The Amateur’s Professional Ribs
By: Erin Lakamp
As the weather is warming up, it is time to take the cover off and dust off that smoker. There is nothing better than taking a lazy weekend to smoke meat. What’s one of the best things to start with? Ribs, of course! My father is not a professional smoker, nor does he do it often enough to be really good at it. However, he has perfected the ribs. They are so good that for about two months every weekend my family was having ribs and potatoes every Saturday night. My friends have even started asking him to smoke ribs for them. So naturally, I am sharing the recipe with everyone else who is looking for a smoked rib recipe that will be the hit of the barbeque this year.
1. First make sure the ribs are fully thawed and the membrane has been removed, if the membrane is still intact that’s okay just cut it off but be gentle not to ruin any of the meat. (If you’re using R Family Farms’ ribs, the membranes are already removed - so you don’t have to worry about that step!)
2. After the membrane is gone, time to prep! I think the official slogan for smoking is: low and slow. That’s exactly what will be happening, set the smoker with your favorite wood chips at 250 degrees.
3. We like to put the ribs in disposable pans, but use any pan you want. Grab the yellow mustard, no need to get fancy, the mustard isn’t to add flavor, just to help the seasoning stick. Put a thin layer all over the ribs, and if you think you used too much, you probably did. (In other words, keep it on the lighter side!) Then add any dry rub of your choice, but I recommend the Country Prairie Dust Seasoning found on our website. DON’T BE SHY, definitely put some more on there. Let them rest on the counter for 1 hour.
4. After the hour of rest, put those delicious ribs in the smoker just straight on the rack for 3 hours.
5. Now they are ready for the good stuff. Take the ribs out and be careful they are hot! Wrap each rack in tin foil with meat side down on ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, and 2 tablespoons butter. Then it is back to the smoker all wrapped in foil for two more hours.
6. This part you have to be careful of because at this point the ribs smell so good, your neighbors will be knocking on your door for a bite. But the ribs have to sit for 20 minutes out of the smoker still wrapped in foil.
7. Finally unwrap them, grab a pan to sit the ribs in, and add your favorite sauce. They go back in the smoker in the pan one last time for 1 hour. During this hour, we like to get our sides out and cooking, because as soon as that hour is up, you will be ready to dig into those fall off the bone ribs.
I will warn you that you must handle the ribs with care coming out of the smoker because they will in fact fall apart, so always have your pan ready. Are you ready to try it? Head to our online store and grab a rack, or four, of our high-quality Baby Back Ribs, Spare Ribs, or even our Country Style Ribs to test your hand at this rib recipe.