Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Root Beer Beans and Succotash

So many of you have been to my place and had my ribs. Let me tell you they are an ever evolving mix of recipes and techniques. I see something new that I could add, possibly a new way of cooking them or maintaining the meat of the heat and I have to try it. That being said this is my base recipe for my ribs. Trust me they will turn out really well.

So I use baby backs in this recipe but you can use the St. Louis style ribs spare ribs they all turn out really well. I use a lot of brown sugar as well because I like sweet ribs. If you don't then don't use them. I have a recipe for my rub right here but if you don't want to make your own then buy your favorite one from your local grocery store. Also you can used canned beans if you don't want to soak and cook beans. That is why I love my pressure cooker.

Now a note on the cooking technique you really need to use a charcoal grill and you need to use indirect heat. Charcoal because you need to be able keep the temp low and indirect heat because if you put the ribs right on the heat they will burn. Indirect heat means all the charcoal all on one side of the grill with all the meat on the other side. For a better direction check here.

Any questions please feel free to shoot me an email because I love talking barbeque.

** Ribs **
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back ribs
- 1/2 cup bbq rub
- 1 cup of brown sugar, divided
- wood chips, I use apple, soaked in water for at least 1 hour before use
- 1 cup apple cider in a spray bottle
- 1/4 cup honey
- BBQ sauce if desired
- Root Beer Beans (recipe follows)
- Succotash (recipe follows)

The Process
1. Get one shoot of charcoal going on your barbeque. While this is going on, take the ribs and cover both sides of the ribs with the rub and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Take your charcoal after they are all heated and put on one side of the grill. Add the ribs to the non charcoaled side of the grill. Now keep your temperature around 250 degrees and occasionally add wood chips to keep it smoking. About every time you add wood chips give your ribs a good spritz of apple cider.
2. About 3 hours into the process, add the remaining brown sugar and honey to each rack of ribs. and smother evenly on the top side of the ribs. When the ribs are done, which takes about 3 - 4 hours, you can tell because the bones start to stick out of the meat by about one inch.
3. Cover in foil for about 20 minutes then stand the ribs straight up and cut straight down along the bone with a really sharp knife.
4. Serve with bbq sauce if desired.
5. Enjoy!

** Baked Beans **
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans cooked according to package, or 3 cans beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pound bacon, sliced thin
- 1 onion
- 1 can or bottle root beer, I used Weinhards
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- corn starch and water combined to make a slurry
- salt and pepper

The Process
1. Cook the beans according to the package. When they're done, add the bacon and onion to a dutch oven or a medium sized pot over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the bacon is almost done.
2. Add the root beer, ketchup, molasses and brown sugar to the pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans and bring back to a simmer. Then stir in the slurry until you get the consistency you want. Simmer for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Enjoy!

** Succotash **
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup corn
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
- salt and pepper

The Process
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the garlic, red pepper, red onion and red pepper flakes and mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes or until all the onions are translucent.
2. Add the corn and beans to the pan and mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the bbq sauce, mix well and remove from heat.
3. Enjoy!