Perfect Ribs

SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 minutes | COOK TIME: 5 hours (smoker) or 2 hours (oven) or 8 hours (slow cooker)

Ingredients

For the BBQ rub

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried ground oregano

2 teaspoons ground white pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the ribs

8 pounds (3.6 kg) baby back ribs

¼ cup (60 ml) yellow mustard

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) apple juice

Blueberry BBQ Sauce (see here), for serving

Process

1. Combine all the spices for the BBQ rub in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Remove the membrane from the ribs. This is the thin skin on the bone or concave side of the rack. To remove it, insert a table knife under the membrane along the bone end and slide it back and forth to loosen the membrane. Grab the slippery membrane with a paper towel and lift it off.
3. Rinse the ribs under cold water and pat dry. Place on a clean work surface and lightly coat each rack of ribs, top and bottom, with the yellow mustard (this will be the seasoning glue). Generously season the ribs on the top and bottom with the BBQ rub, covering the entire surface of the meat with the seasoning. At this point, you can cover the ribs and place them in the refrigerator to let those flavors penetrate the meat for 4 to 24 hours, or you can cook them right away.
4. Mix together the olive oil and apple juice and set aside. This will be used to baste the ribs while cooking.
   Smoker Method
5. Preheat the smoker to 200°F (95°C) and try to maintain that temperature.
6. Place the ribs, bone side down, in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours. Once 3 hours have elapsed, remove the ribs from the smoker and individually wrap each rack of ribs with aluminum foil.
7. Before closing the foil, generously apply the olive oil and apple juice mixture to each rack of ribs. Seal the foil so that no liquid leaks out. Place the ribs back in the smoker and let cook for another 2 hours.
8. Remove from the smoker and let the ribs rest for about 10 minutes. Remove from the foil, slice the ribs, and serve with the Blueberry BBQ Sauce.
   Oven Method
9. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and then place a wire rack on top of the sheet. Lay the ribs on the rack in a single layer, meaty side up.
10. Turn on the broiler to high and place the ribs a few inches below the broiler for 5 minutes to brown the meaty side.
11. Set the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and move the ribs to the middle rack of the oven. Cook the ribs for 1 hour.
12. Remove the ribs from the oven, wrap each rack individually with aluminum foil, and generously apply the olive oil and apple juice mixture to each rack before sealing the aluminum foil.
13. Place the ribs back in the oven to finish cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and let them rest for about 10 minutes, covered. Uncover, slice the ribs, and serve with the Blueberry BBQ Sauce.
    Slow Cooker Method
14. Place the ribs in a slow cooker. Drizzle the olive oil and apple juice mixture over the top of all the ribs. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
15. Once done, gently remove the ribs from the slow cooker and place on an aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil under a broiler set to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes to brown the ribs. Remove from the oven, slice the ribs, and serve with Blueberry BBQ Sauce.