Needed: Your best Baby Back rib recipe

Wonka · April 2008

Hi all. I'm cooking baby backs for the first time on the egg Sunday. I've done them often on the ol' Weber, but need advice on the best egg recipe. I usually buy a cryo-pack at Sam's Club and do some with just rub or S&P (for me) and some with S&P and finishing sauce (for my wife). I'm on an XL Egg. Thanks!

Richard Fl · April 2008

This works for me.

2007/05/27:
1 Started this rib info sheet and have added to it as I get other ideas. RPH
2 I like to set the large BGE, for baby backs, indirect, plate setter, legs up, drip pan w/water, 1 inch deep, "V" rack inverted. 250F apple wood and pecan chips both dry wood. Let cook 3 hours and then every 1/2 hour or so, sprayed w/ 6 parts apple juice and 1 part apple cider vinegar. After 4 hours lightly covered w/ bbq sauce diluted 2-1 w/water just for some flavor.
3 Figured out a few years back that foil was just to messy for my tastes, but will use it sometimes. Sometimes I will use orange juice and bbq sauce to keep moist, but you got to like sweet for this one. Will pull about 5 1/2-6 hours and cover w/foil on counter until ready to eat a few hours latter. Serve with whatever sauce each likes.
4 As a senior citizen, most of our friends are past the hot spicy phase in life, save that for Chubby and his crew. Usually rub with a mixture of 2 parts crushed red pepper fine, 1 part fine salt and 1 part fine black pepper and into refrigerator.
Update: 2007/08/25:
1 I like to rub them the night before with whatever rub I am in the mood for. Set up large, indirect with a drip pan of water at 250F with a vertical holder. Cut 3-4 slabs in half and set in the rack. After about 3 hours spritz with orange juice when in a sweet mood, Soy and water when in an oriental one, apple juice and water or worchestershire when in a different mood. Spritz every 30 minutes or so. I do not remove and wrap in foil as many do, just decided a few years back that it was to much hassle, probably too messy. Sometimes I will sauce the last 45 minutes and some times will just take off after 5-6 hours and let everyone sauce themselves. Some like hot sauce, vinegar, or mustard etc. Depending on the crowd.

BENTE · April 2008

this is what i do:

Pork, Baby Back, Car Wash Mike

As done at 2006 Eggtoberfest! Let me start by saying that this technique is not new or original. There are many like it, so don't think I have this special process.I also cook over 100 slabs of baby backs a year for friends, family and myself. It takes time and patience. Don't give up. I truly baby, my baby backs.

Ingredients
baby backs
Dizzy Dust Original
Cherry or Apple Wood Chunks
apple juice
apple cider vinegar (blended with water for 5% acidity)

Procedure
1 I use baby backs exclusively.
2 Remove the membrane, rub bone side with Dizzy Dust Original.
3 Turn the ribs over, apply mustard, rubbing it in, then apply Dizzy Pig Original covering every part of the ribs. I don't rub in.
4 I like the ribs to set in a covered dish in the fridge for 4-5 hours before cooking.
5 Get the egg up to 275. Put the Plate Setter in with Cherry or Apple Wood Chunks. About 3 nice size ones. Near the middle of the fire where they can start smoking but not all at once.
6 Use a large drip pan inside the Plate Setter with foil. The pan I use had the corners bent in to fit.
7 The egg will drop in temp. That is okay. Open both vents. Get egg stabilized at 215-225. I like to spritz with 50/50 apple juice - apple cider vinegar (blended with water for 5% acidity) every hour or 45 minutes. Lightly.
8 Make sure no ribs are hanging over the plate setter. I cut them off and put them on top of the rib rack. These smaller pieces will cook quicker and give you a chance to sample what you are cooking.
9 I rotate ribs to make sure they are cooking evenly and always make sure there is plenty of air flow between each slab.
10 After 3 ½ hours if the temp is not up to 275 go ahead and open the vents a little.
11 After 4 ½ hours start really paying attention not to over cook. I hold a slab in my hands, if it folds in half easily they are ready to sauce.
12 I pull off all the ribs. Coat with Blues Hog (make sure it has been refridgerated). Put the ribs back on bone side down so the sauce can stick to the ribs. Leave on for 20+/- minutes. Pull off, slice and enjoy.

Recipe Type
Main Dish, Meat

Recipe Source
Author: CarWashMike (Mike McKernan)

Source: BGE Eggtoberfest '06, Car Wash Mike, 10/21/06

Davekatz · April 2008

This is my approach:
http://getyourgrillon.net/2008/03/20/baby-back-ribs/

The 3-2-1 or 3-1-1 method where the ribs are wrapped in foil for the middle part of the cook also works well.

The nice thing with baby backs is that as long as you can give the ribs 5+ hours of low and slow heat it's hard to make a bad batch.

Happy Egging,

Dave

Wonka · April 2008

So it looks like neither of you are shooting for an internal temperature, but more of a time/texture combo? How much does the meat retract, leaving the bones sticking out?

