Steak & Baby Back's Duo Recipe

Temper and season

Remove steaks from refrigerator 45–60 minutes before cooking and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with kosher salt, then sprinkle with coarse black pepper and garlic powder, pressing the rub gently to adhere.

Preheat and sear

Preheat a heavy cast-iron skillet (or grill) over high heat until smoking hot. Add neutral oil to the skillet and swirl to coat. Sear steaks 2–3 minutes per side without moving to develop a deep brown crust.

Baste and finish

Reduce heat to medium-high. Add unsalted butter, thyme sprigs, and crushed garlic to the pan. Tilt the pan and use a spoon to baste the melted butter over the steaks continuously for 1–3 minutes while cooking to desired doneness (target internal temps: 120–125°F rare, 125–130°F medium-rare, 130–135°F medium).

Rest and slice

Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest loosely tented with foil for 8–10 minutes to let juices redistribute. Optionally top with compound butter. Slice against the grain and garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedge if desired.

Prepare ribs

Preheat smoker to 225°F (107°C). Remove membrane from the bone side of each rack: slide a knife under the membrane at one end, lift and grab with a paper towel and pull off. Pat the ribs dry.

Apply binder and rub

Brush both sides of each rack lightly with yellow mustard as a binder (it will not taste mustardy when cooked). Combine brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder in a bowl. Sprinkle the rub evenly and press it onto both sides of each rack.

Smoke low and slow

Place racks bone-side down on the smoker grates. Maintain smoker temperature at 225°F. Smoke for 3 hours undisturbed, spritzing occasionally (every 45–60 minutes) with apple juice to keep surface moist and help bark formation.

Wrap (optional tenderization)

After ~3 hours, check for good color and bark. For tender ribs, wrap each rack tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil with a couple tablespoons of apple juice inside the foil packet. Return to smoker for another 1.5–2 hours until meat is tender (meat will pull back from the bone ~1/4–1/2 inch and a probe will slide in with little resistance).

Sauce and finish

Carefully unwrap the racks and place back on the smoker or a hot grill for 10–15 minutes. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce and let set for 5–10 minutes to glaze. If you skipped wrapping, still glaze in the last 20–30 minutes of smoking.

Rest and portion

Let ribs rest for 10 minutes, then cut between bones into portions. Serve alongside sliced steak.

Plate one sliced steak and one portion of baby back ribs per serving. Spoon any steak resting juices or reserved pan sauce over the steak. Garnish with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge. Offer extra barbecue sauce on the side and compound butter to melt over the steak if desired.