Baby Back Ribs with the Ultimate BBQ Rub

The Ultimate BBQ Rub.

Rack of Baby back ribs with the rub, mustard. the night befor.

Into the fridge. overnight.

Seasoned and slathered again before going on the Big Green Egg.

They are on the Egg @ 200* indirect with apple and cherry wood for smoke

After 3 hours more rub, mustard, honey.




Then foiled and added Grape juice. but back on the Egg @250*



Now the Grilled Romaine with Italian Dressing and Blue Cheese.



Served with Baked Beans. The Ribs were moist and very tasty as they should be. the Grilled Romaine and Beans were great as well. I love Melissa,s Ultimate BBQ Rub.

Recipe:
Competition Pork Baby Back Ribs
Serves 2 to 4, depending on whether they’re linemen or cheerleaders

I’m known in the media and among competitors as a whole-hog cook, and I’ve been very fortunate with whole hogs in contests. However, I’ve won a lot more contests with my baby back ribs. This recipe won first place in eight contests in a row—a pretty mean feat! These ribs have a full flavor profile: a little sweet, some acid, a little salt, and just enough heat on the back of your palate to make you want another bite. Save the bones and meat trimmings for making stock (page 18).

2 slabs baby back ribs, about 3 pounds each (see Note, page 32)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Ultimate BBQ Rub (page 14)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons turbinado sugar
4 tablespoons purple grape juice
About ½ cup Sweet Glaze (page 21)
Chipotle chile powder, for sprinkling

Rinse the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Trim any excess fat from the tops of the slabs. Trim 1 bone from the large end of the ribs and 2 bones from the small end. This will give you a much more consistent slab for cooking.

Starting on the backs, sprinkle the ribs with approximately 1½ teaspoons of rub each, then add 1½ teaspoons mustard each and massage into the meat. Flip the ribs over and repeat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. For a contest, I marinate ribs like this for 12 to 16 hours.

Prepare a smoker to cook at 225°F with around 4 chunks of apple wood and 4 chunks of cherry wood so that the wood will smolder throughout the cooking. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator, unwrap, and repeat the rub and mustard procedure, massaging them in. Don’t get it too thick or pastelike, as this will give you a dark appearance when cooked.

Place the ribs in the smoker meat side up and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and increase the temperature to 250°F. Apply rub and mustard to both sides of the ribs as before. On each of the top sides, slather approximately 1 tablespoon of honey over the surface, then sprinkle heavily with about 2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar each. Lay the ribs meat side down on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold up the edges. Pour 2 tablespoons of purple grape juice into the bottom of the foil for each rib then finish wrapping the ribs, but don’t crimp the edges—you want steam to be able to escape.

Return the ribs to the cooker for 2 hours, then test for tenderness. (I cook ribs at this stage until they look overdone and too tender. Don’t worry; they’ll tighten up. If they still have too much texture, leave them in for 20 to 30 more minutes.) Remove the ribs from the cooker, open the foil, and drain off the liquid. Brush sauce on the bone side of the ribs.
Then, using the foil as a tool, “roll” the ribs over so the meat side is up and glaze the tops. Using long tongs, carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place them back in the smoker for 15 minutes. This will let the glaze cook onto the ribs and let the ribs tighten back up. Remove from the cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes, apply a very thin coat of glaze to “glisten” the ribs, then very lightly sprinkle with chipotle powder before serving.

From Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room: Southern Recipes from the Winningest Woman in Barbecue by Melissa Cookston / Andrews McMeel Publishing, LCC 2014

Thanks for lookin!

Ross

World Championship Baby Back Ribs Written By Melissa Cookston Published August 27, 2013
This recipe comes to us from BBQ Pitmasters judge, Melissa Cookston. These ribs, which Cookston serves up at Memphis BBQ Co. with fellow grillmaster and co-owner John Wheeler, are the perfect way to kick off the fall with a Labor Day barbecue.

CATEGORIES grill smoke
INGREDIENTSSubmit

6 Slabs baby back ribs, about 3 pounds each
Basic BBQ Rub (recipe follows)
4 Tablespoon honey
1 Cup turbinado sugar
1 Cup purple grape juice
1 Cup Memphis BBQ Co. Original World Championship BBQ Sauce
1 Teaspoon chipotle powder
For the Basic BBQ Rub:
1 Cup turbinado sugar, finely ground
1/2 Cup white sugar
1/2 Cup Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Teaspoon ground mustard
4 Tablespoon Chili powder
1 Teaspoon cumin
6 Tablespoon Spanish paprika
INSTRUCTIONSSubmit

To make the Basic BBQ Rub:
Step 1:
Using a coffee grinder, grind the turbinado sugar with a few “pulses” until it is lightly powdered.
Step 2:
Combine with other ingredients and hand stir until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container.
To make the ribs:
Step 1:
Rinse the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Trim any excess fat from the tops of the slabs. Trim 1 bone from the large end of the ribs and 2 bones from the small end. This will give you a much more consistent slab for cooking.
Step 2:
Starting on the backs, sprinkle the ribs with approximately 1/2 tablespoon of rub each, then add 1/2 tablespoon mustard each and massage into the meat. Flip the ribs over and repeat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. For a contest, I marinate ribs like this for 12 to 16 hours.
Step 3:
Prepare a smoker to run at 225 degrees with around 4 chunks of apple wood and 4 chunks of cherry wood so that the wood will smolder throughout the cooking. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator, unwrap, and repeat the rub and mustard procedure, massaging them in. Don’t get it too thick or paste-like, as this will give you a dark appearance when cooked. Place the ribs in the smoker meat side up and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and increase the temperature to 250 degrees. Apply rub and mustard to both sides of the ribs as before. On the top sides, slather approximately 1 tablespoon of honey over the surface, then sprinkle heavily with Turbinado sugar. Lay the ribs meat side up on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold up the edges. Pour approximately 1 to 2 ounces of purple grape juice into the bottom of the foil, then finish wrapping the ribs but don’t crimp the edges-you want steam to be able to escape.
Step 4:
Return the ribs to the cooker for 2 hours, then test for tenderness. (I cook ribs in this stage until they look overdone and too tender. Don’t worry, they’ll tighten up. If they still have too much texture, leave them in for 20 to 30 more minutes.) Remove the ribs from the cooker, open the foil, and drain off the liquid. Using the foil as a tool, “roll” the ribs over so the bone side is up, glaze with sauce, then roll them back over and glaze the tops. Using long tongs, carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place them back in the smoker for 15 minutes. This will let the glaze cook onto the ribs and let the ribs tighten back up. Remove from the cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes, apply a very thin coat of sauce to “glisten” the ribs, then lightly sprinkle with chipotle powder before serving.
NOTESSubmit

Ross