Ingredients
- 1 whole rack of Pork Loin Back Ribs aka Baby Backs
- 4 TBS favorite BBQ beef rub
- Schmear of Yellow Mustard, optional
Instructions
Trim the Baby Back
- Remove membrane from bone side
- Trim off any excess fat on the rack of ribs
Season the Baby Back
- Apply schmear of yellow mustard to help rub to stick to your ribs
- Apply a medium coat of your favorite BBQ rib rub. I used my 1st place KCBS Championship Jailbird Chicken Rub on the meat side and my Championship All Purpose Rub on the bone side
- For best results, dry brine in fridge for an hour before cooking
Preheat the Grill
- Light your grill with wood or charcoal and create a cool and a hot zone. You are looking for medium-low heat, around 275°F or 135°C
Smoke the Baby Back
- Place the baby back rack on the cooler zone of your grill
- Adjust the height so you are cooking around indirect 275°F or 135°C
- Cook until the internal temperature reaches 195F or 90°C, about 60-90 minutes depending on how big and warm your ribs were when you started
- Once the ribs are bamboo skewer probe tender, remove the ribs and lower the grate until they are almost touching your charcoal or wood embers
- Wait until the grates come up to 600F or 315°C measured by an Infrared thermometer
- Sear meat side down for 60 seconds to get grill marks on the meat side
- Alternatively, you can wrap your ribs in foil with some brown sugar and this method works well also
Rest and Serve
- Once done, remove the ribs from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving
- Slice the ribs and serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and sides
Tips
- Use a bamboo skewer to gauge tenderness. It should be like poking the skewer into a jar of cold peanut butter for the perfect competition rib tenderness. Competition ribs are NOT fall off the bone and you know you have achieved it when you see your teeth marks on the meat and it should not fall off the bone
- Don't be afraid to move the V-grates up or down to get the desired cooking temperature
- If you are cooking with charcoal, you can add some wood chunks for more smoke flavor
