Baby Back Ribs 2 Ways for Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Hopefully, everyone was able to spend a bit of time with their father, grandfather, or other special men in their life today.  My Dad passed away almost 9 years ago, so I'm not lucky enough to be able to share this day with him.  But, he was in my thoughts just the same. 

Yesterday, I waited ever-so-patiently at this Italian butcher to get the baby back ribs I'd be making today.  Seems everyone was planning a big meal with tons of different types of meats and I was one of the last people to enter the store.  Oh well, at least I was able to get what I wanted, others were not so lucky as many items had sold out already.

My Husband loves his baby back ribs, so I try to make them for him a couple of times every summer.  I always feel like they are a summertime food - finger lickin' good and VERY messy!  Today, we decided to get our smoker going and try a recipe he found for Memphis Dust Rub on the ribs, as well as preparing some of them the way I always have - kind of an insurance policy.

As you can see in the photo, the ribs on the left side were the smoked ribs and the ribs on the lower right side were the barbequed ribs.  Even though we still struggle with our smoker maintaining a constant temperature (a constant frustration for us) the smoked ribs did end up very tender - and the Memphis Dust Rub was fantastic!  Very full of flavor with just the right amount of sweetness, not much heat which was fine for us.  It makes about 3 cups worth, so I put quite a bit into a sealed plastic container to use throughout the summer. 

I think My Husband had a really nice Father's Day between having his favorite meal and dessert (I'll share that next time!).  Our Boys made him some really sweet and funny cards which made him smile. 
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.