Slow-Smoked. Hand-Crafted.

Active cook 3½–5 hours · Prep overnight

Ingredients

• St. Louis spare ribs or baby back ribs
• Yellow mustard (binder)
• Rib rub — we recommend our Redline Rib Rub
• Apple cider vinegar (for spritz)
• Unsalted butter
• Brown sugar
• BBQ sauce — we recommend Pitmaster’s Sweet Bite

Equipment

• Smoker, maintained at 250°F
• Meat hook (for hanging on a drum smoker)
• Aluminum foil
• Spray bottle

Method

1. Trim the rack if needed. Leave the membrane on or remove it — either works.
2. Night before: coat lightly with yellow mustard as a binder. Season generously with rib rub on all sides. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. Fire the smoker to 250°F. On a drum smoker without a heat deflector, remove the deflector and hang each rack from a hook through the first bone at the wide end, suspended directly over the coals. With a heat deflector or on an offset, set the ribs directly on the grate.
4. Smoke for 2 hours, spritzing with apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes. If hanging, rotate the racks counter-clockwise each spritz; on the grate, skip rotation.
5. At the 2-hour mark, internal temp should read 170–175°F. Remove the ribs. Reinstall the heat deflector and grate if you were cooking hung.
6. Wrap each rack in foil with pats of butter, a light sprinkle of brown sugar, and an extra hit of rib rub on top and bottom. Return to the smoker on the grate.
7. After 1 hour, check temperature. Begin probing for tenderness around 200°F.
8. Unwrap, brush with BBQ sauce, and return to the smoker for 15–20 minutes to set the glaze.
9. Rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Watch the full cook on YouTube.

Yields about 2 cups of sauce.

Base

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp white sugar or honey
• 1 tbsp molasses

Savory Layer

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Heat

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1. Combine everything in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring just to a light simmer — don’t boil hard.
3. Reduce heat and simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring often.
4. Let cool — it thickens a lot as it rests.

Yields about 1¼ cups of rub.

Salt & Pepper

• 3/4 cup + 2 tsp 16 mesh coarse pepper
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp kosher salt

Savory Base

• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 tbsp granulated onion
• 1 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp scant MSG
• 1 1/4 tsp beef bouillon powder

Color & Smoke

• 2 tbsp + 2 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp brown sugar

Heat & Depth

• 2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
2. Break up any clumps in the garlic, onion, and bouillon.
3. Store in an airtight shaker bottle.
4. Let the rub sit overnight before using for best flavor integration.

Yields about 1¼ cups of rub.

Sweet Base

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar

Color & Smoke

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika

Savory Backbone

• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp MSG
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder

Heat & Depth

• 2 tsp coarse black pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

Method

1. Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
2. Break up any brown sugar clumps.
3. Store in an airtight shaker bottle.
4. Let the rub sit overnight before using for best flavor integration.