The tang of the seasoning and sauce hit your tongue as the juicy meat falls right off the bone. The secret to succulent ribs is perfecting time and temperature. The following tips should help you achieve BBQ rib bliss!
- Don’t use barbecue sauce during cooking. Use a mop instead to keep your ribs moist. Make a simple mop by adding 2 tablespoons of Hi Mountain Rib Rub to one cup of apple cider vinegar or beer. Using a small brush, “mop”this on the ribs several times during smoking or use a clean spray bottle to spray it on the meat.
- Remove the membrane off the back side of the ribs before applying the dry rub. There is some debate as to whether or not you need to remove this, but most competitive BBQ teams swear by this technique.
- Coat your ribs with a thin layer of olive oil, vinegar, honey or Worcestershire before adding the rub. The coating helps the dry rub stick to the ribs. More rub means more flavor.
- Liberally season your slathered ribs with the Rib Rub. Use about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat. Shake the dry rub onto the ribs and rub it into the meat with your hands, evenly coating both sides.
- Rub the ribs the night before smoking and keep them in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove the ribs from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before smoking, allowing the ribs warm to room temperature before putting them in the smoker.
- Preheat smoker to 255 degrees F. Use an oven thermometer for a more accurate read by placing it on the rack with the ribs. Some smoker thermometers show a higher temperature than the actual temperature.
- Cook ribs until the thickest part of the rib is at least 160ºF.
