You’re pressed for time yet need succulent, meaty pork ribs? We’ve got you covered with these sticky glazed, hot and quick smoked ribs on a pellet grill.
For this recipe, I used baby back ribs. They have to be one of my favorite barbecue cuts; theyre sweet and meaty, cook quicker than spare ribs, and match well with a good Carolina vinegar-based bbq sauce.
If you’re not sure what to look for while buying ribs, don’t worry; just keep reading to discover the whole procedure from start to finish.
Contents
What are baby back ribs?
The term baby refers to the smaller size of the ribs, while the term rear refers to the place from where the flesh is removed.
After the loin is removed, the back ribs are sliced from where the rib meets the spine. The top ribs are referred to as baby back ribs, although not because they are derived from a baby pig. They’re simply called baby spareribs because they’re shorter than the larger spareribs you’re used to seeing.
Baby back ribs may be as long as six inches and as short as three inches, depending on the size of the pig from which they are harvested.
What to look for when buying your pork ribs
When choosing ribs, the first thing I look for is great marbling throughout and as little loin meat as possible.
The loin is found on both sides of the pig’s backbone, beginning at the shoulder and going back to the rear leg.
It is the biggest, tenderest, and leanest cut of the pig, which means that if you overcook the loin, it will become extremely dry and unattractive, which is why I like to have very little loin on my ribs.
I then double-check that the cryovaced bags I chose are not blown.
What I mean by blown is that when a large number of individuals handle the pork racks, the seal may be accidently broken, letting air into the cryovaced bags and dramatically reducing the shelf life of the pork ribs, so make sure you check each one.
Tools to get the job done
- a smoker large enough to hold 2-3 racks of baby back ribs
- Smoking wood (I’m cooking with wood pellets on my pellet barbecue)
- Large chopping board
- Boning knife
- Paper Towels
- Teaspoon
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
- Basting brush
- Heat proof gloves
How to smoke baby back ribs hot and fast
1. Smoker setup
I utilized my GMG Daniel Boone Prime pellet smoker for these ribs and chose B&Bs applewood pellets since they work so great with pork.
I also suggest a blend of applewood and cherry wood for pig cookers, so if you just have cherry wood on hand, that’s fine.
Set your smoker to 300F since we’re cooking hot and fast.
While your smoker is heating up, start preparing your ribs.
2. Prepping the ribs
I used two racks of baby back ribs for this recipe.
Get a chopping board, a boning knife, paper towels, and a teaspoon ready.
eliminate the ribs from their packaging and give them a brief wash in cold water to eliminate any extra moisture before patting them dry with a paper towel and placing them bone-side up on the chopping board.
Grab a piece of paper towel and a teaspoon, then delicately slip the end of the teaspoon between the meat and the membrane between two bones in the centre of the rack.
Once your teaspoon is under the membrane enough, start to gently lift the teaspoon which will help pull the membrane away from the back of the bones.
Once the membrane is high enough, you should be able to slip your fingers beneath it, making it much simpler to remove in one piece. If it does rip, don’t worry; just take some more paper towel and pull the split portions away.
Turn the racks over and chop away any extra fat, leaving just enough to render down.
Is it necessary to remove the membrane from the rear of the baby back ribs?
Yes, it is rather tough and cannot be swallowed after cooked; however, removing the membrane allows more taste into the flesh.
3. Seasoning the ribs
My favorite pork rib profile begins with a strong punch of sweet, followed by some pepper and savory notes, and completed with a lingering back-end spicy heat.
For this recipe, I blended Birds & Bones chicken and rib rub with Kosmoss Dirty Bird rub, but if you don’t have these on hand, you might use our BBQ pork rub, which has a wonderful balance of sweet and spicy.
Some people prefer to add mustard to help bind the rub to the pork, but I find the surface to be wet enough to apply straight.
I start with the bones up and apply the Birds & Bones equally to the rear of the ribs as well as the edges, followed by the Kosmoss Dirty Bird rub.
As with the back and sides, flip the racks over so the meat side is up and equally apply both rubs.
Allow for 15 minutes to allow the rubs to settle and somewhat sink into the surface.
4. The cook
Place your prepared ribs on the pellet smoker rack after your smoker has reached 300°F.
Check in an hour to check how the bark is developing; if it is looking a bit dry in parts, spritz it lightly with some apple juice in a spray bottle; however, I find that most of the time I don’t need to spritz.
While most people use the 3-2-1 approach, I like to color while cooking. That is, I am searching for the time at which the barbecue spice starts to caramelize with the meat proteins and fat to produce a mahogany outer shell; at this point, I know I am ready to wrap.
What is the 3-2-1 technique, you ask? It relates to time, 3 hours smoked, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour unwrapped, and generally sauced. This approach is best suited to bigger pigs; I would adjust the timings to fit the size of the ribs but would mostly depend on appearance and feel.
Lay out several thick pieces of aluminum foil big enough to wrap around your ribs twice. Turn the foil edges up slightly on both sides to keep the contents contained.
Begin by squeezing half of the honey down the length of the rack in a zig-zag fashion. Sprinkle half of the brown sugar on top of the honey, then pour half of the apple juice down the length of it.
Then, lay the rack on the foil, meat side down, and repeat the procedure to the rear of the ribs.
Arrange the three pieces of butter equally over the rack.
Begin wrapping the ribs in a clockwise manner, being careful not to penetrate the foil with the bones.
Squeeze the foil down all around to ensure there are no huge air pockets in the wrap. Place the ribs back in the smoker.
While the ribs are cooking, begin preparing the sauce.
Turn on a low heat in a small pot. Add your BBQ sauce (you can use store-bought or make your own), 1 tablespoon of butter, and a generous dose of honey. Stir frequently until the sauce is heated and the taste is to your liking, then put aside. Tip: Do not overheat the sauce or it will become bitter.
After one hour, check the ribs, gently remove the foil, and insert an instant-read thermometer between the bones.
If you want the flesh to be soft but still remain on the bone, the probe should slip in and out with little resistance. Another method to verify this is to gently raise the rack upward from the center; it should remain together but have a lovely long bend.
If you want the flesh to fall away from the bone, the probe should slip in and out of the meat like a hot knife through butter. If you do the bend-test on this, it will just break away where you raised the rack rather of retaining a bent.
When the ribs are done to your preference, unzip the foil and fold the edges back to provide access to the whole rack.
Coat the back of the ribs completely with your BBQ sauce using a basting brush. Flip the ribs carefully and continue the procedure.
Return the ribs to the smoker to allow the sauce to thicken.
When your ribs are done in 15 minutes, take them from the smoker.
5. Serving your ribs
Place the ribs on a cutting board, meat side down. Use a good slicing knife to cut between each bone, and use heat-resistant gloves if necessary.
Apply a thin layer of barbecue sauce on the back of the ribs. To enhance flavor, carefully turn each bone over and re-sauce the top of the ribs and in-between each cut.
Serve and enjoy.
Some more rib recipes you might like to try
- Smoked beef plate ribs
- Smoked pork ribs 3-2-1 style
- Johnny Trigg style ribs
- Korean BBQ short ribs
