Thursday, May 25, 2017

Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Honey and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] Char-Broil is an official sponsor of Nibble Me This and I receive compensation from them in exchange for recipes and content.  Any opinions stated are my own and have not been reviewed or approved by Char-Broil.

One of my recent posts for Char-Broil was these Baby Back Ribs with Honey and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce. The sauce for these ribs has brown sugar and local honey, so to counter the sweetness and boost the flavor, I added a good bit of roasted garlic paste that we make at home.

Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Honey Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce
Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Honey and Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce

The full recipe is over on Char-Broil's site but here is some B-roll footage from that cook.

I got the idea for the platter from this Burnt Ends-n-Ribs combo that I bought at Famous Dave's BBQ a few weeks earlier.  Their combo uses spare ribs but I had baby backs, so that's what I used.


How to remove the membrane from baby back pork ribs
To remove the membrane for baby back ribs (aka loin back), I find it's easiest to use a blunt knife to start a gap in the middle of the rib and then work a finger into that gap. Then I just wiggle two fingers across the rib as shown and left the membrane straight up and off.  For spare ribs I just start at the end, but for back ribs, this is easier for me.



I always try to have the ribs rest for an hour after I season them. The meat juices co-mingle with the seasonings and a lot of good stuff starts happening during that hour.

Char-Broil Kamander kamado grill review and recipes
I smoked these ribs on my new Char-Broil® Kamander.  It is a kamado grill similar to Big Green Egg, but it is made of insulated metal instead of ceramic and it costs about 2/3rds less than what I paid for my BGE.  I have to admit I am surprised at how well it performs since it is an entry level kamado grill.  It holds steady temperatures low and slow but it can also cook at searing temps of 700+.

Kick Ash Basket is a great accessory for the Char-Broil Kamander kamado grill
Like the rest of our kamado grills, I use a Kick Ash Basket in our Kamander for better fire management and for re-using the leftover coal.  It also makes it easier to remove the ashes. 

One of the FEW weaknesses of kamado grills is that when you are cooking lengthy foods like ribs or whole brisket, part of the meat sticks out over the gaps around the heat deflector.  The meat in those spots is subjected to higher temps and over cooking.  That's why I opted to use an aftermarket oblong heat deflector - to protect the ends of the ribs.

Smoking baby back ribs on a CharBroil Kamander kamado grill
At first, I smoke them for a few hours to get the smoke flavor in them.

How to cook ribs on a kamado kamander charbroil grill
I have general timelines but basically I smoke them until I get the color that I want.

Then we braise them in foil to get the tenderness that we want.

Finally, we take them back out of the foil, then brush them with some sauce and let them cook for just 10-15 minutes more.

Ribs and burnt ends make one heck of a BBQ combo platter!

For the full recipe or other ideas, click on over to Char-Broil.