If you have a traeger and love smoked meats, you are also going to want to try my Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Smoked Spatchcock Chicken, and Texas Smoked Brisket! I originally posted these smoked baby back ribs way back in the summer of 2017! It was high time I updated the post with new pictures and step-by-step photos to show you how we make these award-winning ribs! Everybody goes crazy for these ribs and they are one of our kids favorite things ever!
Sweet & Spicy Baby Back Ribs
With the weather finally warming up, it’s time to start cooking outside again, don’t you think? For us, that means lots of delicious smoked meat, especially Paul’s favorite: baby back ribs! We love our Traeger smoker that Paul got for Father’s Day a few years ago and we use it often to makes these incredible brown sugar & honey smoked baby back ribs, as well as the most amazing smoked turkey ever. (Seriously, that turkey is SO GOOD that we make it year round, not just at Thanksgiving). We also do chicken, tri-tip, salmon, and brisket in the smoker because not only does everything come out super flavorful, but it’s also an incredibly easy method of cooking where you pretty much just get the grill up to temperature, then put your meat on and leave it alone for a few hours until it’s done. I think of it like an outdoor, smoky version of a slow cooker where you set it and forget it!
Texas relatives mean you learn to love real BBQ
My Uncle Richard, along with most of the rest of my dad’s side of the family, is from Texas. He is the one who introduced us to these incredible ribs, that are definitely a bit of a departure from the classic, saucy ribs that most people are used to. Uncle Richard looks so much like my dad that I could swear they were born twins, and he always tells me that he is my favorite uncle, lol. He made these ribs for us one Sunday after church a few years ago when we were visiting at their house. When we got home from our trip, Paul couldn’t stop talking about the ribs Uncle Richard had made. We had hung out with Richard and his wife and kids in the kitchen while dinner was being prepared. He explained smoking to us (this was before we had ever attempted it ourselves) and we watched him prep the ribs for the final part of the smoke. This is where a “gruel” (Uncle Richard’s word – I’m not sure if this is a technical term associated with smoking ribs or not) of brown sugar, honey, and grated butter gets sprinkled over the almost finished ribs, then they get wrapped up in heavy duty foil and placed back on the grill. If it sounds weird to grate butter over ribs or add a touch of sugar and honey to the spice rub, just think about how butter is used to highlight the flavor of good steaks and how many popular BBQ sauces use honey or brown sugar to sweeten them a bit. It may sound strange but it totally works. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but Paul seemed flabbergasted by the process and only weeks later did I realize that Paul had missed some crucial info and was 100% convinced that my uncle had grated cheese, not butter, over the ribs. It wasn’t until he started talking about the “cheesy ribs” and trying to convince me that he had seen cheese on the ribs that I realized his mistake! He totally thought I was pulling his leg when I explained that it was a stick of cold butter that Uncle Richard had been grating directly over the cooked ribs, not swiss cheese. I was laughing until my belly ached over the thought of cheesy ribs and Paul’s confusion. When I was deciding which smoker to buy, Uncle Richard sent me a couple of emails with his recommendations (including the Traeger we ended purchasing) and his tips and tricks for making his amazing ribs. Paul has made them countless times since then and adapted the recipe and technique just a bit. He even entered them in our church congregation’s men’s cookoff where they won 1st place. Prestigious, I know. But really, they are the best ribs ever!
Tips for making Smoked Baby Back Ribs
To trim or not to trim the membrane?
If you can’t find the membrane to trim it, don’t sweat it. It’s a thin, slightly opaque piece of, well, membrane, on the backside of a rack of ribs that some people like to remove before cooking ribs. Many places sell baby back ribs with the membrane already removed for you and chances are, that’s what you bought if you can’t figure out what the heck needs to be trimmed. And even if the membrane is there, there is debate in the ribs world about whether to even bother removing it. Since ribs smoke over a longer period of time, most of the membrane disintegrates anyway. And the bit that is left is actually enjoyed by some people who say that it gives the bottom side of the ribs a bit of a snap when you bite into it, sort of like a the casing around a quality bratwurst. Some say that it helps keep more of the fat on the rib while it’s smoking, resulting in even more tender ribs. Honestly? We don’t trim it. But if you do or think you might want to, I included instructions below.
Foil Wrap (aka Texas Crutch)
We use a foil wrap (sometimes called a Texas Crutch) on these ribs, which helps tenderize the ribs and gives a better texture than if you just smoked the ribs open the entire time. Since we don’t sauce these ribs, doing a foil wrap for the last hour of cooking gives the butter and brown sugar and honey time to combine and time for the meat to tenderize more thanks to the additional moisture that gets trapped in the foil wrap. This results in a super moist, tender rib that doesn’t “need” sauce.
How to tell when baby back ribs are done
Since ribs are tricky to determine doneness using a meat thermometer, there are other tests to know when they are done. One way is when the meat starts pulling away from the bone so you can see the exposed bone tips, you know you are going to be good to go. Our favorite method is to pick up the entire rack of ribs toward one end with a pair of tongs to see if it bends and small cracks form along the top surface of the ribs. One more way to check whether your ribs are done is to insert a toothpick into the meat between the ribs. If it goes in and out easily, your ribs are ready to eat! Just remember that our approach to smoking baby back ribs is not meant to give you “fall off the bone” ribs. Don’t get me wrong–the meat will be super tender and juicy–but your rack of ribs won’t just fall apart when you go to remove it from the grill. If that’s what you are going for, you will want to cook them longer (or just do pulled pork instead!). In case you are wondering about the pink ring around the inside of the meat, it is called a smoke ring and it’s what you want when smoking meat. It’s just the protein’s reaction to the smoke and it means the flavor of your smoked meat is going to be amazing!
How to make smoked baby back ribs
More Smoked & Grilled Meat Recipes You’ll Love
Texas Smoked BrisketSmoked Pork Belly Burnt EndsSmoked Pulled PorkHot Smoked SalmonPerfect Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet BBQ Pork RubHow to Make a Brined & Smoked TurkeySriracha Mayo Marinated Grilled Lamb ChopsGrilled Cilantro Lime Chicken ThighsGrilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
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