As spring approaches, many of you might be looking at your grills wondering what you might be cooking this year. 

For me, I'm a year-round griller/smoker but the better weather allows me to smoke longer with more consistency, not always having to tend to the fire. I was asked last night for my recipe for smoking baby back ribs. So here it is (designed for a gas grill). For those who haven't tried smoking ribs, I'm recommending a 3-2-1 method so prepare for a 5-6 hour cook.

• 1-2 Rack of baby backs with good marbling 
• 1 cup of dry rub per rack. I make my own but would recommend Lambert's Sweet Rub O'Mine for those who want a classic taste. If you want a bit more spice, the Ancho Chili + Coffee Rub from The Spice Lab is my go-to when I run out of my mix.
• 1 stick of butter per rib. I use Kerrygold - salted
• 1 cup of wet rub per rack. The classic is Sweet Baby Rays or for a little heat, I suggest Whole Foods 365 Texas True
• Aluminum foil
• Wood chips (preferably cherry but hickory or mesquite will do)

1. Start the grill (one side only) and heat it to 225 - 250º F. Wrap some chips (a good handful) in aluminum foil and poke holes in one side only. Place that directly on the heat with the "holes" side up.

2. While it's heating up, prepare the ribs by pulling the membrane off of the bone side. Then season both sides of the ribs with your dry rub. Coat the bone side first, being sure to pat the rub into the meat with your free hand. Once both sides are liberally coated, place the rack, bone side down on the “cool zone” of the grill only when the grill is up to temp. (opposite the lit burners and chips)

3. Leave them alone for 2.5 - 3 hours. Fight your instinct to look...if you're lookin', you ain't cookin'

4. Once they have a nice mahogany color or three hours have passed, pull them off and wrap them in aluminum foil. Lay two sheets down on your counter and put the ribs bone side down. Slice the butter into pats about 1/4" thick and lay on top of the ribs. Evenly space them across the entire rack. Sprinkle some extra dry rub on top, then seal them up and place them back on the grill.

5. After 1.5 - 2 hours in aluminum foil, remove the ribs from the grill and open up the foil. Use the foil as a tray with the meat side up and apply a coating of your wet rub. Place them on your grill (still on the unlit side) without the foil and cook till they feel sticky (about .5 -  1 hour)

6. This is an important part...let them rest for at least 15 minutes then slice and serve with some more wet rub on the side. 

Enjoy!