Ingredients

For the Rib Rub:
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup garlic seasoning
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup lemon pepper
1/4 cup onion salt
1/4 cup celery salt
2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons whole celery seeds
1 teaspoon crushed cloves
1 tablespoon cayenne
1/2 cup Mrs. Dash original blend
1/4 cup salt

Thoroughly mix all rub ingredients. Store in airtight container. Use to rub on ribs or other meats before smoking.

Ribs:
2 (4 to 5-pound) racks spareribs
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup minced dried onion
1 cup Rib Rub
1 (20-ounce) bottle favorite barbecue sauce (or Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce)

Directions

The night before smoking, trim your ribs of excess fat. Place in a large plastic bag; pour in Italian dressing to coat. Seal bag. Refrigerate 4 hours, turning occasionally. Remove and wipe dressing off. Sprinkle each rib with pepper, then 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of the onion flakes. Wrap each rib in plastic and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, remove wrap and wipe mixture off ribs. Generously coat front and back of ribs with Rib Rub. Using your hands, rub seasoning into meat and set aside. The smoking process takes 6 hours. Using a chimney charcoal starter, get 15 briquettes red hot. Place coals on one end of grill and place 1 pound of green hickory (or water-soaked hickory chunks) around coals. Keep internal temperature of grill at 200-225 degrees, adding charcoal and hickory as needed. Place ribs bone-side down, but not directly over hot coals. After 3 hours, remove ribs from grill; wrap in aluminum foil. Hold in covered grill at 180-200 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until fork tender. Next build a real hot bed of coals over the entire bottom of grill. Place ribs back on grill to add char flavor. When meat becomes bubbly, it is done. Char off bone-side membrane until it becomes papery and disintegrates. Slather with barbecue sauce. Sit to let heat caramelize sauce. Serves 5 to 6.