Bacon Baby Back Ribs

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Tired of the same smoked baby back ribs? Add a surprise depth of flavor by curing the ribs before smoking, to create what we call bacon ribs.

An ale or lager

Course:

Dinner

Lunch

Main Course

Cuisine:

American

Southern

Author: Clint Cantwell

Makes:

1 rack baby back ribs

Servings: 3 people

Takes:

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 4 30

Curing: 3

Total Time: 3 4 45

Ingredients

Cure

▢ 3/4 cup warm distilled water
▢ 3/5 teaspoon Prague powder #1 (3.08 grams) (3/5 teaspoon is not a typo; go by the weight!)
▢ 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
▢ 4 1/2 teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt
▢ 3 teaspoons ground black pepper

Ribs

▢ 1 slab baby back ribs
▢ 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
▢ 2 tablespoons Meathead's Memphis Dust dry rub

Notes:

About the Prague Powder. There are two types of curing salt (also known as pink curing salt due to the coloring added to differentiate it from ordinary salt) -- Prague Powder #1, which is composed of 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% salt, and Prague Powder #2, which has 6.25% sodium nitrite, 4% sodium nitrate, and 89.75% salt. Prague Powder #1 is used for this recipe as it is better for short-term curing.

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

About the mayonnaise. The mayonnaise works as a binder to help the rub stick. Mustard is the trendy binder, but I’ve had outstanding results using mayo on the competition circuit for more than a decade. Mayo is basically pure fat, and fat is good. Just like mustard, it disappears flavor-wise once the ribs are done. Optional but recommended.

Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

Prep. Remove the membrane from the slab of ribs (read more on removing the membrane here).
MIx together the water, Prague powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the rack of ribs to a jumbo (2.5 gallon) zipper bag then add the curing mixture. Close the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible so the rack of ribs is fully immersed in the curing mixture. Put the bag in a pan to catch leaks and place in the fridge at 34 to 38°F (1.1 to 3.3°C). Allow the ribs to cure for three days, gently massaging the bag, and flip it once a day so the liquid and spices are well distributed.
After three days, remove the rack of ribs from the bag, and throw the liquid away. Quick rinse the ribs to wash off any thick deposits of salt on the surface.
Fire up. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of lit charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C), and add three to four chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 225°F (107.2°C) on the indirect side.
Once the smoker or grill is ready, brush both sides of ribs with a light coating of mayonnaise and lightly season with the Meathead's Memphis Dust dry rub. Because of the salt in the curing mixture, there is no need to add more salt to the rub.
Cook. Place the slab of ribs meat side up on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Cover the smoker or grill. Allow the ribs to cook for 4 1/2 hours, then test the ribs for doneness. If you prefer to use the Texas Crutch (wrapping your ribs in foil or butcher paper to make them more tender), do so after the bones have begun to pull away from the bone, after approximately 4 hours.
To tell if the ribs are done, we prefer to use the "bend test." Use tongs to pick up one end of the slab of ribs, then bend them slightly. If they are ready, the slab will bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface. If they are still tough, allow them to cook for another 30 minutes before testing again. Cook longer if needed. Sometimes you get a tough slab!
Serve. Once they arey tender, remove the ribs from the smoker or grill, then slice and serve.

Nutrition per Serving