Smoked Baby Back Pork Ribs

This Labor Day Weekend I decided to fire up my smoker and have another attempt at smoking baby back ribs. This was my third time trying to cook them. They finally came out just the way I envisioned and my guests and I were extremely satisfied with the end results. I decided to post what I did on here for others to see in case they wanted a little guidance. If you have any questions that aren't answered on here feel free to ask me in the store any time, or you can reach us on the phone while we are open at 757-547-2161. I will do my best to answer any questions you have. 

I don't claim to be an expert smoker. I've only had a smoker for about 4 months now and am doing a lot of learning myself. I figured I will start to post these blogs/recipes onto our website to share my journey with everyone. My mistakes, what I figured out works for me, what doesn't work. So here is what I did below, I hope your baby back ribs turn out just as amazing as mine did.

Ingredients:

• 1 Slab of Pork Baby Back Ribs (They usually weigh 2-3 lbs. per slab)
• 1 Bottle of Lotta Bull BBQ Diamond Dust Rib Rub
• Chigger Creek Apple Wood Chunks or Chips (I used chunks)
• Charcoal

Preparation:

1. Remove the Baby Back Ribs from the packaging and put them onto a cutting board, or any other clean surface that you want to work on.
2. There is a thin silver lining underneath the baby back ribs that is called the membrane. It’s tough/chewy and doesn’t taste very good, so I remove this ahead of time. We can do this for you at our store if you don’t want to do it yourself, or you can just leave it on and eat around it when you go to eat the ribs. It’s not too hard to remove, once you get it started. It peels right off as long as you peel it nice and slowly, too fast and it will rip and make things a lot harder for you. You can grab a knife to help try to get the membrane to start to peel.
3. Start to pour the Lotta Bull BBQ Diamond Dust Rib Rub onto the ribs. I use quite a bit, ended up using 1 whole bottle on 3 slabs of baby back ribs. I really focus on coating the entire rib, including the sides of them. I take my hand and rub it into the ribs, all over the sides/bottom of the ribs.
4. After applying the rub, I put the ribs in the refrigerator and let them rest for 2 hours inside the fridge. You can let them sit in the fridge overnight if you wanted. It’s not going to hurt anything.

Cooking Method:

1. Prepare your Smoker or whatever cooking device you are using. I use the weber Smokey mountain 22” smoker. It uses charcoal for fuel and wood chunks/chips can be added to the charcoal. I used Chigger Creek Apple Wood Chunks for the baby back ribs.
2. I smoked the baby back ribs at 225-250 degrees F thru the entire process. It took the ribs about 5 hours total, to be done. Their final temperatures were around 180-190 degrees F. Typically ribs need to be cooked to 190-205 degrees F. However, I used the bend test on my ribs to check to see if they were done. What is the bend test? Here is a link for you: https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-ribs-recipes/are-my-ribs-ready-yet
3. I DID NOT wrap the baby back ribs in anything. I have done that in the past, wrapping them in aluminum foil and I don’t think I ever will again. I think it cooks the ribs to fast and they end up being tough and not as tender. Ribs need time to cook and work their magic. The lower and slower you cook them, the better they are going to be. Patience is key!
4. 2 hours into the cook I did turn the ribs and then after about another 1 hour I turned them again. It helps to get a nice bark around the entire rib.
5. Let the ribs rest for about 10-15 minutes before cutting. I added Head Country Original BBQ Sauce to my ribs. You can do that while they rest if you want. I added the sauce after I cut mine because some people don’t like tons of sauce on their ribs.

Pictures:

Recipe by Andrew Edmondson Backyard Smoker Enthusiast from Central Meats

Ingredients:  
3.5 lb          Frenched Rack of Pork
1/4 C          Olive Oil
3 Cloves    Garlic
2 tsp          Salt
1 tsp          Ground Black Pepper
1 sprig       Rosemary, stem removed
1/2 tsp       Red Pepper Flake
  
Combine all the oil, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and red pepper in the blender and blend well for several minutes to form a paste. Coat the roast well in the marinade and allow to rest, covered in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (overnight is best).
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the roast, bones up, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for approx 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300, and continue to cook until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reads 155 degrees (approx 1.5 hrs - but go by the thermometer, not the time).
 
Remove from the oven and allow to rest, covered loosely with foil for 10-15 minutes. Slice into chops and serve.

