We love smoked baby back ribs. They do not have to come from a butcher shop – those from the supermarket such as Shaw’s are great. They must be cooked low and slow so that they become melt-in-your-mouth tender – here we cheat a little by first giving them a few hours in the oven. We then take them out to the grill or smoker and use wood chips such as mesquite or apple to give them a wonderful smoky infusion. And finally they need a slathering of BBQ sauce.

1. Apply a thin coating of dry rub the ribs, such as Butcher and Packer Sweet BBQ Rub, and let sit for a couple hours or refrigerate overnight.

2. Remove the excess rub from the ribs, place them on a cookie sheet, add a little water in the bottom, and cover with foil. Bake for 3 hours at 225 F.

3. On the grill or smoker, build a small fire, add water-soaked wood chips, arrange the ribs away from the fire, and put the cover on the grill. Smoke for 1 to 2 hours. We use a briquette such as Kingsford to get an even, long lasting fire.

4. Coat the ribs with BBQ sauce such as Diamond Dressing’s Sweet N’ Spicy BBQ Sauce. Grill for another 15 minutes.