Doing a couple racks tonight and want to try something different. What's your go-to?

Raichlen's First Timer's Ribs

INGREDIENTS
For the mop sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons bourbon, or 3 more tablespoons apple cider
3 tablespoons soy sauce


For the rub and ribs:
2 tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard (preferably Colman's)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 to 5 pounds total)


Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce or another favorite barbecue sauce


RECIPE STEPS
Step 1: Make the mop sauce: Melt the butter in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cider, bourbon, and soy sauce. Keep warm until ready to use.

Step 2: Make the rub: Place the salt, brown sugar, paprika, pepper, mustard, garlic powder, and celery seed in a small bowl and mix with your fingers, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar or garlic powder.

Step 3: Prepare the ribs: Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a baking sheet. Remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of the rack by inserting a slender implement, such as a butter knife or the tip of a meat thermometer, under it. The best place to start is on one of the middle bones. Using a dishcloth, paper towel, or pliers to gain a secure grip, peel off the membrane. Repeat with the remaining rack.

Step 4: Set aside 1 tablespoon of rub for serving. Sprinkle the remaining rub over both sides of the ribs, rubbing it onto the meat. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you set up the grill.

Step 5: Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium (325 to 350F). Place a large drip pan in the center of the grill.

Step 6: When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. (If your grill has limited space, stand the racks of ribs upright in a rib rack.) If cooking on a charcoal grill, toss half of the wood chips on each mound of coals. Cover the grill and cook the ribs for 45 minutes.

Step 7: Mop the ribs on both sides with the mop sauce. Re-cover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until well browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 45 minutes to 1 hour longer, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours in all. When the ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch. Mop the ribs again every 15 minutes and, if using a charcoal grill, replenish the coals as needed.

Step 8: Just before serving, brush the ribs on both sides with some of the Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce and move them directly over the fire. Grill the ribs until the barbecue sauce is browned and bubbling, 1 to 3 minutes per side.

Step 9: Transfer the ribs to a large platter or cutting board. Let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the racks in half or into individual ribs. Serve the ribs at once with the barbecue sauce on the side. Serve any the reserved rub on the side.

RECIPE TIPS
How to cook First-Timer's Ribs in a smoker: Set up and light the smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions and preheat it to low (250F). Place the ribs in the smoker bone side down and smoke until cooked through, 4 to 5 hours. Start mopping the ribs with the mop sauce after 1 hour, then mop the ribs again once every hour. Brush the ribs with the Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce a half hour before they are done smoking. You'll need to replenish the wood chips or chunks after the first and second hour of smoking and to replenish the coals every hour.

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/best-ribs-in-the-universe-mike-scrutchfield/

This works well on St Louis style as well as baby backs.

Old Bay makes for a good rib rub.

Cover ribs in dijon mustard, season with salt, pepper, garlic. Smoke 3-2-1. No sauce.

Pork rub is easy to make

Coarse Kosher salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Granulated garlic
Granulated onion
Slap ya mama cajun seasoning
Paprika(for color mainly)

It's mostly salt and pepper, but add the other stuff as you see fit.

Those are the main ingredients in 99% of resale bbq rubs.

Don't put sugar in the rub.  It burns over long cook times.  If you want beetus, add that shit in the sauce.

I make all of my own but my pork rub is
paprika (both smoked and not smoked)
chili powder
salt
seasoned salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
cumin
onion powder
garlic powder
brown sugar
white sugar

and then some other stuff I will take to my grave.

You can get into some pretty cool stuff with some of the powders they offer now.


not if you do it right it doesn't. All of my rubs have some form of sugar and I've never had one burn on me.

BBQ doesn't need sugar if you actually do it right.  

Go to 10 BBQ competitions and try that. My guess is you end up in the bottom 5-10% in every single one.

Memphis
3-4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup American paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder

Search Elder Ward pork rub. That is what I use on ribs and butts

Look up the recipe for magic dust