Take the membrane off the back of the ribs and place them on a large sheet of foil, set aside.
In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and dried mustard. I use a fork to break up any clumps in the brown sugar.
Evenly distribute the rub on the top and bottom of the ribs. Rub it in to make sure the spices stick.
Preheat your smoker to the “smoke” setting. Place the ribs with the foil open directly on the grates. Smoke for 1 hour.
Wrap the foil around the rack to form a package. Turn the smoker up to 300°F. It will take about 10-15 for the smoker to come to temp.
Cook for 2 & ½ to 3 & ½ hours until an internal temperature reaches 195°F. You will need to temp the ribs between two bones in the center of the rack.
While the ribs are cooking, make the bbq sauce by mixing together the bbq sauce and the honey.
Once the ribs come up to temp, unwrap from the foil and place them back on the grates, brush the bbq sauce all over.
Close the lid and let them continue to cook for 15 minutes, basting with the bbq sauce every 5 minutes. We are looking to produce a baked-on sticky bbq sauce glaze. Take off the smoker and serve immediately.
Notes
We like to use baby back ribs for these.
Use your favorite BBQ sauce.
You can use your own rub or a store bought.
Make sure that you remove the membrane, this is an important step, see above on how to do that.
These can be frozen, see my tips above on how to freeze.
If you are in a rush, you can skip the “smoke step” in the beginning, but it really adds a lot to the flavor and I highly suggest doing this step if you can. We have noticed some smokers vary and some take longer to cook than others. This is why we suggest keeping them on the grill for 2 & ½ - 3 & ½ hours, until the internal temperature reaches 195°F. When cooked to this temp, the ribs literally fall off the bone.
This recipe can be doubled, no time or method needs to be changed.