INGREDIENTS
One rack of baby back ribs, cut into individual ribs
Fire and Smoke Society's Pork Perfect rub
Dub Shack BBQ’s The O.G sauce
Brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter, sliced into tablespoons
For this cook, my ribs were for the low because I did them the same day. Don't be scared of the yellow stickers at Walmart if you do it right
STEP ONE. Unwrap the ribs and remove them from the package along the way remembering to pat them dry. Follow the bone structure and slice between then to ensure even sizing; we don't want Don or Quan crying over having the smallest baby back rib or the one with the least amount of meat. As it is optional, you can use mustard as a binder for the rub to adhere to those party ribs. Set them aside and light the smoker.
STEP TWO. Just like any other rib cook, light your smoker - or grill - to 250 degrees, depending on the size. Since I have a brisket working on Junior, the Wal-Mart special gets the assignment. Your wood choice may not matter in this cook; if it does, then select a wood that will not overpower pork such as apple or if you're lucky, peach. This is going to be a two-zone cook that may be even quicker than doing the whole rack.
STEP THREE. Let these babies for an hour before peeking inside for color and temperature. The ribs should have a nice color depending on the rub and perhaps even some pullback on the bone; feel free to probe each party rib for a temperature of 165 degrees before moving them to a aluminum pan for a tender bath in butter, honey, brown sugar, sauce, and the aforementioned favorite rub to reinforce the original flavor profile. Pull after the ribs reach 210 degrees for fall-off-the-bone ribs, or 202 for bite-through ribs. Cool for fifteen minutes and serve immediately!
My thoughts: I may never smoke a whole rack of ribs in the traditional way for the family ever again. The color was there, yet the reason I went longer is to prevent that dried out taste that often comes with newer cooks - and those of us who aren't paying attention to the product - of pork chops. Per the FDA, pork chops and loins can be eaten safely at 145 degrees while ribs, Boston butts, pork shoulders, and pork belly can cook to around 202 degrees without risking trichinosis and other forms of food poisoning.
Below is the definition of trichinosis:
Trichinosis is a food-borne disease caused by a microscopic parasite called Trichinella. People can get this disease by eating raw or undercooked meat from animals infected with the parasite. Often these infected meats come from wild game, such as bear, or pork products.
Just make sure your pork is fully cooked, and for those members of the Pork Patrol, I fully understand. For a biblical context beyond Leviticus 11:17, read Matthew 8:28-34 for the Demons and the Pigs parable and likely the real reason our Muslim brothers and sisters do not eat pork.
If anyone wants to know where the party is, pull up with this tasty pan of party ribs for the next event. As always, thank you for reading and sharing this post among friends and family members. In what amounted to two hours from start to finish, these are also a quick way to feed the folks. Y'all be safe, be blessed, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!
