Description
I’ve got a little trick to make your ribs so tender you’ll be able to cut them with a butter knife. The cinnamon sticks and peppercorns add a little spice to your beef or pork ribs, and the apple cider makes it sweet, so it’s a perfect balance for baby back ribs!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups apple cider or apple juice
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Put a large pot on your stove and pour the water and apple cider inside along with the rest of the brine ingredients.
- Cover the pot with a lid and allow the mixture to boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the stove and let it sit at room temperature until it cools down. You can add ice to help it cool faster.
- Place about 1 cup of the cooled brine into a spray bottle.
- It’s time to trim your rib rack: remove the membrane from the back of the ribs (bone side) so that the brine flavors can better penetrate the meat.
- Place ribs in the brine mixture. Both sides of the ribs should be completely submerged.
- Cover your ribs with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Place the ribs in the fridge and let them sit for 24 hours.
- After brining, prepare your smoker – preheat to 225°F and place your desired wood chunks (hickory, mesquite, applewood) inside.
- Place ribs on grill grates and smoke until it reaches the ideal internal temperature
- Get ribs out of the smoker, place them on the cutting board, and cut right between the bones. Serve with your favorite sides and barbecue sauce!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Brine Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ribs (half rack)
- Calories: 668kcal
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 531mg
- Fat: 45g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 48g
- Cholesterol: 176mg