I know my buddies on the grilling and smoker forums are going to give me grief over making slow cooker baby back ribs. But I am always up to trying something new (to me). Now, yes, I know these baby back ribs don’t sit in a smoker for 6 or so hours and get a beautiful smoke ring. But, they are tender, almost fall-off-the-bone tender, and with a little help, quite tasty. And hey, when it’s blowing 45 MPH winds outside with a wind chill well below 0, slow cooker baby back ribs will do just nicely.
A Little Smokiness
Like with boiling ribs (ok, don’t hate me for boiling ribs!) before grilling them, you have to add something so that the ribs get some flavor to them. Last time I boiled ribs, I added Old Bay seafood boil seasoning. When I made these baby back ribs I added a drop or two of liquid smoke and a little smoky BBQ sauce to boot. Sure, it’s not the same as sitting over hickory smoke for a long time, but those smoky flavors do absorb into the meat as it cooks.
I’m usually a smoke-your-ribs kind of guy. My preferred rib is a St. Louis-style sparerib, cooked low-and-slow for up to 6 hours. The result is a tender, lightly smoky flavored, moist rib. That’s why I went into this experiment cooking baby back ribs on the Char-Broil Big Easy with a little skepticism (but an open mind).
These ribs were very tender, very moist and cooked perfect. The only thing they lacked was that smoky flavor. And of course you don’t get that lovely pink smoke ring you get from hours of low heat over smoke. A smoky BBQ rub and sauce helps make up for this if that’s what you’re hankering for. They’re basically trouble-free since the Big Easy is pretty much a light-it-up, load-it-up, and come-back-when-the-food-is-done cooker.
I’d make these ribs again. And again. You can fit 2 racks into the Big Easy (they have to be cut to fit as they have to be around 11″ or so or less in length), and you’ll need a set of Char-Broil Big Easy Rib Hooks (though you could fashion your own).
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
Hanging the ribs…
Here’s how the process from baby back ribs on the Char-Broil Big Easy came along.First, brined ribs are hung on rib hooks and placed into the basket.
The first cook…
The ribs are cooked “naked” (no sauce, no rub) for 35 minutes.
Foiled and cooked some more…
Next, the ribs are rubbed and foiled (not shown here) and cooked for another 45 minutes.
Sauced and served…
I removed them from the foil, sauced them, and cooked them a bit longer. Sliced and served!
I’d make these ribs again. And again. You can fit 2 racks into the Big Easy (they have to be cut to fit as they have to be around 11″ or so or less in length).
2racks baby back ribscut to 11″ in length (or use 1 rack, cut in half and halve the remaining ingredients below). Remove the membrane from the backs of the ribs and trim any large chunks of fat.
