Believe me, there are many, many ways to cook ribs. Some recipes call for the ribs to be grilled directly over a hot fire, others cooked by indirect heat on the grill, but the ribs that taste the best by far are cooked "low and slow" on a smoker.

The term "Low and Slow" refers to cooking the ribs at a very low temperature (about 225 degrees) for a long period of time (about 5-6 hours). This gives you the most tender and flavorful ribs possible.

There are several different styles of barbecue smokers available which I discuss in another article but, the style I prefer is the off-set barrel smoker. This give you a cooking chamber with a separate fire-box off to one side and slightly lower than the rest of the smoker. It's a very efficient design for this particular type of barbecuing.

Meat choice is another consideration. There are Spare Ribs which are meaty and sometimes can be tough. Baby Back Ribs, which are usually the most tender, but are smaller in size. Then there's the St. Louis Cut. These are the perfect cross between the tenderness of the Baby Backs and the larger size of the Spare Ribs. The St. Louis Style is the cut I prefer and also chosen by most of the top barbecue competitors on the circuit today.

I start by removing the membrane, or fell, from the back of the rack of ribs. The membrane is the thin, plastic-like substance on the back (or bottom) of the ribs. This is done for two reasons. First, the membrane is tough, so removing the membrane will make the ribs more tender. Secondly, it will allow for the flavors of the dry rub and smoke to penetrate the meat deeper for a better tasting product.

To remove the membrane, you simply lay the ribs on a hard surface such as a table or kitchen counter with the bone side up. Start at a corner with a fork, spoon or something sharp (I prefer a meat thermometer) and pry it up. Then with a dry paper towel, pull the membrane off. It will take some time and practice to do this efficiently, but the results will be worth it.

Once the membrane has been removed, you can apply a dry rub. Coat the ribs generously on both sides and rub it into the meat. You can either do this early and let them marinade in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours or you can put them right on the smoker. However, the longer they marinade, the richer the flavor will be.

There are as many rub recipes as there are rib recipes. But a good standard barbecue rub consists of:

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup smoked paprika

• 3 tbs black pepper

• 3 tbs coarse salt

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp celery seeds

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

You can adjust the amounts to suit your taste and add or subtract as you please, but this will give you a good starting point.

Once you have that done, you can fire up your smoker and give it time to attain 225 degrees. Never put the ribs on the smoker until your temperature is up and constant. If you do, you run the risk of having ribs that are under cooked, and that's never good. Now add any wood that you want to use. Hickory is just fine for this purpose, but you can also use apple, cherry or pecan wood for a different flavor profile.

I use a cooking method called the 3-2-1 method. This is the most sure-fire way to get perfect ribs every time.

You start out by smoking the ribs in the smoker at 225 degrees for the first 3 hours. After three hours, take the ribs off the smoker and double wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. But before you seal them up, place about 1/3 cup of apple juice in the foil pouch with the ribs. Place the tightly sealed foiled ribs and apple juice back on the 225 degree smoker, and leave them to cook for 2 hours. The apple juice will both flavorize and, by steaming, tenderize the ribs. Unwrap the ribs after the two hour period and place them back on the smoker for 1 more hour to finish the cooking process. You can slather on your choice of barbecue sauce at this time for an added layer of flavor.

Now it has been six hours of cooking time (3-2-1) and your ribs should be done to perfection. Take them off the smoker and coat them one more time with barbecue sauce for that shiny look that is so eye-appealing. It's really important at this point to let them rest for 5 - 10 minutes before serving to allow the meat to finish cooking and the meat juices to really kick in. Don't be too surprised at the "OOH's and AAH's that you get when you finally bring these ribs to the table. They will be a real show-stopper.

And there you have it, the No-Fail Strategy for Smoking the Perfect BBQ Ribs. Take your time and ENJOY!