Rub: Combine all of the ingredients and set aside.
Spritzer: Add the apple juice, cider, and water to a spray bottle and shake. Set aside.
Sauce: In a small saucepot add in the BBQ sauce, butter and 1 cup of the spitzer mix. Keep warm.
Rub the mustard all over both sides of the ribs creating a thin layer.
Next, generously season the ribs on both sides with the rub. See Notes.
Add the ribs to the smoker and cook for 1 hour. Spray the ribs with 8-10 sprays of the spritzer.
Repeat this process for the next 90 minutes then cook for 30 more minutes.
After 3 hours total of smoking time, remove the ribs.
1Pour about a ½ cup of the mixed sauce over the ribs and rub it in on all sides.
1Add about ¼ cup of the mixed BBQ sauce onto the center of a large sheet of the heavy-duty foil where the ribs are going to go and place ribs bone side up to the top of the sauce on the foil and wrap them extremely tight by folding over and covering up the ribs.
1Place the ribs back on the smoker bone side up and cook for 3 hours or until they are done. See Notes.
1Remove the ribs from the smoker and let rest in the foil for 30-45 minutes before slicing and serving.
1Serve ribs with BBQ sauce on the side.
Notes
Chef Notes:• You can absolutely use a standard charcoal grill to smoke food in, and if you like to grill and smoke then take a look at pellet grills like Traeger or even a stone style grill, the Big Green Egg.• You can absolutely use your favorite rub for this ribs recipe, or you can even add additional ingredients such as sugar, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, cumin or anything else you love and want to put in it. Get creative!• Seasoning Note: Season, do not cake the rub on it. It should not be a thickly coated rub.• Remember to scrunch the ribs together once on the smoker to sort of compact them. This will help seal in juices similar to that of trussing.• Doneness Note: Here is how you know your ribs are done: • If you pick up the ribs in the center do, they droop down into a u shape and slightly start to split • On the back side of the ribs is the meat pulling away from the bone. • When gently moving the ribs, the top skin should slightly crack.