Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Smoked Baby Back Ribs are one of my favorite things to cook outside. They’re perfect for game day, or really any day that ends in “y”! This is one of my wife’s all time favorite things that I make for her so they’re always her birthday request. This recipe is simple and it’ll give you perfect baby back ribs that are juicy, sticky, messy, and delicious! Smoked ribs paired with Cheesy Funeral Potatoes definitely won’t disappoint!
Ingredients
- Baby Back Ribs (I like to buy the 2 pack from Sam’s Club)
- Mustard
- BBQ Rub (I like to use Strawberry’s BBQ Rub)
- 12 oz can of Cherry Coke
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- BBQ Sauce (My favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s Original)
Prepping the Smoked Baby Back Ribs
To start things off remove the ribs from the packaging and place them on a sheet pan or cutting board meat side down. Remove the membrane covering the bone side from your ribs. You can slide a spoon underneath or use a paper towel to make it easier.
Spread some mustard onto the bone side of the ribs to use as a binder for your rub. Generously cover the ribs with your favorite BBQ Rub and pat them down. Next, you’ll just flip the ribs over and repeat these same steps to the other side.
I like to use Strawberry’s BBQ Rub for this recipe, but you can use your favorite BBQ Rub. If you want to check out the Strawberry’s BBQ Rub it is on amazon. This is my amazon affiliate/commission able link. Strawberry’s BBQ Rub is a popular BBQ Rub locally!
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Smoking the Baby Back Ribs
For the sake of time, I like to smoke my ribs on a pellet smoker, but any smoker will do. Just get your smoker preheated to 250 degrees and place the ribs on the top rack. Close the lid and allow them to cook for about an hour and a half without touching them.
After the first hour and a half a bark should start to form on the outside of the ribs and this is when I start to spritz them. Just pour a can of Cherry Coke into a spray bottle and spray the outside of your ribs about every 30 minutes.
Once the ribs have been cooking for about 3 hours we are going to pull them off and wrap them in foil. For this part just grab a sheet pan and lay down two layers of foil.
In the center of the foil place down 3-4 small pats of butter and sprinkle some brown sugar right over the top of your butter. Next, I like to drizzle some honey on top of that brown sugar and add on a sprinkle of BBQ rub.
Once you’ve finished making that cozy bed for your ribs just place them meat side down right over the top of the butter and sugar.
To finish up, just wrap the ribs up tight in both layers of foil and place them back onto the smoker meat side down. We’re going to leave the temperature of the smoker at 250 degrees and let them cook wrapped for an hour.
Finally those delicious smoked baby back ribs are ready to unwrap and get saucy. Just remove them from the foil, brush your favorite BBQ sauce over the top and place them back on the smoker. Let them cook for another 30 minutes to an hour for the sauce to tack up and become nice and sticky!
Serving the Smoked Baby Back Ribs
To serve take the ribs off the smoker and cut them up. I served these Baby Back Ribs with some Cheesy Funeral Potatoes and smoked veggies!
The smoked veggies I kept really simple. I added olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some paprika to the vegetables and stirred well. They smoked until they were nice and tender. You can use any vegetables you have for this. I used broccoli, peppers, red onion, zucchini, and carrots.
If you like this recipe check out some of my favorite side dishes for Smoked Ribs!
- Cheesy Funeral Potatoes
- Broccoli Salad
- Baked Beans
- Green Beans
- Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
- Easy Potato Salad
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- You can use any BBQ Rub and BBQ Sauce you like! I usually use Strawberry’s BBQ Rub and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce.
- My favorite cut of ribs is definitely baby back. I usually buy the two pack at Sam’s Club.
- I spray the ribs while cooking with Cherry Coke. You can also use root beer!
- I like my ribs just shy of “fall off the bone”, but if you want the bones to pull right out cook them covered in the foil for an additional 30 minutes to an hour.
- The ribs are perfectly done for me when they can be picked up with a pair of tongs and bend into a loose arch without breaking the bark.
Equipment
- 1 Smoker
Ingredients
- Baby Back Ribs
- Yellow Mustard
- BBQ Rub – I’m using Strawberry’s
- BBQ Sauce – I’m using Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
- 1 12 oz can Cherry Coke or Root beer
- Pats of Butter
- Brown sugar
- Honey
Instructions
- Remove the membrane from the ribs and cover the ribs in yellow mustard. Season with a BBQ Rub. Add the mustard and bbq rub to both sides of the ribs.
- Cook on a smoker at 250 degrees uncovered for 3 hours. After they’ve been smoking for 1 hour start spraying them with cherry coke in a spray bottle about every 30 minutes for the remaining 2 hours.
- Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil. Add a few pats of butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar, a drizzle of honey, and more BBQ Rub to the foil. Add ribs to the foil meat side down, wrap them up tightly in the foil, and put back on the smoker for 1 more hour meat side down.
- Take ribs out of the foil, brush on BBQ sauce, and put them back on the smoker (without the foil) for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Cut ribs and serve! Enjoy!
- These baby back ribs cooked for a total of about 4 1/2 – 5 hours.
Don’t own a smoker. Can these be made in the oven? Perhaps use a bit of Liquid Smoke to give it the smoky flavor you get from a smoker?
If you have a grill, they sell a cheap box you fill with wood chips and add to your grill along with the meat. It turns your grill into a smoker. I’m not sure how that changes the timing so you probably need to periodically check it.
