BABY BACK RIBS

A gas grill works great with this rub, but the Raymonds like to smoke ribs on their Big Green Egg. They add apple or hickory wood chips, and use the Big Green Egg ceramic heat shield to block the ribs from the direct heat. They try to keep the grill around 225-250 degrees.

1 rack baby back ribs

5 tablespoons of light brown sugar 4 teaspoons of kosher salt 4 teaspoons smoked paprika 1½ teaspoons of black pepper 1 teaspoon of garlic powder ½ teaspoon chili powder ¼ teaspoon onion powder ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup vinegar

1 cup water wood chips for smoking In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, ground cumin and dried oregano to make the rub.

Make sure to remove the membrane (silver skin) from the ribs first, and cover both sides generously with the rub. If you’re doing two racks, double the rub recipe.

Let the ribs sit out on the counter to get close to room temperature, about 20-30 minutes, while you prep the grill. Place the racks directly on the grate of the grill, close the lid, and smoke for about 2 hours, depending on the size of the ribs. Cook until the internal temperature is 190 degrees.

Once the ribs are done, briefly immerse them with 1 part water and 1 part vinegar (usually a cup of each per rack) in a baking dish. Let the ribs sit for a few minutes, and then cut, and serve with coleslaw and baked beans.

Serves two Per serving: 381 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 28 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 24 grams total fat (8 grams saturated), 96 milligrams cholesterol, 1,009 milligrams sodium.