Looks like I need to buy a spray bottle to add to my grill tools!

Thanks for those recipes, and I'd love to see others!

citychicken · April 2008

a drip pan (presumably large enough to handle the ribs) with an inch of water and the platesetter, how long does it take you to get your egg to 250 dome temps?

just curious, 'cause i tried this setup last weekend. it seemed to take the egg 40 minutes to get to a dome of 250. in addition, i had to have the lower vent wide open and the daisy off the top.

btw, mine is a large egg.

Wonka · April 2008

Great link and recipe, Dave. Thanks!

Would trying to cook them in 3 hours at a higher temp nuke them too badly?

Davekatz · April 2008

You can do them hotter and faster. You can even do them direct. But you gotta stay on top of them - flipping and mopping every 30 minutes or so. You won't get a fall-off-the-bone texture, but that's not always a bad thing, just a different taste.

What you're trying to do is convert the tough collagen in the meat into melty gelatin. That means the meat has to get past the 160 degree internal temp mark. The slower you can make that happen, the more tender the ribs will generally be.

If you're going for just 3 hours at say 300, I'd try wrapping in foil for at least part of the cook.

Dave

Sundown · April 2008

These are among the top recipes I've done. A little extra work but well worth it.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/recipes/pork/pork0081.htm

fishlessman · April 2008

do black mustard seeds make much of a difference over yellow. for some reason i remember she used to cook them around 300 dome

Dan in StL · April 2008

I did my first Sam's 3-pack on my Egg last Sunday and they were great. Followed the Car Wash Mike method, for the most part. Before I had my egg and was on a Weber charcoal, I used to go 3-1-1 and wrap them up in foil on the middle step. I was happy to learn that on the Egg, I don't think the foil is really necessary. As long as you keep your temp under control and moisture in the Egg (either by misting the ribs, or keeping liquid in the drip pan), they will be tender and shouldn't dry out. I also took the membrane off and got them all rubbed up about 24 hours in advance. I think that really helped the flavor.

Good luck and let us know how they turn out.

Dan in STL

Eggtucky · April 2008

This is not a 'recipe' more of a process. It's a lil messy too, but have had very successful ribs from it. Usually the night before, I remove the membrane and put ribs in a large pan and douse with Italian dressing and refrig overnight. Next day just before egging, I wipe them down with a paper towel, then rub them down with any regular old yeller mustard then add whatever rub you like. I've used Earl Ward's Butt Rub, John Henry Pecan, John Henry Hot Pecan, DP Redeye, Byrons butt rub, any you like. With the egg stable at 250 or so indirect and having added wood chunks, hickory/oak, apple/pecan, whatever you like about 30 mins earlier is place on inverted V rack for around 3 hrs. I don't lift the lid, I don't peek at them. After 3 hrs, I check and if meat has pulled back from bone ends good, I pull them off and foil with apple juice and back on the egg for an hour. At the end of that hour, remove foil, back on the egg and mop if you like with sauce and cook direct for 1 hour. (You can look at them regular at this point and turn to keep sauce and sugars from burning). After this hour, pull, serve whole or cut slices or partial after 5-10 mins rest. This is only one version of the many methods referred to as the 3-1-1 method. By the way, dont recall if you said baby backs or not. I only do baby backs so cant vouch for any of this on other rib cuts. Enjoy! :woohoo:

Nature Boy · April 2008

Howdy Fishless. I use brown mustard seeds, and I think there is a big difference over yellow. That said, I am sure yellow would be fine in this recipe. But brown or black (if you can find them) would be best.

When I have seen her cook these (and cooked them myself) it has been done as written. She cooks the ribs direct over the coals, and 300 would be too hot.

Man, it's been years since I did these and it's time to do them again! The results are very special and unique.

Thanks for posting that again Sundown.
Beers yall.
Chris

Sundown · April 2008

Like the juniper berry taste - subtle - everyone around here loved them and I did them just as the recipe called for. I seem to recall cooking them at 250º (dome of course)

fishlessman · April 2008

i think i have it confused with jslots technique which was in the 300's indirect. ill look and see if i can get the darker seeds and do them this weekend.

Nature Boy · April 2008

If you can't get them, lemme know and I'll zip some out to you. Pretty sure I have about 20 pounds right now ;-)

Just gimme a shout if you need.
Beersmang!

Chris

fishlessman · April 2008

im going to be giving you an order , probably next week for some rubs, just about have nothing left right now, need to stock up for the summer. if you see it, toss some in, i would appreciate it.

Jeffersonian · April 2008

I've experimented with rubs, time and injections. The best I've come up with so far is a 3-1-1 using:

* John Henry's Pecan Rub over yellow mustard
* Cherry wood for smoke
* Sweet Baby Ray's Original sauce.

Wonka · April 2008

Thanks for all the help, everyone! I'll post pics as usual, though I think we're gonna move it from Sunday night to Monday so I have more time to cook them.

Needed: Your best Baby Back rib recipe

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