Ed’s Mouthwatering Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

These are the baby back ribs I used to defeat Bobby Flay on the Food Network television show Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Let me remind you that as a cook, I can’t compete with Bobby Flay. The man is beyond talented. He just happened to challenge me on a dish I think I have mastered.

My rib technique involves smoking the racks for two hours, then steaming them with vinegar sauce for a few minutes, then drying them out again with more rub and smoke.. The result is moist, fall-off-the-bone, winning ribs.

Ingredients

• 2 (12-rib) baby back rib racks
• 2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Olive oil
• 3 to 4 cups Ed’s Eastern North Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
• 1 cup True Made Foods Ed’s Kansas City Barbeque Sauce (or your preference)

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Directions

The night before cooking, rinse the ribs with water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the skin-like membrane on the bone side of the ribs by sliding a paring knife underneath it. Grab the membrane, peel it off and discard it.

Combine paprika, pepper, mustard, coriander, cumin, salt in a small bowl. Rub both sides of the racks with just enough olive oil to coat them, then rub them on both sides with two-thirds of the spice mixture. (Reserve the remaining spice mixture for later.) Wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

The next day, prepare a grill for smoking the ribs. Preheat the grill to 225° to 250°F. Place the coals to one side of the grill. Once hot, place oak wood chunks on the hot, gray-white charcoal. Set the cooking grate over the fire, then place the ribs on the cooking grate on the opposite side from the coals so they cook with indirect heat. Cover the grill, adjusting the vent to keep the temperature low, and smoke the ribs until a bone releases from the rack when tugged at, about 2 hours. (If the coals burn down, add more as needed.) Transfer the ribs to a large aluminum pan.

Mix the vinegar sauce and barbeque sauce in a bowl. Pour enough of the mixture into the pan to come 1/4 inch up the sides; reserve the remaining mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and set back on the grill, but not directly above the coals. Cover the grill and let the ribs steam for about 15 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the pan. Lightly dust them on both sides with the remaining spice mixture, then place them back on the grill, this time directly over the coals. Cover the grill and smoke until the ribs are dry on the outside but still moist inside, about 10 minutes. Serve with the remaining barbeque sauce mixture.