Bee Dub’s Angry Baby Back Ribs

A rib rub, sauce, and smoke masterpiece packed with sweet and spicy melodies, harmoniously accentuated by BBQ’s favorite fruit note; apple.

Bee Dub Rub:

Bee Dubs Angry BBQ Sauce:

• 1 yellow onion minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups ketchup
• 3/4 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard (spicy brown if you’d like)
• 1/2 Cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Bee Dub Rub – separated in two halves
• 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
• 4 dashes crushed thyme
• 1 pinch Allspice
• 1 bottle Angry Orchard Apple Cider Crisp Apple
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Heat oil in large pot on medium heat. Introduce onions and half of Bee Dub rub. Sauté onions until soft. Add garlic for 2 minutes and stir (avoid browning). Add more oil as necessary to keep ingredients from burning.
2. Add ketchup, honey, mustard, vinegar, and bring to simmer point for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in tomato paste and test for thickness. Pour in Angry Orchard 2 oz at a time, stirring in between until desired taste and thickness is reached. Simmer for minimum 30 minutes, adding additional cider as needed.
4. Stir in remaining Bee Dub Rub at this time. Cover and refrigerate overnight if time allows (this causes further marinating and blending of flavor a into one another).

1. Remove the membrane from the back of your rub rack. I’ve found that making a small incision in the middle of two ribs will allow you insert a butter knife under the membrane to get the peel started.
2. Once membrane is removed, rub all sides of the ribs with salt for a nice coating. Let sit with salt alone for at least 2 hours.
3. Once salt brine is finished, liberally pat on Bee Dub Rib on all sides of meat. If possible, let dry rub sit for 12 hours, covered in refrigerator. If time won’t allow, ribs can be placed in smoker.
4. Lightly rub ribs in mustard to create a nice moist bark on top of meat.
5. Heat smoker or indirect grill to 225 degrees. For egg-style grills, use heat deflector on the lowest tier to control temperature. Be sure to keep some water handy to splash coals and bring the temperature down if needed.
6. In egg-style smokers, place an aluminum tray with 2-3 inches of water in between heat deflector and below the grates. For all other smokers place a glass or tray reciprocal of water at the lowest possible point in your grill to keep air as moist as possible. If grilling on a standard charcoal grill, even placing a water tray on the grates will help with moisture.
7. Fill a clean spray bottle with apple juice, or hard apple cider. As your ribs smoke, you will use this for a spritzer every 30 minutes or so.
8. Place ribs on smoker bone-side down, or vertically in rib rack. Let smoke for 2-3 hours, depending on rack size, at precise temperature of 225. Mist every 30 minutes or so with spray bottle. Remove from smoker if bone ends start to show.
9. After initial smoking phase, pull ribs and prepare aluminum foil boats for steaming phase. Place ribs meat-side down in a large piece of foil (heavy duty foil or double-wrapping is a must). Fold up the sides of your foil to make a reservoir. Pour Apple Cider over bone side and make a nice puddle for ribs to absorb. Wrap diligently and place ribs on smoker (still 225 degrees) for 1.5-2 hours.
10. After steaming phase, bones should start to protrude from meat. Remove from foil and cover liberally in Bee Dub Angry Sauce.
11. Place 2-3 more smoke chips into charcoal pit for light finishing smoke and leave for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
12. Remove once sauce is sticky. Let sit for 15 minutes and serve.