how to cook baby back ribs

OK... take a deep breath... calm down...

What are you cooking them in? Knowing that will allow us to help you better...

Also, check out Pork Ribs 101 here...

http://www.cookshackamerica.com/porkribs101.aspx

I have had a cookshack for 3 weeks now, follow these instructions for a stress free cook:
break in your cookshack as per instructions, I was busy and let mine run all night,
line the floor of the cookshack with foil and be sure to poke a hole where the drain is
take a large piece of hickory and split it in 3 chunks about 3/4" thick and lay them in the woodbox (use smaller pieces if you like) foil the top of the woodbox
put your drip pan under the hole and the hole by the door drip edge use a rock in the pan if its windy
wash off your ribs and cut the small ends 11"-12" long
rub rib rub on the pieces
put the thinest pieces on the top rack and work towards the bottom rack put any side up it really does not matter, they are going to be great no matter what.
close the door and set thermostat at 225, do not use any thermometers, this will just frustrate you as a new owner (spent all day with mine when new doing temp checks, trying to figure what was wrong, turned out to be no problem)
in 5 hours your ribs will be done, set it and forget it (just make sure its on and has power)smoke will come out within an hour

ooppps, pull the membrane off the back of the ribs, a piece of paper towel helps to get a grip on it

Fine job by AAA.

The book is nice for recipes,but the forum will be your biggest asset.

Also,the rib archives are a great read.

Keep it as simple as you can, the first few times.

Don't try to incorporate everyone's tips.

Take good notes of all you do.

If the final product doesn't suit you,make small changes-one at a time.

Have fun.

I cooked some baby backs last weekend and they were GREAT...... Make sure you line the smoker for easy cleaning. Do not forget to cover the wood box with foil. Use 1-2 small pieces of hickory (hickory has a lot of bite). If you have apple, use a bigger piece along with one piece of hickory. I rinse my ribs under cold water, pat them dry and remove the membrane from the back. Try the Cookshack rub on your finger. If it is to spicy, mix with sugar. I do not coat the ribs to heavy with rub, but put a light dusting on the ribs. I work the rub into the meat with my fingers.

I like to use a Weber rib rack and metal rods to hold the ribs upright and not allow them to lean on each other. For baby backs I smoke about 3 1/2 hours at 225*. I like a light smoke. About 1/2 way through I open the door to let some moisture out. Do not forget your drip pan or to turn the unit on. I forgot to turn the unit on and it took me 20 minutes to figure it out. I have to turn my outlet on with a switch and I forgot about the temp dial on the unit.

After that, sit back and wait. Remember to go easy on the wood. You will be surprised at how little wood you need.

I agree with Tom to make small changes if you are not completely satisfied. Also, you may want to dust different racks of ribs with different rubs. This way you can do a taste test. I've done ribs with three different rubs on the same cook and asked my family for feedback. You can even use the same rub and experiment with how heavy you cover the ribs with rub. My feeling is the rub should complement the ribs, vs. the ribs are something to hold the rub.

I did three racks of baby back (from Costco) in my smokette on Father's Day and they were excellent. I pulled the membranes, rubbed with CS rib rub and let them sit overnight. I cut the racks in half, put them on rib hooks and hung them from the top rack of the oven. Cooked at 220 for five hours. Used about 2oz of hickory and the same of apple. Meat was fallng off the bones - tender, moist and delicious.

Papa Pig, I'm interested in your use of metal rods with the Weber rib racks. I have the same problem you described (ribs leaning together) and would like to know more about how you've solved it. Please elaborate. Thank you.

Don