3 Flavorings for Baby Back Ribs

These are my three favorite items to mix up for smoking baby back ribs. Your end results depends greatly on your preparation so take your time and do it right. I am going to give you the process I use for ribs then the three flavorings I use during smoking.

Preparation Process
Rinse the ribs off and lay out on paper towels bone side up. Pat dry and then remove the thin white membrane from the ribs. I try and start at one end and then with a paper towel as my grip, peel the membrane off. This allows the heat and smoke to penetrate through the ribs.

Flip the ribs over and if you are using a rib rack, cut the ribs into 6 inch sections. Place the ribs meat side up in your smoking pan and liberally apply your rub covering to the sides as well. Now transfer your rib sections to the rib rack for smoking.

Lightly apply your mop sauce over the tops of the ribs. You are now ready to start smoking. I usually smoke for 3-4 hours at 250-275 F.



Chef Rico's 3 Flavorings

The Rub
Ingredients

• 2 tbsp- kosher salt
• 2 tbsp - paprika
• 2 tbsp - ground cumin 
• 1 tbsp- chile powder

Mix this together well until it is blended and one color.
The BBQ Sauce 

• I use Stubbs Barbeque sauce for everything

Mopping sauce
Ingredients

• 1 cup - Apple cider vinegar 
• 2 tbsp - of your rub

Mix this well until blended

Smoking Process
Get your fire started and smoking at 200-250 F
First Hour - just smoke
Second Hour - add charcoal and wood as needed and mop sauce the ribs
Third Hour - add charcoal and wood as needed and add wood and mop sauce the ribs
Forth Hour - add charcoal and wood as needed and cover ribs in BBQ sauce

Comments? Suggestions?

Mesquite Smoked Beans

Simple to make and simply delicious to eat!  This dish is a great compliment to barbecue ribs, brisket or chicken and goes great with Chef Rico's Texas Potato Salad. You don't need a lot of seasoning for this since most the flavor comes from the mesquite wood smoke you use for smoking your. So next time you fire up the smoker, make some room for Mesquite Smoked Beans.



This recipe serves 8

Ingredients

• 2- 19oz cans of Ranch Style Beans or similar
• 1/4 c- brown sugar
• 1/4 c- white onion
• 1/2 c - Stubbs Mesquite BBQ Sauce
• 3 strips- thick sliced bacon 
• 1tsp - pepper

Preparation

I use a black iron skillet just for this purpose. If you don't have one, I suggest you buy one for smoking and cooking on the grill.

1. Pour the two cans of beans in the iron skillet (flavored beans optional)
2. Add in the brown sugar and stir in
3. Chop the white onion medium size and stir in well
4. Add Stubbs BBQ sauce and stir (that's just my favorite)
5. Cut the bacon into small pieces about 1/4 wide and stir in
6. Add pepper

Place the iron skillet at the end farthest from the fire box on your smoker about 2 hours before your meat is done. The mixture will become dark and thick and that is what you want. Stir occasionally when checking your meat. Add this to my Texas Potato Salad and you will have a hit on your hands.

Comments? Suggestions?