2nd try at spare ribs on my new cookshack

A lot depends on the quality of meat, were they fresh? Frozen? Defrosted and refrozen? Full Spares or St. Louis cut 3 pounds and under?

You don't mention what temperature you smoked your spare ribs?

Salt will not make your ribs tough unless you bury them in a pile of it for a week or so!

Spare Ribs three pounds and up take at least six hours in my Amerique at 250 degrees.

Learn to test your ribs before you take them out of the smoker. And "yes" many variables with ribs - b-backs, loin backs, spares, St. Louis, etc.

To test ribs, using tongs, try to pick them up grasping them just shy of center. If the meat begins to crack, they're done

Another method - Use a toothpick. If the toothpick will go through the thickest meat with little resistance, they're done.

Don't open the door until at least the 3 1/2 hour mark, more if you're doing spares/St.Louis.

If the ribs meet either of the above criteria and you definitely want them "falling off the bone," which some consider over-cooked, add 45 minutes to 1 hour to the cook.

Hope this helps a little.

Notes, keep great notes.

You didn't mention the type of ribs or the weight. If you did small BB's the first time and heavy spares the 2nd, they wouldn't be close.

Salt WILL draw out moisture and has zero to to with tenderness. don't add the salt unless the Flavor needed you to do it.

Like Wheelz said, find a method that works for you to judge tenderness. There are SO many methods, it's tough to find one. For me, I invented the toothpick method so I wouldn't have to pick it up with tongs and crack the ribs.

geez bachus 6 hours at 250? i would think they get dried out and more like beef jerkey texture.

they were costco spare ribs, not frozen. 4 lbs each slab if i remember correctly (just did one slab)

i am pretty convinced it was the the salt. probably drew out way too much moisture? i put a good amount of salt and rib rub on them.

i am going to assume from now on that store bought rib rubs have salt in them already. i didnt think about that.

i will do another 4lbs slab friday, just rub, no salt. this time i will try what quite a few people are recommending. 3 hours or so at 250 instead of 4 hours or so at 225

that being said the basic principle is let them cook longer to get more tender is key. but its difficult when youre getting hungry after the third hour and you start nibbling on other stuff and eat too much by the time they are done hehehe

i will do the toothpick trick at the 3rd hour mark

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:

Salt WILL draw out moisture and has zero to to with tenderness. don't add the salt unless the Flavor needed you to do it.

You'll wish you had salted them when you're done. Like Smokin' says salt has nothing to do with tenderness, nothing, nada, zilch, zippo!

Good luck on the next batch!

You really need some salt. How much depends on the ribs being "solutionized" or not, since this is basically salt water, and how salty your finishing sauce will be. You have to find a balance that you like, but the saltier the rib rub, the sweeter the sauce will need to be in general. No salt at all will likely lead to a dull, tasteless rib.

If you're still having problems after the next batch, try using 2 tbsp of garlic salt, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 level tsp cayenne pepper, and 1 cup packed brown sugar as a rub. Mix well and do a medium sprinkle 30 minutes before smoking. Don't pack it on. You won't use all the rub; maybe 2 tbsp per side. This may not be the perfect rub, but it won't be objectionable and it will give you a baseline from which to build your own.

To finish, use your favorite sauce cut 1/2&1/2 with honey(or equal parts honey, sauce, and ketchup if you like a tomatoey rib). Brush on while grilling or broiling until you have the glaze you want.

Next time, if you want to go crazy, mix 1 part sauce with 1 part strawberry preserves(or peach) instead of the honey. Say 1 cup each, then toss in a very finely chopped 1/2 cup of sauteed jalapenos. Let simmer together for 20 minutes or so, then brush on ribs. Way good.(This works real well on tenderloin too using orange marmalade)

I can't speak to the timing issue. If I know ribs will take 4-5 hours, I'll plan accordingly and eat a sandwich or something high in fiber. This will fill you up and clean you out in preparation for the big feed. I wouldn't critique the ribs too severely until I'd cooked them properly.

quote:

Originally posted by Luisfc1972:
geez bachus 6 hours at 250? i would think they get dried out and more like beef jerkey texture.

they were costco spare ribs, not frozen. 4 lbs each slab if i remember correctly (just did one slab)

4lbs can easily take 5 to 7 hours, those are big spares.

Key is, stop me if you've heard this:

It's done when it's done

Just means that even if it sounds long, if that's what it takes, that's what it takes.

Todd can tell ya that caterers,or home cooks,learn to toss some store bought ,cooked/smoked sausage,in for an hr,or two.

Cut in one inch chunks,set out with toothpicks,and a little jalapeno mustard for folks to nibble on.

