Rinse the ribs in cold water, and pat them dry with a paper towel. You rinse them to get rid of the bone ‘dust’ that comes from sawing them.
Make sure you remove the thin membrane on the bone side. This is easiest to do with a butter knife (or dull knife) and a paper towel. Gently lift and grab the membrane at one end with the dull knife. Grab and hold it with the paper towel, this will give you a good grip. Pull it all off. There are two reasons for removing the membrane:- Removing it allows the flavors from your rub to penetrate the meat on the bone side.- It isn’t particularly nice to chew on.
Now use the salt and apply a dry brine the night before, or at least 2 hours before cooking. Apply your favorite rub at least one hour before cooking.
Get your grill prepared for indirect grilling, have it running at 110-120° C / 225–240° F.
Place the cherry wood chunks on the coals/briquettes, place the ribs on the grill, close the lid and wait.
Pour the concentrated apple juice in a small spray bottle, and spray the ribs every 45 minutes until they’re done.
The Bend Test
How do you know when they’re done? It is easy, use the bend test. For one rack of ribs running at 110° C / 225° F ribs usually takes approximately 3.5-4.5 hours.