar with apple juice

1. Remove membrane from the bone side of the ribs.  Make a small cut with a knife and then peal back with a paper towel so your hands don’t slip

2. Combine dried brown sugar, the sequel hog rub, the bad ass rub, 33rd and galena rub, and kosher salt into a bowl and mix thoroughly

***TIP: to dry out the brown sugar place it on a cookie sheet and just let it set out at room temp. Every 1 hour mix the brown sugar around so it doesn’t stick onto the pan. One dried (about 3 hours) sift into a bowl to get all the random clumps out of the dried brown sugar.  You now have successfully dried out brown sugar!

3. Rub the dry mixture onto the rib, coat both sids of the ribs until coated thoroughly
***TIP: apply rub the night before smoking the ribs and refrigerated.  It allows for the most flavor to get into the ribs

4. In the early morning (around 8am) pre heat the smoker to 225 degrees F; cook total time 6 1/2  hours in the smoker
5. If you want a light smoke flavor with your meat use pecan and a fruity wood like apple or cherry; if you want a strong smoke flavor use hickory with a fruity wood like apple or cherry.  My favorite smoke is with the pecan blend.
***TIP: fill a tub with water to soak your wood chunks starting that morning.  This allows your chunks to smolder vs burn fast and hot, creating a great smoke
6. Okay, your smoker is at temp and it is ready for you to place your ribs on and enjoy that wonderful outdoor smell

7. While your ribs are cooking away it is time to make a glaze for them to help them stay moist. (We also have a weber smoker that has a water pan in it to help the meat stay moist too, just a thought)
To make the glaze I like to use a squeeze bottle to mix the liquid in.  Place 6oz apple juice, regular brown sugar, and a splash of water to help mix the mixture until dissolved thoroughly.  Once the browned sugar is dissolved fill the remaining area of the squeeze bottle with water and you’re glaze is ready.
8. Two hours into the smoking process it is time to glaze your ribs.  Use half of the squeeze bottle apple juice mixture on the ribs and then cover to continue smoking.
9. Two hours later (4 hours total into smoking) glaze the ribs with the remaining apple juice glaze and place the ribs into a foil pan covered with foil.  By doing this you will keep the ribs moist and reduce the black/charred/smoked skin on the ribs.  Keep the foil pan in the smoker to continue cooking for another 2 1/2 hours (for a total of 6 1/2 hours of smoking).
10. After you have completed the 6 1/2 hours of smoking your ribs, remove from the smoker and let it sit for 1 1/2 hours.  Yes bring it in at room temp to sit, it will bring all the juices and flavors back into the ribs.
***TIP: make sure you ribs are meat down rib bone up while it rests in the foil pan.  This allows all the juices to be soaked up in the ribs while sitting in the pan, JUST TRUST ME!
11. Now, it has been 1 1/2 hours for rest and it is time for the big reveal!!! Remove the ribs from the pan and cut into individuals for easy eating.
12. Don’t be surprised if the ribs start fallowing apart when you cut them because those babies will be super tender thanks to the low and slow cooking and the apple juice glaze.
13. Plate up these ribs with your favorite BBQ sides and sauces.
14. Enjoy!!!