[Homemade] Italian-flavored smoked baby back ribs

I’ve been working on this for a while and this was the best version yet. Basically what I’m trying to do is create a version of smoked pork ribs Italian-style…mainly because I get sick of the typical barbecue flavors.

I created a rub with ground rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper. I put that on the ribs after brushing with a honey-mustard binder and let them sit in the fridge overnight.

Then I smoked using my standard process for ribs:

1. Bring the smoker to 235F
2. Place the ribs on the rack meat-side up and smoke for 2 1/2 hours (I spritzed every 30 minutes with a dry white wine and champagne vinegar solution)
3. Wrap the ribs in foil meat-side down with honey, butter, onion powder, sugar and some of the spritz solution…return the the smoker for 1 1/2 hours
4. Unwrap and place back in the smoker meat-side up for 30 minutes, brushing with a homemade Italian flavored "BBQ sauce" (confit tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes)
5. Remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes before serving (wrap in paper and place in a room-temp cooler if you can).

Served with the Italian BBQ sauce, homemade pesto and garlicky mushrooms.