Baby back ribs

By: Samantha Evans, Shauna Guinn
From: The Hang Fire Cookbook
Serves: 4

Taken from the very top loin section of the pig’s ribcage, baby backs have shorter, curvier bones with plenty of meat on them. Usually, you’ll get a whole rack of babies per serving, leaving behind a rather impressive little boneyard, along with sticky faces and hands. We like these on the sweeter, stickier side, glazed with a rich Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce or our Blackberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
4	whole racks baby back pork ribs
3 tablespoons	olive oil or american mustard
8 tablespoons	Hang Fire almost all-purpose rub
300g	Maple bourbon barbecue sauce
or 300g	Blackberry chipotle barbecue sauce

For the basting mixture

Quantity	Ingredient
150ml	fresh apple juice
150ml	cider vinegar
4 tablespoons	softened unsalted butter
4 tablespoons	soft light brown sugar

Method

First remove the rib membrane from the back of each rib. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil or a squirt of American mustard on each side of the ribs and rub in. Dust the rub onto the surface and underneath on the bone side of the ribs, coating the edges. Be careful not to rub too vigorously otherwise you’ll clog the pores that need to be open to absorb smoke. Pop in the fridge for 1 hour.
When you’re ready to cook the ribs, set up your grill for indirect heat, and maintain a consistent temperature around 108°C. Place your ribs in the smoker, curve of the bone facing down. If you’re using a rack to smoke your ribs in. Depending on the meatiness of the ribs, you’re looking at a 6-hour smoke.
After 3 hours, a decent bark should have formed and you can wrap the ribs up in foil boats. Place a rack of ribs in the centre of two sheets of foil large enough to wrap over the top (the double layer prevents the bones from poking through). Make a little lip all round, turning the foil up at the edges. Mix together the apple juice and vinegar and divide between the foil boats. Distribute the butter on top of the ribs and sprinkle with brown sugar. Wrap up tightly and crimp the edges. Return to the smoker for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the ribs from the foil and discard the foil and the liquid. The steaming stage will have tenderised the meat and the end bones should be showing through nicely. Return the ribs to the smoker for another hour. Warm the barbecue sauce with a knob of butter, over low heat until, the butter has melted. Don’t let it boil or bubble. Glaze the ribs twice all over during their final hour of cooking.
Your ribs should be done by the 6-hour mark. When they come out of the smoker, brush them liberally with the sauce then let them rest for 5–10 minutes. Carve evenly between the bones to serve.