Serves 4 

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients:  
1EA            Sugar Cured Smoked Ham
1 C             Light Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp      Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp      Ground Cloves
1 tsp          Salt
                   Pineapple Slices and Cherries to Garnish
 
Mix the dry ingredients together and rub all surfaces of the ham to coat well. Bake in an 300 degree oven in roasting pan approx 20 minutes per pound until the ham reaches an interal temperature of 137 degrees. Approx one hour before the ham is done, remove from the oven, decorate with the fruit and top with additional brown sugar mixture.

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients    
1 Ea        Pork Tenderloin
3 TB        Honey
              
For the Marinade
1/4C          Olive Oil
1/4C          Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp      Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp      Onion Powder
1/2 tsp      Black Pepper
1 tsp         Salt
 
To prepare the marinade, add all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Gently rise the tenderloin in running water and trim any excess silverskin. Add marinade and tenderloin to large zip-top bag and store in refrigerator overnight to marinade.
 
Heat grill to medium heat, and grill the tenderloin on all sides until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 155 degrees. Remove from the grill, and lightly glaze with warmed honey. Allow the tenderloin to rest 10 minutes, loosely covered in foil until ready to slice. 
 

Serves 2-4

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients: 
1 Rack          St. Louis Cut Pork Spare Ribs (membrane removed)
3 TB              Bone Suckin BBQ Rub (available at Central Meats, your  
                     choice, hot or mild)
                      (Or your favorite Beef Rub)
1/2C              Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce
2 TB             Apple Juice (or water)
2 TB             Vegetable Oil
 
Procedure:   

(Note: While the best tasting ribs are done on a bbq smoker, you can still make great ribs in the oven. Simply place a roasting rack over a pan to catch the juices, and cook your ribs on the rack!)

Rinse the ribs well under cold running tap water and pat dry with paper towels. Coat the ribs in vegetable oil and then apply the rub liberally to all surfaces of the ribs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.
 
Preheat your smoker or oven to 250 degrees. (If you are using a bbq smoker, it is important to try to maintain a stable 250 degrees during the entire cooking process. Also add several hickory wood chunks to your firebox for smoke flavor for the first 2 hours of the cooking.) Place the ribs on the cooking grate/rack, meat side up and allow to cook for 3 hours.
 
Remove the ribs from the smoker/oven, and wrap tightly in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil, along with the apple juice. Return to the smoker/oven and cook 2 more hours.
 
Gently remove the foil packet from the oven, and open gently, being careful of escaping steam. The ribs will be very tender at this point, so work with them carefully to prevent then rack from breaking. Brush a liberal coating of BBQ Sauce on both sides, and return to the smoker/oven. Cook an additional 30 minutes, then recoat the top with more sauce, then cooking a final 30 minutes. If you prefer some char on your ribs, you can transfer them to a hot grill for or turn on your oven's broiler for several minutes. 
 
Remove the ribs gently and place on a cutting board, covering loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the ribs to rest for 10 minutes before cutting apart and serving with more sauce.

Serves 2-3

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients: 
1 (7-10lb)       Bone-In Pork Boston Butt Shoulder Roast
4 TB                A.C. Leggs Barbecue Seasoning & Rub 
                        (available at Central Meats)
1 pkg             Charlie Mill's Famous Carolina BBQ Sauce Mix
1 gal              Apple Cider Vinegar

Procedure:
Under cold running water, gently rinse the pork roast and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle all sides of the brisket with the BBQ seasoning, gently patting the spices into the surface to be sure they adhere. Wrap the roast tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinade at least one hour but overnight is best.

Meanwhile, prepare the BBQ sauce, by pouring out approx 3/4 C of vinegar from the bottle and adding the sauce mix to the remaining vinegar. Shake well to combine. This sauce gets better as it ages so for the best flavor, make at least a day ahead.  
Preheat your bbq smoker to 250 degrees per the manufacturer's instructions. Place the pork on the smoker, with the fat side down and close the lid. Add two golf-ball sized chunks of hickory wood to the firebox. Keep the smoker at a constant 250 degrees, avoiding opening the lid. When the wood chunks burn out, add one more, and repeat until you have used at total of 6 chunks. 
 
After 8 hours of cooking, remove the pork from the smoker, flip to the lean side down and tightly wrap in two layers of wide, heavy duty aluminum foil, adding 2-3 tablespoons of the prepared vinegar bbq sauce to the foil. Return the pork to the smoker and continue to cook an additional 2-4 hours until an instant-read thermometer inserted through the top of the foil into the center of the meat reads 190 degrees. Remove the pork from the smoker and place the entire wrapped brisket into a clean dry cooler, and allow to rest 2 hours.
 
Remove the pork from the cooler and gently unwrap the foil, transferring the pork to a clean cutting board and discarding reserving any juices that have accumulated in the foil. Carefully remove and discard any large deposits of fat, and finely mince the bbq.

