The Cooks' Ribs

For the vinegar-based sauce, use Wicker's vinegar-based marinade (available from wickersbbq.com) or a double batch of Lexington-Style BBQ sauce. For the dry rub, use Willingham's dry rub (available from bbqproshop.com) or a double batch of Classic BBQ Rub. Smoker boxes, apple chips and hickory chips are available from bbqproshop.com.

The Overnight Prep: Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane on the back and generously rub them down with the dry rub. Once rubbed, take each slab and cut in half. Bag them and refrigerate overnight.

Time to Cook: When you are ready to cook, remove ribs from refrigerator and allow them to reach room temperature. Light the grill and get the temperature up to 250ºF degrees.

The Bath: This recipe replaces basting with bathing. In a large disposable aluminum loaf pan, mix the Wicker's and the Italian dressing with about 1/4 cup of rub. Place the pan on the grill to keep warm.

Once the grill has reached 250ºF degrees, place all the ribs on the grill in a rib rack and let the smokin' begin! The temperature will drop a bit, but that's OK. Maintain a temperature of 225ºF degrees. After an hour has passed, the ribs will be ready for their first bath. Using a sturdy pair of locking chef tongs, submerge each slab in the "bath." Give them all a good dousing and return them to the heat. Repeat this process each hour until the ribs have been on the grill for 3 to 4 hours.

The Finish: At this point, take each half-slab and give it one last "bath." Place on aluminum foil for wrapping. Drizzle honey on slab and finish off with one last dash of dry rub. Repeat process for each slab. Stack 3 to 4 slabs on top of each other per foil package and wrap tightly.

After all the ribs have been wrapped, place them back on the grill for 1 1/2 more hours. Let them continue to slowly cook in the foil packages on indirect low heat, about 225º F. These ribs will take a total of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours to cook. Remove foil packages from grill as needed and serve.

Four racks will serve about 8 people but the recipe can easily be multiplied to feed more.