Hickory-Smoked Baby Back Ribs

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Two racks of baby backs rubbed with a simple brown sugar spice mix and smoked low and slow over hickory at 250°F, spritzed with apple juice and cider vinegar, then wrapped and finished with a sticky glaze. The meat pulls cleanly from the bone at an internal temperature of 203°F. Nothing fancy, just time and smoke.

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 4 lb / 1.8 kg total)
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp coarse black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

1. Slide a butter knife under the thin white membrane on the bone side of each rack, grip it with a paper towel and peel it off. Pat the ribs dry, then smear a thin coat of yellow mustard over both sides as glue for the rub.
2. Stir the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne together in a bowl. Sprinkle it evenly over both sides of both racks and let the ribs sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while the rub turns damp and tacky.
3. Set up your smoker for 250°F (120°C) with hickory wood — chunks for a charcoal or offset smoker, a full hopper plus hickory pellets or a foil pouch of soaked chips for a pellet or gas smoker. Wait for clean, thin blue smoke before the ribs go on.
4. Lay the racks bone side down directly on the grate, not touching. Mix the apple juice and cider vinegar in a spray bottle or small jug. Smoke for 3 hours, spritzing or brushing the surface every 45 minutes after the first hour. The bark should be deep mahogany and set.
5. Lay each rack meat side down on a double sheet of heavy foil, pour 1/4 cup of the apple juice mixture around each, and wrap tightly. Return to the smoker for 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer slid into the meat between the bones reads 198–203°F (92–95°C) and probes with no resistance.
6. Unwrap carefully (steam is hot), pour off the liquid, and brush the meat side generously with barbecue sauce. Return the racks unwrapped to the smoker for 20 to 30 minutes, until the glaze is tacky and the internal temperature holds at 203°F (95°C).
7. Rest the racks loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes, then slice down between the bones and serve with any remaining sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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