Hot & Fast 275°F Maple Smoked Ribs

Method

1. 1Leave the ribs untrimmed with the membrane on, and lightly score the membrane in a crosshatch with a knife.No trimming and no peeling in this method. The scoring is optional — the video is clear you do not need to do anything to the ribs — but cutting through the membrane lets rub and rendering fat get through it. Left on, the membrane crisped up and added texture, and the fat pockets under it added flavour.
2. 2Season both sides and the edges liberally with the All-Purpose Dry Rub, then the Maple Candy Dry Rub.The all-purpose rub goes on first as the savoury base, then the maple candy rub for sweetness. Top and bottom both need it, and getting some onto the edges helps. A shorter cook means less time for flavour to build, so do not be shy.
3. 3Smoke on the top rack of the Traeger Woodridge Pro at 275°F with maple pellets, undisturbed, for 1 hour.275°F is hotter than the usual 225°F rib cook, which is why this one finishes hours sooner. Maple pellets tie in with the maple rub and the maple syrup in the wrap. Keep the lid shut for the whole first hour, when the cold, moist surface takes smoke most readily.
4. 4After an hour, rotate each rack 180° and swap their positions, then smoke for another hour.Pellet grills rarely heat perfectly evenly, and one side or rack position usually runs hotter. Turning and swapping the racks evens out the colour and the cook so both finish together.
5. 5At the 2-hour mark, lay out foil, smear on butter and add maple syrup and BBQ sauce.This becomes the braising liquid and, later, the glaze. Butter adds richness and savouriness, maple syrup the sweetness, and BBQ sauce body and tang. The sauce is optional according to the video, and the maple candy rub is already sweet, so keep the syrup modest.
6. 6Lay each rack top side down on the mixture, wrap it tightly with no air pockets, and return it to the smoker for 45 minutes to 1 hour.Meat side down puts the top of the rack in the butter and syrup, where it braises. A tight wrap keeps the liquid against the meat instead of pooling at the ends. At 275°F ribs soften quickly in foil, so check them at 45 minutes.
7. 7Unwrap, turn the racks face up and finish uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the sauce tacks up.The ribs come out of the foil wet. The open finish lets the maple and butter sauce set onto the surface so it turns sticky and glossy. Spoon some of the liquid from the foil over the top if you want more glaze. Open the foil away from you; it holds a lot of steam.
8. 8Check with the bend test, then slice between the bones.Lift a rack from the middle with tongs: it should bend and flex, with the surface starting to crack. A bite should come cleanly off the bone without the meat falling apart. Slicing meat side down makes it easier to see where the bones run.

Watch it on YouTube