These smoked Memphis dry ribs are a step up from your usual BBQ ribs. Coated in a paprika and sugar dry rub then cooked low and slow over smoke, these easy no-wrap ribs are spicy-sweet and perfect for any BBQ platter.
These Memphis dry ribs skip the BBQ sauce and instead use a simple dry rub to deliver a beautiful spicy-sweet flavor that’s embedded in a brilliant bark sitting on smoked baby back ribs.
This dry rub can be used on sausage, salmon, vegetables, even homemade cocktails, but with Memphis BBQ being so well known for its pork ribs, I’d be a fool not to use this on a couple of racks of baby back ribs.
It’s a paprika-forward rub that gives the bark a beautiful mahogany color, and a final dusting before serving adds a candied finish. Here’s how to smoke these beautiful baby backs.
How to Smoke Memphis Dry Ribs
When are Ribs Done?
Ribs are weird. Internal temperature is a helpful guide, but the bones sit so close to the meat that you’ll often see wildly different readings across the rack, which makes it tough to know exactly when they’re done.
As a rule, aiming for around 185°F (85°C) will give you a good indication that they’re done, but I’d recommend going one further and using a pair of tongs to lift the rib rack in the middle; you want the rack to bend slightly under its own weight and the meat should start to crack along the top, showing that the pork has broken down and tenderized. At this point the ribs should have a gentle chew to them without being “fall-off-the-bone” tender.
Quick Tips
- Brown Sugar: Make sure you use granulated brown sugar over anything finer. The thicker granules will sit on the ribs rather than being absorbed, and help create the browning effect we want for the bark.
- Sweat it Out: Once you’ve applied the Memphis dry rub, let the ribs sit at room temperature to ‘sweat’ while you prepare your smoker. This draws out moisture, helps the rub stick to the ribs, and develops that bark.
- Thick First: Place the ribs bone-side down on the smoker grates, with the thicker, fattier end of the rack facing the heat. This will help protect the thinner end and help the ribs cook more evenly.
- Cut Upside Down: When it’s time to serve, flip the rack bone-side up and follow the slant of the bones as your guide.
Smoked Memphis Dry Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- ¼ cup butter melted
Memphis Dry Rub
- ¼ cup granulated brown sugar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp 16-mesh black pepper
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp cayenne
Spritz
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and trim off any excess fat along the rack.
- Turn the ribs over to be bone-side up. Remove the membrane along the underside of the rack by using a dry sheet of kitchen paper for purchase, slowly pulling it from one end of the rack to the other.
- Combine the rub ingredients and coat both sides of the ribs evenly, setting aside 2 tbsp of the dry rub to use later. Leave the rack to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to ‘sweat’ while you prepare your smoker.
- Fire up your smoker to 250°F (121°C). Place a filled water pan underneath the grates, directly below where the ribs will sit when they cook.
- Lay the racks, bone-side down, on the smoker grates and cook for 1 hour. Brush a little melted butter on the ribs, and then smoke for another hour.
- Shake together the spritz ingredients in a spray bottle and lightly spritz the top side of the ribs. Repeat this every hour until the ribs are cooked, approximately 4 hours.
- The ribs are ready when an internal meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 185°F (85°C) and the ribs are probe tender between the bones (use a toothpick to test this) and you can see some pullback from the meat on the bones.
- Remove the ribs from the smoker. Wrap them in foil and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- Serve either as the whole rack or sliced into individual bone pieces, with the remaining Memphis rub sprinkled over to finish.
