Robbie's Smoked Ribs

From backyard BBQs to Superbowl Bowl Sunday smoked ribs have made our mouths water at all these events for years. There are competitions all over the country where pit masters spend hours sitting by the smoker, controlling the temperature, and watching the clock to make the perfect slab of ribs. Weekend warriors and backyard chefs have been chasing that perfection for decades. 

While I am no pit master and wouldn't call myself a chef, I have learned to make a decent slab of ribs. Sure, they probably wouldn't stand the scrutiny of a competition judge, but my friends have enjoyed them. Every weekend warrior will argue that they have the best rib seasoning; for me, I enjoy a seasoning recipe that was given to me by my good friend Robbie Eckert. This isn't a made-from-scratch seasoning, where each ingredient is carefully measured; no, this mixture combines two premade seasonings and brown sugar. 

To make this seasoning and prep the meat:

1. Combine Grill Mates Sweet and Smokey Rub and Grill Mates Applewood Rub into a 50/50 mixture.

2. After you remove the thin layer of the peritoneum from the back of the ribs, rub both sides of the meat and let it sit for thirty minutes.

3. After the seasoning has had time to become slightly tacky, rub both sides of the ribs with brown sugar.

4. Place them into a vacuum-sealed bag, and put them in the fridge overnight to marinate. 

   
   

The cooking method I like to use for ribs is the 3,2,1 method. This method consists of cooking the ribs at 225 degrees for 3 hours, then wrapping them in aluminum foil with three tablespoons of butter, and a splash of apple cider vinegar, lightly coating them with more brown sugar and cooking them for another two hours. After two hours:

• Remove the ribs from the foil.

• Brush on your favorite BBQ sauce; I prefer the Kinders Roasted Garlic or Sweet Baby Rays Original.

• Put them back on the smoker to cook for another hour.

  
  
  

  

  

  

  

  
  
  

Once the time is up, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and place them in a cooler with towels for a minimum of thirty minutes to rest before cutting the ribs into individual pieces to serve. 

This method should give you ribs that you can easily cut without falling apart, but you can still pull the meat cleanly off the bone. If you are looking for confirmation that you have cooked the ribs properly, you will see the meat pulling away from the ends of the bone after the two hours in foil; if they have not, then let them continue to cook in the foil for another hour, before brushing on the BBQ sauce. 

It will soon be time to pull out the smoker, fill up the cooler, and get those 90's country hits jamming for fun weekends in the sun. Your neighbors will be begging you to invite them over when the smell of these ribs hits their noses this summer. Whether new to smoking meat, or a seasoned professional, this recipe will surely be a hit at your next backyard BBQ. 

Robbie's Ribs.pdf

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Written by Rick Stewart