Smoked Baby Back Ribs
These smoked baby back ribs run hot and fast instead of low and slow. Chipotle seasoning, applewood, 275 to 300, and the membrane stays on. Wrapped with butter, brown sugar and apple juice for forty five minutes, then glazed with honey BBQ until it sets. Roasted chipotle corn on the side.
Leave the Membrane On
Every rib recipe you’ve read tells you to pull the membrane off. I score mine and leave it.
The reason people remove it is that it doesn’t render at low and slow temperatures. At 225 for six hours it stays exactly what it was, a tough sheet on the bone side that won’t bite through and blocks smoke and seasoning from getting in.
Cook hot and fast and that stops being true. At 275 to 300 the membrane renders down and crisps up, and scoring it first gives the heat a way in and lets it break apart instead of staying whole. What you get is crispy and bite-through rather than chewy.
It also protects the ribs during the cook, holding moisture on the bone side while the top takes the heat.
Score it, don’t skip it. Run a knife across the membrane in a crosshatch without cutting into the meat. If you’d rather pull it off entirely, that works too. This is just how I do it.
What Goes Into Smoked Baby Back Ribs
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Baby back ribs | Two racks. |
| Chipotle seasoning | Store bought, or any BBQ seasoning you like. |
| Butter | Four tablespoons, into the wrap. |
| Brown sugar | A quarter cup, into the wrap. |
| Apple juice | A quarter cup, into the wrap. |
| Honey BBQ sauce | For the glaze. Mine was store bought. |
| Applewood | Cherry works too, they’re both my favorites, but applewood is what I used here. |
| Corn | Four ears, cut into thirds or quarters. |
| Olive oil and butter | Binder for the corn, butter to toss it in after. |
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
How I Smoked the Ribs
I scored the membrane on the back of each rack.
I seasoned both sides generously with chipotle seasoning.
I let them sit while the smoker came up to temperature, which gives the seasoning time to work into the meat.
I got the smoker running with applewood and put the ribs on.
I left them until the bark was set and the color looked right, usually around 175.
I laid out heavy foil and put each rack meat side down, bone side up.
I put four pats of butter, brown sugar and apple juice on the bone side and wrapped it tight.
I put them back on for about forty five minutes.
I checked them with the bend test.
I took them out of the foil, glazed them with honey BBQ, and put them back on until the sauce set.
I let them rest, then flipped them bone side up and cut between the bones.
Times and temps are all in the recipe card.
The Bend Test
Ribs aren’t done at a temperature. They’re done when they’re done, and the way you tell is by picking them up.
Get your tongs under the rack about halfway along and lift. A rack that’s ready will bend and go floppy, and the meat on top will start to crack slightly along the surface as it bends. That cracking is the whole tell.
Too firm and it holds its shape without bending. Wrap it back up and give it more time.
The 175 number earlier is for when to wrap, not when to pull, and even that’s a guideline. Go by the bark and the color for the wrap, and the bend for the finish. Neither one is a thermometer decision.
Meat Side Down in the Wrap
The rack goes into the foil meat side down, bone side facing up, and the butter, brown sugar and apple juice all go on top of the bone side.
That puts the liquid above the meat, so as it melts it runs down through the rack rather than pooling under it. Everything ends up working its way around the ribs inside a sealed package instead of sitting in a puddle at the bottom.
Wrap it tight. A loose package lets the steam escape and you lose the braise that makes the forty five minutes work.
The Roasted Corn
I cut the ears into thirds and put the pieces in a bowl of water until I was ready for them.
I drained them, hit them with a little olive oil as a binder, and seasoned them with the same chipotle seasoning.
Start the corn while the glaze is setting on the ribs.
I roasted them about fifteen minutes, turning them so they charred on all sides.
I pulled them off and tossed them in butter while they were still hot.
Author’s Notes
It’s Gonna Be Bite Through
About the membrane, if you leave it on and cook it pretty hot, then it’s gonna get nice and crispy. It’s gonna render out, it’s gonna be bite through.
Serve them with a side of barbecue sauce, with the corn and any other of your favorite sides. Barbecue beans, mac and cheese, or a salad.
This is perfect for a weekend, or even for game day.
Miguel
Miguel’s Tips
- Score the membrane, leave it on. Hot and fast is what makes that work.
- Bark and color tell you when to wrap. Not the thermometer.
- Meat side down in the foil. Liquid goes on the bone side.
- Bend test, not temperature. Floppy with the meat cracking.
- Set the glaze, don’t cook it. Just long enough to go tacky.
- Corn in water until you’re ready. Then oil, then seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not 3-2-1?
3-2-1 is low and slow and it works. This is a different approach, hotter and much faster, and it’s what lets the membrane render instead of staying tough.
Should I pull the membrane instead?
You can and plenty of people do. At this temperature scoring and leaving it gets you a crispy bite-through layer, so I don’t.
What if the ribs aren’t tender at forty five minutes?
Wrap them back up and keep going. The bend test is the only thing that decides it, not the clock.
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Hot and Fast Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Score the membrane on the back of each rack in a crosshatch, without cutting into the meat. Leave it on. At this temperature it renders down and crisps up. Remove it entirely if you prefer.
- Season both sides of the ribs generously with chipotle seasoning. Let them sit while the smoker comes up to temperature so the seasoning works into the meat.
- Preheat your smoker to 275°F to 300°F with applewood. Place the ribs on and cook until the bark is set and the color looks right, usually around 175°F internal. Go by bark and color rather than the number.
- Lay out a large sheet of heavy duty foil. Place each rack meat side down, bone side facing up.
- Put 4 pats of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup apple juice on top of the bone side. Wrap tightly and seal well, so the steam stays in and the ribs braise.
- Return to the smoker for approximately 45 minutes.
- Open the foil and check with the bend test. Pick the rack up with tongs about halfway along. If it bends easily, goes floppy, and the meat starts to crack slightly along the surface, it is ready. If it holds its shape, wrap it back up and keep going.
- Remove the ribs from the foil and brush generously with honey BBQ sauce. Return them uncovered just long enough for the sauce to set into a sticky glaze.
- Start the corn while the glaze is setting. Drain the cut corn, toss with olive oil and chipotle seasoning, and roast about 15 minutes, turning occasionally until charred to your liking. Toss with butter while still hot.
- Rest the ribs 5 to 10 minutes, then flip them bone side up and cut between each bone. Serve with the corn and extra BBQ sauce on the side.
