Baby Back Ribs in a Smoker or in the Oven

Ingredients:
2 racks baby back ribs, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
1/2 cup 'The Rub'

The night before cooking, remove the fell from the bone-side of the ribs. Rinse ribs under cold water. Pat dry. Rub each rack with about 1/4 cup of the rub. Transfer to heavy-duty self-sealing plastic bags and refrigerate.

The day of cooking:
Prepare a smoker for barbecuing. If you don't have a brick-lined hole in the ground, you can use a cast-iron smoker or water smoker (sold at home and garden stores such as Costco). Heat to 200 degrees-212 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before barbecue time. Sprinkle with more rub if they look like they have absorbed a lot of the spices. Place the ribs on the grill and smoke for approximately 4 hours. Try to maintain the 200-212 degrees F temperature. When the ribs are done, the meat will bend easily between the ribs. The best test is to pull out a rack and place on a cutting board. Slice off a rib and do a taste-test.

Serves 6

Alternative Roast Method:
Rub the spices on the meat. Place on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Turn up the edges of the foil to create a rim. Pour 1/2 cup beer into each foil packet and seal tightly. The beer doesn't take the place of the smoke but it adds some flavor and great steam. Roast in a preheated 250 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap and finish by grilling over white ash-covered coals for 30 minutes, turning a couple of times.