TwoBean: I don't mind sharing at all, but keep in mind that we like ours sweet, and I'm just a backyard enthusiast...not an expert!
I don't measure anything: it makes it interesting! I probably should measure to be more consistent, and especially to remember what I did if/when it turns out better than the last time.
I had two racks of ribs (to my surprise, my local meat market had already removed the membrane and trimmed much of the fat). I probably had about 2 cups of brown sugar, about 3 tablespoons of kosher salt (I sometimes use sea salt), about a teaspoon or more each of smoked paprika, onion power, and garlic powder, and a teaspoon or less of cumin. Later on, I realized that I forgot to add pepper. That's another problem with not writing it down!
I slather mustard on the ribs first (you don't taste the mustard when it's all done), add the rub, put them on a tray, cover them in plastic, and put them in the fridge for a few hours. I might have said this before, but if I'm only using the top rack (which has been all of the time for me so far), I put drip pans on the bottom rack. It makes clean-up easier. I usually foil the drip pans so I can use them a few times.
I used apple wood, but not too much. Three or four chunks, depending on their size, are enough for me. I also use the 3-2-1 method (2-2-1 for baby back ribs), and try to keep the temps between 225 and 245. This time, I didn't worry myself to death about trying to keep it right at 225.
In case you're not familiar with the 3-2-1 method:
The first three hours are on the smoker, bone side down. I spritz with apple juice after one hour, and again after two hours. After three hours, I take them off. I have heavy-duty aluminum foil (you don't want the bones to poke holes in your foil when you do this), put some brown sugar and squeeze butter on the foil, and lay the ribs on the sugar/butter with the bones facing up.
Some people add honey, tiger sauce, or other ingredients to the brown sugar and butter. I would have also added the honey if we had any. Also, instead of brown sugar for the rub, I've used Turbinado sugar ("sugar in the raw"), but it's a lot more coarse.
Anyway, you cook the ribs in the foil for 2 hours. Then you take them out of the foil and cook for one more hour, bone side down (just like the first 3 hours). If you want to add BBQ sauce, you do it during this final hour. You can add the sauce in layers several times in this last hour: with the low temps, it won't burn like it would on a grill.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to experiment! If you come up with something good, let us know...
