Baby Back Ribs

Baby Back Pork Ribs
by
Ted McMillan

Total Time: 6 hours (1 hour to get the Green Egg ready and 5 hours of cook time)

I have become a convert of the Big Green Egg after visiting my son's friend Terry. It took a little getting used to, but the effort is worth it. After looking at many different recipes for baby back ribs, I settled on this version. It takes some elements from many recipes and I have added a few new elements of my own. Enjoy!

Ingredients

10 ounce of Rub – I mix up my own since Weber stopped making their Kansas City Style BBQ Rub

2 Cups of Brown Sugar

½ Cup of dry Mustard

1 Tablespoon of finely ground Cayenne Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder

Dash of salt – no more than 1 tablespoon

2 Teaspoons of freshly ground Black Pepper

4 - 6

Pounds of pork baby back ribs

Cups of Barbecue sauce – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue sauce

4 ounce cups of cinnamon flavored apple sauce -- I used Motts brand

Tablespoons of pure honey

Quart jug of apple juice – I used Motts apple juice

Equipment and Charcoal

Grill grid for the Green Egg

V Rack to hold the ribs

16 inches x 12 inches drip pan to set the V Rack that is 3 inches deep

Wood charcoal -- the main fuel for the Green Egg

½ of a small bag (90 cubic inches) of apple wood chips

Directions

1.)

Place the apple wood chips in a small bowl, cover with water, and let them soak for at least 1 hour

2.)

Prepare the rub – mix the following in a bow

• 2 Cups of Brown Sugar

• ½ Cup of dry mustard

• 1 Tablespoon of finely ground Cayenne Pepper

• 1 Tablespoon of Smoked Paprika

• 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Powder

• Dash of salt – no more than 1 tablespoon

• 2 Teaspoons of freshly ground Black Pepper

3.)

Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs

4.)

Moderately rub the baby back ribs with the rub. The rub is hot so add to your taste.

Note:

You can do steps 2 and 3 the night before and then place in the refrigerator over night

5.)

Let the ribs sit at room temperature until the charcoal is ready

6.)

Place the electric charcoal lighter in the combustion chamber

7.)

Add the charcoal on top of the starter until the combustion chamber is filled with charcoal

8.)

Plug in the electric charcoal lighter

9.)

Remove the electric charcoal lighter after 7 minutes and store somewhere while it cools down

10.)

Preheat the Green Egg to 400ºF -- This is NOT the cooking temperature.

11.)

Prepare the Barbecue sauce

1. In a small bowl, add the 2 cups of barbecue sauce
2. Add 8 ounces of the cinnamon flavored apple sauce
3. Add the 4 tablespoons of honey
4. Stir the mixture to blend it all together
5. Set this aside until it is needed later

12.)

Drain water off from the Apple chips and scatter them over the preheated charcoal

13.)

Place the grill grid in the Green Egg

14.)

Set the drip pan on top of the grill grid

15.)

Set the V Rack in the drip pan

16.)

Pour enough Apple juice in the drip pan to cover the bottom. Check it from time to time and add more juice as needed to keep the bottom of the drip pan covered

17.)

Place the ribs in the V Rack and shut the Green Egg lid

18.)

Adjust the air flow to bring the temperature down to 340ºF -- This IS the cooking temperature

19.)

Cook for 3 hours and check the internal temperature of the thickest rib. The temperature must reach 180ºF

20.)

Once the internal temperature reaches 180ºF, coat the ribs with the barbecue sauce every 15 minutes until the ribs are fully cooked. I like to get the internal temperature into the low 190ºF range

21.)

Remove the ribs and allow them to cool for 15 minutes

22.)

Serve