Serve the BBQ with the Carolina BBQ sauce and your favorite cole slaw.

Serves 12+

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients:
1 Rack         Pork Baby Back Ribs (Membrane Removed)
2 TB              Vegetable Oil
4-5 TB          A.C. Legg's Brown Sugar Sweet BBQ Rub
2/3 C            Sauer's Barbecue Sauce Original 
                      (or your favorite) 
1/4C               Your Favorite Fruit Juice or Soda

Procedure:
Remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs, if it has not already been removed. This can easily be done by grasping the corner of the membrane with a paper towel and peeling it off.

Coat both sides of the ribs with vegetable oil, and liberally coat the ribs with the BBQ rub (approx 4-5 TB). Refrigerate the ribs at least 2 hours to allow the bbq rub to marinate the meat.
 
Preheat your gas grill for indirect cooking (see sidebar note), and stabilize temperate to approximately 250 degrees. Make a "smoke bomb" by wrapping a handful of hardwood chips in aluminum foil. Poke about 10-15 holes in the aluminum foil and place the "smoke bomb" directly onto the vaporizer bar of your gas grill, directly over the flame.
 
Place the ribs into the grill, meat side up as far away from the live flame as possible. Close the lid and cook for 2 1/2 hours. During this process it is important to maintain a steady 250 degrees, and to not open the lid unnecessarily (this will allow the heat to escape). Approximately, every 40 minutes, open the grill briefly to rotate the ribs (keeping the meat side up) so that they cook evenly.
 
After 2 1/2 hours, open the lid and remove the ribs from the grill. Place the ribs, meat side down, onto a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. On top of the ribs, pour 1/4C of Sauer's BBQ Sauce and 1/4C of your favorite fruit juice or soda. Good options are apple juice, pineapple juice, cola or root beer. Diet sodas are not recommended) You can also use water if you prefer. Seal the ribs tightly in foil and return to the grill to cook an additional 1 1/2 hours.
 
After cooking, remove the rib packet from the grill. Light the remaining grill burners and heat the grill to a medium-hot fire. Gently open one end of the foil taking care not to burn yourself on the hot steam and drain the liquid from the pouch. The ribs will be very tender, so take care not to break them as you remove them from the foil and place them back onto the hot grill. Grill over medium-high heat basting with sauce until the sauce has set, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the grill, and serve.

Serves 2
 

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team 

Ingredients:
4                Central Meats Cornbread Stuffed Center Cut Pork Chops
2 TB           Vegetable Oil
2-3 tsp     Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Glaze Ingredients:
1C             McCutcheon's Peach Preserves (Available at Central Meats)
1TB           Butter
1/4tsp      Apple Pie Spice*
2TB           Fruit Juice (of your choice apple, cranberry, etc or water)

Procedure:
Coat chops in the vegetable oil and lightly season with seasoned salt. Arrange in large baking dish and bake in 350¢ª oven for 40-60 minutes until the internal temperature deep in the stuffing reaches 165¢ª.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze by adding all the ingredients in a small saucepan and warming over medium low heat - mix well to combine.

Serve chops drizzled with peach glaze and sides of your choice. Serves 4

*if you don't have apple pie spice, mix 2 parts cinnamon, one part allspice, one part nutmeg to make the 1/4 tsp. 

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team

Ingredients:
1 3-5 Lb Porketta Roast
1 Large Onion

Procedure:
Peel the onion and slice into 1/4" discs. Line the bottom of a dutch oven with the onion slices and top with the porketta roast. Cover, and cook in a 350¢ª oven for 30-45 minutes per pound until the internal temperature reaches 165-170¢ª or juices run clear. 
Remove the roast from the dutch oven and allow to rest on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil for 10-15 minutes. Remove netting, and slice. Serve with its own natural drippings an cooked onions.
Serves 5-6

What is a Porketta?
You might find yourself asking, what exactly is this Italian Porketta roast and what makes it so good? The Porketta roast starts out as a boston cut pork shoulder, one of the juiciest and most flavorful cuts of pork. The roast is deboned, excess fat is removed and it is butterflied in preparation for the spice blend. This is where the magic happens. Our craftsmen apply Central's secret spice rub, to all sides of the meat; a delicious Italian blend that has been improved and refined for years. Our Porketta spice blend is one of Central's most coveted and sought after secrets. One taste of the Porketta roast and you'll know why: a flavor explosion that is sure to become a new family favorite! Finally, the roast is hand tied in netting and ready for your oven. 


Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team