The Best Way To Cook Baby Back Ribs, According To A Grillmaster

You might like to order baby back ribs at your favorite barbecue joint or local smokehouse, but it's also an ideal dish to cook at home for a cookout or dinner party. There are reasons why baby back ribs are so popular, and it has to do with how tender the meat comes out in a reasonable amount of time. To obtain that tenderness, you might slow cook baby back ribs in the oven or on the grill, but Robbie Shoults, a celebrity chef, third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse, owner of Marshall Mercantile and High Horse, and founder of Bear Rubz Grillin' Spices, has another idea for you to try next time.

"My favorite way to cook these ribs is on a smoker at 250 to 275 [degrees Fahrenheit] for approximately four hours," Shoults says. "I usually give them a light coat of our Bear Creek Brisket and Rib Rub and put them right on a smoker loaded up with hickory or pecan wood." In addition to Shoults' recommendations, oak, mesquite, and maple wood chips also work for baby back ribs and other varieties of pork ribs too.

There are a couple of reasons why smoking baby back ribs can be a better option compared to baking or grilling. For starters, smoking the meat will infuse it with more flavor from the wood chips and smoke rings that surround the meat. Smoking the ribs also gives the lean cut of meat sufficient time to break down and become tender without becoming dry. There are different methods for smoking baby back ribs that can make the meat ready to eat in between three and six hours. No matter what method you go with, it's important to know when they're ready to eat. "You will know they are ready when the meat begins to pull away and expose the ends of the rib bones," says Robbie Shoults.

We're sure the Bear Creek Brisket and Rib Rub mentioned by Shoults is delicious, but we have other options to season the meat if you don't have a jar on hand. Check out Tasting Table's baked and grilled baby back pork ribs recipe for a rub that uses a blend of household spices like garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. And if you prefer a glaze over a dry rub, follow the steps for the glaze in this cider and chili-glazed baby back ribs recipe to try out your smoking skills at home.