Maple Campfire Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Low and slow, the backyard-weekend way. Hickory-smoked pepper and real maple sugar build a bark that tastes like a campfire Saturday.

Serves: 4 to 6 · Prep: 20 min · Cook: 5 hr · Total: 5 hr 20 min

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back ribs (about 5 lb total)
• 2 Tbsp yellow mustard (a binder; you will not taste it)
• 2½ Tbsp Maple Campfire Pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ cup apple juice in a spray bottle (optional)
• Hickory, apple or cherry wood

Steps

1. Heat the smoker to 250°F with your wood of choice. Pull the thin membrane off the bone side of each rack and trim loose fat.
2. Rub each rack all over with a thin coat of mustard. Mix the Maple Campfire with the kosher salt and sprinkle it evenly over both sides.
3. Smoke the ribs bone side down for 3 hours. After the first 2 hours, spritz with apple juice every 45 minutes if the surface looks dry.
4. Keep smoking 1½ to 2½ hours more, until the meat between the bones reads 195°F to 203°F and the rack bends easily when you lift one end with tongs.
5. Rest 10 minutes, then slice between the bones.

A word on salt

Maple Campfire lists salt third, so a light extra 1 tsp kosher salt per rack makes the bark taste seasoned all the way through.

Safe temps

Pork: safe at 145°F (USDA). Ribs need 195°F to 203°F to turn tender.

Swap it

Try Garlic Punch Pepper for a black-pepper-and-garlic bark; it has more salt, so cut the kosher salt to 1 tsp total.

Photo: Brian Wegman on Unsplash