Psalm 23 Smoked Ribs

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back ribs
• Brown sugar (1/2 cup)
• Smoked paprika (2 tbsp)
• Garlic powder (1 tbsp)
• Onion powder (1 tbsp)
• Cumin (1 tsp)
• Black pepper (1 tbsp)
• Kosher salt (1 tbsp)
• Cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp)
• Yellow mustard (binder)
• Apple juice (for spritzing)
• Butter (4 tbsp)
• Honey (3 tbsp)
• Apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp)
• Your favorite BBQ sauce (optional glaze)
• Cherry or apple wood chunks

Instructions

1. David wrote Psalm 23 as a man who had spent years outside, tending animals, watching the sky, sleeping on the ground. He knew something about slow work in quiet places. "He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul."
2. These ribs are a Psalm 23 cook. Not rushed. Not stressed. The kind of afternoon where you light the fire, sit down, and let the smoke and the silence do their work on you.
3. **The Rub:** 1. Mix together brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, and cayenne. This is your house rub. Make extra — you'll use it on everything.
4. Remove the membrane from the bone side of each rack. Grab the corner with a paper towel and pull firmly. It should come off in one piece.
5. Coat both sides with a thin layer of yellow mustard. Apply the rub generously on both sides. Let them sit at room temp while you get the fire going.
6. **The Cook:** 4. Smoker at 225°F with cherry or apple wood. These are baby backs, not spare ribs — they're leaner and more forgiving. Cherry wood gives them a subtle sweetness that pairs with the brown sugar rub.
7. Place ribs bone-side down on the grate. Close the lid and walk away. This is the green pastures part. Sit down. Read something. Pray if you want. Don't open the lid for 2 hours.
8. After 2 hours, spritz lightly with apple juice every 45 minutes. You're not soaking them — just a light mist to keep the surface tacky for smoke absorption.
9. At hour 3.5-4, check the bark. When it's dark mahogany and the meat has pulled back about 1/4 inch from the bone tips, it's time to wrap.
10. Lay each rack on a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, a drizzle of honey, and a splash of apple cider vinegar to each rack. Wrap tightly. Back on the smoker for 1.5 hours.
11. Unwrap. If you want a glaze, brush on your BBQ sauce now. Return to the smoker unwrapped at 250°F for 20-30 minutes to set the glaze.
12. **The Test:** 10. Pick up a rack with tongs in the center. If it bends deeply and the bark cracks on top, they're done. The meat should pull cleanly from the bone but not fall off — that means you've gone too far.
13. Rest 10 minutes. Slice between every bone. Stack them high.
14. He prepares a table before you. This is that table.