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Flavorful Competition Style Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe Easy Dry Rub Guide

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This recipe features tender, juicy baby back ribs with a competition-style dry rub and slow smoking technique that delivers a perfect balance of smoky, sweet, and spicy flavors.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 rack baby back ribs (about 2 to 2.5 pounds / 900 to 1100 grams), trimmed of excess fat and silver skin removed
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (50 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons paprika (smoked paprika preferred)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to heat preference)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder

Instructions

  1. Trim the ribs by removing the silver skin membrane on the back of the ribs using a knife. This takes about 10 minutes.
  2. Make the dry rub by combining brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and mustard powder in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly.
  3. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Generously coat both sides of the ribs with the dry rub, pressing it into the meat. Wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
  4. Preheat your smoker to 225°F (107°C). Use hickory or applewood chips for smoking. Set up for indirect cooking.
  5. Place the ribs bone-side down on the smoker grate and smoke for about 3 hours, maintaining a steady temperature.
  6. Remove the ribs and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker and cook for another 2 hours.
  7. Carefully remove ribs from foil and place back on the smoker for 30-45 minutes to firm up the bark.
  8. Check doneness: ribs are done when internal temperature reaches about 195°F (90°C) and meat pulls back from the bone edges by about 1/4 inch (6mm).
  9. Let the ribs rest for 10 minutes before slicing between the bones to redistribute juices.

Notes

Maintain a steady smoker temperature at 225°F (107°C) to avoid drying out ribs. Use the ‘Texas crutch’ method by wrapping ribs in foil after 3 hours to lock in moisture. Let ribs rest before slicing to keep them juicy. Use a water pan in the smoker to maintain humidity. Spritz with apple juice if ribs start drying out during cooking.

Nutrition

Keywords: smoked ribs, baby back ribs, dry rub, BBQ ribs, competition style ribs, smoked pork, backyard BBQ, easy rib recipe

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