2-2-1 Babyback Ribs Recipe
/Really excellent ribs that are well worth the 5 hour cooking time.
Like many backyard BBQ'ers, I have made ribs numerous ways on the grill. This, however, was the first time I have ever made truly excellent ribs. I had a new smoker, was dying to make great ribs, and had a couple of failures until I came across this recipe from Chef Jason Hill. Since then I have made them numerous times, always with great success.
Click here for his basic cooking technique.
However, based on other research and some trial and error, I found that for babyback ribs the cooking technique should instead be 2-2-1, not 3-2-1. The 3-2-1 timing applies best to spare ribs, which are larger and meatier. If you follow the 3-2-1 technique for babybacks you may find them a tad overcooked.
Also, I DID change his dry rub recipe, which he got from one of his viewers, by substantially reducing the heat. Click here for my preferred take on it: Brown Sugar Rub. As modified, it is excellent on both pork and salmon.
FYI, his basic dry rub recipe (starting with 1/2 cup brown sugar) is enough for about 1 rack. For 2 racks, I doubled it.
If you do not have a smoker, I imagine you could make this recipe on a traditional grill or even an oven, although you'd be missing the smoke flavor. With a gas grill, temperature control would be your main challenge.
I knew I had a winner when my 2 grown daughters actually got into a real fight about who was going to get the leftovers!
TOTAL TIME: 5 hr 25 min
Prep: 20 min
Smoke: 5 hr
Rest: 5 min
YIELD: 5 - 6 servings
LEVEL: Medium
Tips
Consider backing off on the 3 peppers in his dry rub recipe, or use my version of it.
More Photos
If you're going to run your smoker for 5 hours, you might as well cook a lot of them!