I cook my ribs on my gas grill. I have a five burner grill which is great because it gives me plenty of space to get the ribs away from the direct heat source. I start by peeling the film off the inside of the rack of ribs. This film tends to get crispy and tough and really adds nothing for flavor or function. I do a dry rub on both sides and wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil to sit overnight in the refrigerator. I use a cookie pan with the cooling rack in it and place the ribs on it meat side up. I place this all the way to one side of my grill and use only one burner on the opposite side of the grill. I make up foil pouches with previosuly soaked hickory or mesquite chips and place that directly on top of the heat diffuser that is over the flame. My grill has a chip tray, but I find that the foil packet with lots of fork holes punched in the top works much better. I mop my ribs with a 70/30 combination of apple cider vinegar and clover honey, respectively. Usually mopping 6-8 times in the process. I try to maintain an ambient temperature inside the grill of between 200-275 degrees, depending on how quickly I want them done. I do not recommend higher or lower temperatures than this. 1-2 average racks of ribs should be done in about 4 hours. Let me know what you think!

When I do baby rack ribs I slow cook them in a shallow pan on a rack with about a quarter of an inch to half inch of water in the bottom of the pan, cover tightly with foil. I will cook them at 325 for a couple of hours. I can fridge them or cook them on the grill right away. In your case you may want to fridge them and pull them out just before your gathering, hubby can grill them while the corn is resting. just a thought.

Ribs need to be cooked for a long time at 250 degrees - 5 to 6 hours. If you cook them hotter, cook them drier (no marinade) and faster - 3 to 4 hours. If you cook them hotter, plan on wrapping them in foil so that they don't dry out and turn to shoe leather. Either way, there are a couple of things to avoid. First, do not use liquid smoke unless you are trying to get cancer. Next, properly cooked ribs should NOT fall off the bone, you should be able cleanly tug the meat off the bone. It really doesn't matter whether you cook them in a smoker, gas grill, or the oven as long as you cook them completely through. There are dozens of methods and thousands of rubs, none are the be all end all of rub cooking. Rubs are all about personal preference.

I appreciated the feedback on the closed oven (don't peek!) method and plan on using this technique for Christmas dinner. Girlnamedgalez and Cooper, good to know you use this technique and have had success! Soukmom, yes Chef John's recipe is similar. I came across that in my search. I am glad that works well, another vote of confidence. Sushipup, I agree that the beef must be prime, preferably aged. So good! Rita, that is the traditional method, one that I usually use. I'm just looking to change things up a bit. Thanks all!