Big Green Egg Baby Back Ribs

Want those fall off the bone ribs?  Just follow this simple 5 hour recipe.  Don't skimp on the time, if you don't have time, do something else.  Five or ten minutes per section won't hurt, but I've done abbreviated versions (like 3 hours total) and there is a clear difference in the tenderness of the meat.  Also, some people don't like the 'fall off the bone' kind of ribs.  They like it where the slab stays together and it's firm, making it easier to manage on the grill, etc.  So, to each their own, if you're shooting for a little less tenderness, customize this recipe to a 4 hour cook.  Find what works best for you, but here's mine:

1. Remove membrane from back of ribs if your butcher has not already.
2. Slather on regular ol' yellow mustard.  It acts as an adhesive for the rub you are about to apply.  Trust me, you will not be able to taste it.
3. Add your favorite rub or you see my post on how to make your own.  Coat it liberally in every crevasse. 
4. Setup your BGE for indirect with place setter legs up.  Use a drip pan to catch the juices.  I'll even add beer, water or apple cider vinegar to the drip tray to help keep a moist environment inside the grill.  I'm not sure how much this actually helps but it sure as hell doesn't hurt.
5. Put the grate on top of the place setter and clean it thoroughly.
6. Stabilize the fire at around 225-250.
7. Add your favorite wood chunks.
8. Put ribs on grill and set bottom vent to about a quarter of an inch and the top valve barely open.  Cook the rest of the way at a temperature between 200-225.
9. Cook ribs for 2 hours.  This is where it's gonna get all the smoke flavor so keep the wood burning during this step.  After this, you can even get by with not adding any additional wood because during this phase the meat has absorbed all the smoke it's going to.
10. Remove from grill, wrap in foil, return to grill for 2 hours (I sometimes spray with apple cider vinegar here, but again, not sure it really helps, the internal juices are enough I think).  This is the part where the ribs sit in their own evaporating juices and the collagen in the pork is breaking down to make them juicy and tender.  Pork is literally a different animal and is totally different than beef.  Low, slow and long for pork is where its at.  You have to cook through doneness, to tenderness.
11. Remove from grill, remove foil wrapping and return to grill for one more hour unwrapped (just like the first two hours).
12. Alternative to step 11.  I've experimented on this last hour with slowly getting the grill hotter to about 300-325, removing the place setter, slathering with BBQ sauce and cooking direct for a few minutes to get a good crust and let the sauce caramelize.  It's becoming my new favorite way but, either way works great.

 Tips:

• Use something to keep the drip pan off the place setter, like a few bolts or even rolled up foil.  Creating some space will keep the liquid from boiling and evaporating quickly.
• Rearrange ribs at a different places in the grill as you are foiling and unfoiling to ensure one rack isn't in a hot spot and cooks more than the others.