Dad ... will you make ribs?

Music to my ears.  My daughter's 18th birthday, and she wants dad's ribs for her birthday dinner.  I thought about it for several days before settling on a menu.  I decided on a few racks of big, meaty beef back ribs.  Along with this, their perfect accompaniments -- corn on the cob, baked beans, and cole slaw.

The evening before my daughter's birthday dinner, I made the cole slaw -- it's always better the next day.  I also put some of my favorite dry rub on the meat, and put it back in the refrigerator to marinate over night.

On the day of the big dinner, I put the ribs into the smoker -- a gift my kids got me for Father's Day last year.  After the ribs smoked for about three hours, I wrapped them in foil and put them back into the smoker box to continue cooking; a technique known as Texas Crutch.  While in the smoker, I prepared the baked beans, and a cola-based barbecue sauce.

About 45 minutes before serving, I unwrapped the ribs and placed them on the grill.  I slathered them with the tasty barbecue sauce, and let the heat take care of melding all of the flavors together.  Ready to serve, the ribs were cut into "single serving" ribs. A beautiful pink smoke ring was present, and the meat was tender and moist.  

While there was a lot of "oooh's" and "mmm's" around the table, but the best compliment I received was when my 95 pound daughter asked me to pass her a third rib and a second helping of beans.  It was a good day.