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There is something deeply satisfying about a rack of ribs that has been cooked with patience and precision. When you get it right, that perfect balance of a smoky bark and meat that pulls cleanly away from the bone, it’s the ultimate backyard victory. I am beyond excited to share this recipe with you because it’s a staple in my rotation, and for good reason.
To master the rib, you have to understand the cut. Baby Back Ribs (also known as loin ribs) come from the top of the pig’s rib cage, nestled just below the pork loin. Compared to their larger cousins, the spare ribs, Baby Backs are shorter, leaner, and more curved. Because they are a smaller and less marbled cut, they require a specific touch. You can’t rush these; if you want them to be amazing, you have to respect the “low and slow” philosophy.
Knowing the mass and density of your meat is the secret to great BBQ. Because ribs are relatively thin, they can dry out in a heartbeat if the heat is too high. That’s why we’re going to use the Big Green Egg to maintain a gentle, consistent environment, allowing the smoke to penetrate and the connective tissue to break down into pure tenderness over several hours.
I’m going to walk you through my exact process, from the initial trim to the final glaze. So, let’s get the Egg stabilized, grab an ice-cold IPA, and dive into the foolproof method for Big Green Egg Baby Back Ribs.
Table of Contents
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The Ultimate Big Green Egg Cookbook
The Rib Roadmap
The Finish: The perfect saucing technique for a sticky, finger-licking glaze.
The Prep: Removing the membrane and choosing the right rub.
The Setup: Setting the Egg for indirect heat and the “Blue Smoke” sweet spot.
The Cook: Understanding the “bend test” and when to wrap (or not wrap).
Prepping for the Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients for this recipe are simple: yellow mustard, BBQ rub, and of course the baby back ribs!
Trim any excess fat and remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs.
Pulling the Membrane
When it comes to prepping your ribs, one of the most debated topics in the BBQ world is the silver skin that thin, papery membrane on the bone side of the rack. In the video, I walk you through exactly how to remove it using a butter knife and a paper towel, but over the years, I’ve realized that while it’s a “pro” move, it isn’t always a dealbreaker for a successful cook.
Here is a quick look at the pros and cons so you can decide for yourself:
To Pull or Not to Pull?
The Pros of Removing It:
- Better Flavor Penetration: The membrane is essentially a waterproof barrier. Removing it allows your rub and that beautiful blue smoke to penetrate the meat from both sides.
- Better Texture: Without the membrane, you get a much cleaner “bite” off the bone. You won’t have to deal with that slightly chewy, leathery texture that sometimes remains after the cook.
The Cons (Why You Might Skip It):
- The Hassle Factor: Let’s be honest, sometimes that membrane just doesn’t want to cooperate. If you’re in a rush or feeding a crowd, skipping this step saves you a few minutes of frustration.
- It Holds Things Together: If you like your ribs “fall-off-the-bone” tender, keeping the membrane intact can actually act like a safety net, helping the rack stay together when you’re moving it off the Egg.
- It Can Render Out: If you’re cooking at a slightly higher temp (like my “hot and fast” method), that membrane often crisps up or breaks down enough that most people won’t even notice it’s there.
My Take: If I have the time, I pull it. I love getting as much flavor into the meat as possible. But if you’re fired up and ready to go and don’t want to mess with it? Don’t sweat it. Your ribs will still be delicious. Give it a shot both ways and see which one fits your style!
Seasoning The Baby Back Ribs
Apply a small amount of mustard as a binder for the BBQ rub then generously season the front and back of the ribs with the rub. For this cook, I used one of my favorite rubs Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust.
Setting up The Big Green Egg
For this cook I preheated the Big Green Egg to 225° and used 2 chunks of hickory wood and 2 chunks of apple wood. NOTE: Check out my post to learn how to set your Big Green Egg for low and slow cooking.
I placed the ribs inside and had an aluminum drip pan sitting on top of my ConvEGGtor to catch the drippings.
Spritzing the Baby Back Ribs
Leave the ribs alone for the first hour. After that check on them every hour and spritz with a mix of apple juice and apple cider. I’m often asked if spritzing is really worth the extra effort, and for me, it’s all about building that perfect layer of color and moisture. By hitting the ribs with a little apple juice or cider vinegar every 45 minutes or so, you keep the surface cool and tacky, which actually helps the smoke “stick” to the meat and form a deeper smoke ring. Plus, that hit of moisture prevents the edges from drying out and adds a subtle hint of sweetness that balances out the savory rub perfectly. It’s a simple way to level up the bark without overcomplicating the cook.
When are the Baby Back Ribs Ready
Between 4 – 5 hours, start checking the ribs to see if the meat has pulled back from the bone and they pass the “bend test.” While the bend test is a classic, I also like to verify with my Thermapen to be 100% sure; you’re looking for an internal temperature right around 195°F to 203°F. At this range, the collagen has fully broken down, meaning the meat will be butter-tender but still have enough structure to stay on the bone until you take that first bite.
Sauce & Set the Baby Back Ribs
Now bump the temp to 275° and pour some BBQ sauce on the ribs. Using a brush apply evenly to the surface of the ribs. Let the sauced ribs cook in that higher temp for 10 minutes or so until the sauce sets.
Once that sauce has tightened up and looks like a sticky glaze, it’s time to pull them off the Egg and let them rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. Giving the ribs a little breather allows those juices to redistribute, ensuring every bite is as tender as the last. After that, just slice between the bones and get ready to serve up the best ribs your backyard has ever seen.
