Slow smoked BBQ Ribs

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word BBQ.
"Ribs"
Ribs are the true American comfort food. There's not much better then sitting down to a slab of slow smoked, fall off the bone, sauce running down and dripping off your elbows Ribs. I love watching people bit into a a perfectly done rib and see the smile in their eyes as the meat pulls away from the bone and the taste of the rub and sauce mingle together to make a perfect culinary delight.

Any one can make the perfect rib. All you need is the right equipment and a little bit of patience. But if your a regular follower of this blog you already have plenty of that. As they say good food takes time and ribs are no exception.

To begin you need to fire up your smoker and get it up to temp. 180 to 220 degrees is the BBQ temp. A couple of racks of pork ribs, (spare or baby back,) some of your favorite rub, a bottle of mustard, a spray bottle of apple juice, some aluminum foil and a love for good food and some Friends to share it with.

First you need to prepare the ribs. Rinse them off and pat dry and trim off any excess fat and meat. Then you need to remove the membrane off the bone side of the ribs. To do this slide your knife under the membrane on the left side of the rack and pry it upwards.


Take hold of the membrane and slowly pull across the slab. If your lucky it will all come off in one piece. If not then remove all pieces the same way. It takes practice but you'll get the hang of it.


Next you need to apply a layer of mustard all over the ribs(both sides). Yep that's right mustard. Don't worry you wont be able to taste it after the ribs are cooked. The mustard is a binder to keep your rub on the meat. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. If your skeptical about the taste I suggest you try it both ways you will be surprised at the out come.

Apply your rub next. Don't be stingy really put it on there you can always make more.

Your smoker should be up to temp by now so you can place your ribs right on the grill. Place them meat side up. Slow smoke the racks at 180 to 220 degrees for 4 hours. I like to mist the ribs once an hour with apple juice. This helps keep the meat moist. But remember if your looking your not cooking.


After 4 hours it's time for the Texas crutch. Wrap the racks in aluminum foil and place them back in the smoker for another 2 hours.

What this does is help the meat get a little more tender and separate from the bone. Some people think that this is cheating. You can skip this step and leave them in the smoker if you like. After 2 hours open the foil and check the ribs. You should see the meat Begin to pull away from the bone.

Close the smoker and let the heat dry the ribs a little another 20 minutes should do the trick. Remove them from the smoker and place on a cutting board and slice. I like to place the racks meat side down with the bone end away from me and using a sharp knife cut down between two bones. Serve the ribs naked with sauce on the side. That way you and your guest can have as much or as little sauce as they like. Enjoy

VIOLA the perfect rib.