The recipe looks delicious so I’m gonna give it a try. One question: What kind of wood chips do you recommend using with this recipe?
I just smoked today and used apple wood from our apple trees. Light smoke flavor. You could use hickory or mesquite for a smokier taste. I only smoke my ribs though for a couple hours. Then finish without.
Yes you can and the liquid
smoke isn’t really needed.
Amazing Recipe! I have a new Traeger and this is the 4 recipe for RIBS and finally hit my flavor flave taste buds…..spot on! (a little cheat…I did not use your recommended brands, ) so NOW I need to make them AGAIN SOON with your perfect flavor profile! Thank you for YOU and your expertise! Look forward to checking our your cookbook!
So happy to hear you liked them!
I’ve made some terrible ribs in my day! Even though I made some slight variations to this recipe, like apple cider vinegar instead of cherry coke, this is made the best ribs I’ve ever eaten. By far, hands down. Thank you
So happy to hear you liked them!
Used this recipe for my maiden voyage with my new smoker. Followed recipe to a T (except different BBQ Rub and Rootbeer) and WOW were these absolutely amazing!!! On top of giving a recipe to make my family a delicious dinner, you’ve given me confidence in learning the smoker. Thank you thank you thank you!
So happy to hear that!
We made these using our electric smoker for the first time. I’m not usually a huge fan of ribs, but these were phenomenal. We couldn’t find cherry Coke so we used Dr. Pepper. So yummy.
Glad to hear that!
I did this on my gas Weber using a Weber smoker box. First time I used the smoker box. First of all, I was surprised how often I needed to add wood chips – next time I will check the box at every 30 minute spray bottle interval. Second, I found it difficult to keep the temp at 250, and I think it had something to do with the smoker box. When I added new wet wood chips, it brought the temp of the entire grill down. Also it was a cool and windy day today.
Overall I was very happy with the taste, but I should have left the ribs on the grill longer – at least an hour more (6 in total) – as my ribs were still a a little tough.
Hi, this sounds delicious. I want to try this today, but only have regular Coke. Will that work or should I run to the store begrudgingly, lol, to get cherry Coke/root beer?
Thanks
Still in the practice mode with our smoker. Made several racks of ribs the past few weeks. These were, by far, the best! Gonna do it again later this week for a family meet-up during our weekend camping trip.
These sound delicious! How would you change the time for short ribs? I have an abundance of them in the freezer.
Also, would you change anything for a rack of lamb?
Thanks for the great recipe!! I’m excited to try these ribs!!
These ribs are delicious! We bought a smoker this summer and came across this recipe. So glad we did. Easy to follow and so good. This is my second time making them and I feel like i can follow these steps and the results will be wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
I made this tonight. The best I have ever had!! Thank you
So happy to hear you liked them!
I am making for company tonight. Following your recipe to a tree but using root beer. Wish me luck
Used this recipe back on the 4th of July holiday. Different rub and sauce, but they came out fantastic!
A couple of notes from when I prepared it:
In my water pan I used Apple Cider instead of water (Black Cherry Apple Cider actually)
I used about a 50/50 blend of Hickory and Apple Wood (I have a wood chip smoker instead of a pellet one)
I was struggling to stay up at 250 degrees that day, so I let them cook an extra 1/2 hour in the foil. I prefer my ribs fall of the bone and that’s what they were.
Meat was perfectly tender and moist. And it smelled so good the whole time I had to remind myself not to try and pull them out of the smoker too early.
Thanks again for posting this recipe!
Perfect ribs. This was my first time smoking and I was using the inexpensive Master Forge smoker from Lowe’s. I used a rub I had and maple syrup instead of brown sugar and honey. Misted with apple juice. Your technique and times were spot on. Thanks for such a clear and easy to follow delicious recipe.
Ribs were tough but tasted amazing, charcoal barrel smoker, next time I’m shooting for 8 hours
Will cherry pepsi work?
Yes!
I have just cooked these in a charcoal smoker and only subbed out the coke for Henry weston’s cider put in the water bowl underneath and they were absolutely incredible.
Glad you liked them!
Excellent!!!
Glad you liked them!
Wow !!! Great recipe and follow this exactly and you will not be disappointed.
Appreciate it!
My husband loved this recipe so much that he wants me try it with a brisket flat. Any advice or tips?
Wow, just wow, best baby back ribs ever! Followed your instructions exactly other than a using a different rub. I’ll never make them any other way.
I made these today on our Traeger and they are delicious!! We loved them so much! I think I outdid my husband with these (he makes amazing things on the smoker)! Thank you for sharing your recipe. We had them with coleslaw and cinnamon apples. While the ribs were cooking I made a 5 gallon bucket of apples into apple pie or apple crisp filling. Delish!!
So happy to hear that!
My ribs came out absolutely amazing. The only thing I did differently was I spritzed mine with a mixture of apple juice & apple cider vinegar.
Happy to hear that!
Looks like I’m in the minority here, but these are way too sweet for us. Way too sweet.
To each his own, but I would cut down on the sugary ingredients unless you like very sweet food.
Best ribs I’ve ever made. I used my Traeger. I misted with apple juice instead of soda.
Only rib recipe I’ll ever use. Very consistent outcome every time.
Thanks
Thank you! I’m happy to hear that!
I followed the recipe to a T….funeral potatoes were awesome but the ribs turned out tuff/overdone. They came from a private butcher and didn’t look very meaty to begin with so I’m not sure if that was the problem or what went wrong.