Big Green Egg Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Ribs ingredients:
- 2 racks Baby Back Ribs
- 3 tbsp Yellow mustard
- 4 tbsp BBQ rub, per rack
Spritz ingredients:
- 1 c apple juice
- 1 c apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your Big Green Egg to 225° using 3 – 4 chunks of smoking wood
- As the grill comes up to temp start prepping your ribs
- Pull the membrane off the bone side and trim excess fat and loose ends
- Put a small amount of yellow mustard on the front and back of the ribs and spread evenly to create a binder for your rub
- Apply the rub front and back until evenly coated
- Place the ribs in the Big Green Egg and leave alone for the first hour
- After that check on the ribs every hour and spray with a mix of apple juice, cider vinegar, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce
- After 3 hours bump the temp to 250°
- At the 4.5 hour mark check the ribs to see if the meat has pulled away from the bone and the ribs pass the “bend test” if so move on to next step and if not wait 30 minutes and check again
- At the 5 hour mark (or when your ribs pass the previous step) glaze with BBQ sauce and bump temp to 275°
- Let the ribs sit in the BIg Green Egg another 10 minutes until the sauce sets
- Pull, slice and enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Followed this recipe & my husband said it was the best ribs he ever ate!! They were delicious!!
Thank you😋😎💕
You’re welcome ☺️
Simple and good!
Thank you!
This is an awesome way to cook babybacks on the big green egg
Thank you 🙏
I may not have enough room in the normal grid and may need to throw some on the eggspander. Do you think that’ll affect cook at all?
Top rack of eggspander will cook faster so move the top and bottom racks of ribs around every couple of hours so they all cook evenly.
Thank you! These turned out spectacularly.
You’re welcome ☺️
Chris I have a large egg and am doing 4 racks of baby backs. Would you recommend a rib rack or the two piece multi-level rack so the ribs lay flat. Thanks brother
You can use a rub tack for sure but I like using the eggspander for this better as it protects the bark. When I use rib racks, the ribs come out just fine but stick to the racks. So, when removing the ribs I have torn the bark and the ribs don’t look as good as they should. This is just my experience of course ☺️
I was late to the rib game, the first time I ever ate them was in the early 90s. I had the good fortune to be introduced to baby back at MichelBob‘s in Naples, Florida, and they’re still the best commercial ribs I’ve ever had.. Or at least they were. This recipe is their equivalent. It’s pretty easy and pretty straightforward. The only thing I do recommend is that your system for measuring the temperature is accurate. I use the BBQUbe and I find the critical thing is putting the temperature probe for the grill in a place where it reflects what the temperature is going to be at the surface of the food you’re cooking, so make sure that if you’re using a place setter that you don’t have the probe off to the side where it gets direct heat. That will inflate the temperature reading. As long as your method for keeping the temperatures stay as prescribed in this recipe You’re gonna make the best ribs you’ve ever had. I have done them a dozen times and they are out of this world. And an answer to the question that drove me to the site today, yes, I use a rack. I don’t lay them flat. They don’t cook as evenly in my opinion.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to this 🙏
Thanks for teaching me to make the best baby backs
Great recipe…I also put a drip pan with 2 beer and onion soup mix …stick to the recipe and enjoy the feast …thanks
Followed the timing and temp and bottom of ribs were quite burnt. What did I do wrong?
What size egg did you use? If a large or smaller, you may have been placing the ribs over the gaps in the ConvEGGtor allowing the heat source below direct access to the ribs above. If that’s the case move the ribs around during your next cook and/or cover those spots with foil.
Did you use the ceramic plate holder? I don’t cook them over direct heat.
I use the two half moon ceramic inserts and the eggspander base.
I am unfamiliar with those, but it looks like you were not cooking over direct heat, right? So with that expander did you have the ribs on the top part or the bottom. Because if it was the top, the temperature is substantially hotter up there. Also, did you cook them flat or did you cook them vertical in a rack? And what are you using to control the temperature? Are you sure it’s accurate? When I use the Bbq Guru it was off by 50° sometimes. It also sounds like all of the ribs were burnt? Correct? So that rules out hotspots which I have in my old egg.
This cook, as with most all smoking cooks, is setup for indirect cooking as outlined in the instructions and recipe for this post. As for where the ribs were, they were on the grilling surface of the EGGspander base. So, they were sitting about 6 inches above the typical setup. I do not use a rack. I didn’t use anything to control the temperature as once it is set on a Big Green Egg you are good to go for the entire cook. All of this is spelled out in detail in both the post and the video. As for why the previous commenter burnt his ribs, that I cannot answer but only summize.
Does this recipe also work with spare ribs? I live over in Europe and its pretty tough to find baby backs, as the folks here prefer spare ribs. I’ve managed to find some pretty meaty ones, but often see the 3-2-1 method as the go to for spare ribs from e.g. the BGE website.
To adapt this baby back ribs recipe for spare ribs, you’ll need to account for the differences in size and fat content. Spare ribs are larger and fattier, so they require a longer cook time and a slightly different approach.
Set your Big Green Egg for indirect cooking at 250°F with a convEGGtor in place and use a mild wood like apple or cherry for a balanced smoke. Skip the wrapping phase just smoke the ribs unwrapped for about 5 to 6 hours, until the meat pulls back from the bones by about half an inch and a toothpick slides in with little resistance. Spritz with apple cider vinegar or a 50/50 vinegar-water mix every hour after the first two to keep the bark moist and flavorful. The internal temp should be in the 195–203°F range, but texture is your best guide. Once done, rest the ribs uncovered for 15–20 minutes before slicing.
Just made these tonight for the first time. Unreal delicious. This is one of my favorite dishes and to now know I can make the best version of it I’ve ever had at home is awesome!
Thanks for sharing!