Cheap and you can't ruin them.

Tides folks over,until the main event.

Caterers survival creed in 3 easy steps:
1)Make the kids happy
2)Have something to nibble on
3)Have a plan "B"

I always have shredded cheese, tortillas, meatballs, and pre-cooked chicken wings for kids, at the very least.

The adult survival kit is smoked sausage just like Tom said, with my homemade Boursin cheese, apple slices, mustard, and water crackers. I can easily kill an hour with this.

quote:

Next time, if you want to go crazy, mix 1 part sauce with 1 part strawberry preserves(or peach) instead of the honey. Say 1 cup each, then toss in a very finely chopped 1/2 cup of sauteed jalapenos. Let simmer together for 20 minutes or so, then brush on ribs. Way good.(This works real well on tenderloin too using orange marmalade)

Well, it's my brothers last night for this visit, and I decided to do the baby back ribs with Todd's recipe. I, also, did smoked BBQ beans(grilled hot dogs, onions, and mustard variant to Smokins BBQ Beans), tortellini, waldorf salad, and garlic bread.

I used Cookshack rib rub, Bullseye Barbecue Sauce/strawberry preserves and pepper and garlic instead of the jalapenos. Started the baby backs at 250 then dropped the temperature to 225 after two hours. I opened the smoker twice to spritz the ribs with a high grade apple juice and again right after I took them out after smoking for 4 hours. I, then, put on the glaze/sauce and once again as I was finishing the baby backs on the grill.

Everything turned out great. Todd is right. Way good on the ribs. I thought the recipe seemed extreme enough that it might just turn out to be pretty good. I'm glad I took the leap on this one. Hey, if you can't experiment on your brother, who can you experiment on? Thanks Todd. You came through once again. The ribs were moist, tender, flavorful, and had a neat glaze on them. Smokin's beans still the best.

Glad you liked it. Do try it with the japs sometime. If they have any bite it really rounds out the flavor. The jalapenos around here lately taste like grass. No heat at all.

It's a fun flavor combination to play with. I used to marinate a boneless pork butt in orange marmalade, dried onions, vinegar, garlic, and chili powder. Really more of a paste rub. Very good flavors. I don't use it on butts anymore, but it gets to play on tenderloin pretty frequently. It's actually best on game meats like boar, but I don't know if Roseville is boar country or not.


EDIT: I just Googled Roseville and it looks doubtful that you'd have any wild boar in your area, but with all those golf courses, if you turned a few pigs loose, in a couple of years you should have a decent supply of wild pig to smoke.

There's a whole mess of wild pigs running around on Duke University's campus here and they can't get rid of those things once they get settled in. They'd find life on a golf course real inviting.

You're right. No boars. Lots of golf courses. And I can't golf again until September cause of the rotator cuff surgery. Bummer. Oh well. More Q I guess. Let's see. Less exercise and more food. Next you'll see me on America's Biggest Losers.

Luisfc1972

I am also struggling with my ribs. I had my first two attempts at ribs last month which were good enough to eat but not good enough to share.

I strongly recommend a journal/notebook, thermometer, and scale.

Here is why. I did a small turkey breast last month and brought it to 165 degrees and I thought it was dry. When I did turkey breast again last week I brought it to 160 and it was great. Same wood, same rub just 5 degrees difference which I wrote in my journal as a “to do next time”

I also noticed last month when I did chicken breast that the weight made huge difference. I bought the boneless chicken breast at the store then I went home and but each breast on a scale. 14 oz, 13 oz, 8 oz, and 7 oz. So I put my only ONE thermometer probe in the biggest chicken breast. Tasted great but the smaller chicken breast were all dry.

So take a crazy amount of notes including weight of each slab and how much rub etc. You need to be a little OCD on your first few attempts. Then relax and enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd G.:
Next time, if you want to go crazy, mix 1 part sauce with 1 part strawberry preserves(or peach) instead of the honey. Say 1 cup each, then toss in a very finely chopped 1/2 cup of sauteed jalapenos. Let simmer together for 20 minutes or so, then brush on ribs. Way good.(This works real well on tenderloin too using orange marmalade)

Now Todd, you're holding out on everyone. give them a wacky name (you know kinda like you) and post them in the recipe section.

but Strawberry jelly?

Next thing you know you'll say Grape. Although, I know a fair number of teams SAY they use grape on the circuit

You really don't notice the strawberry preserves (not jelly) when it's mixed with barbecue sauce, pepper and garlic. Added a sweetness to the sauce and went well with the ribs. They really turned out great. Developed a nice glaze on the ribs the short time on the grill. My brother really enjoyed them, and I know I'll be using it again.

My bbribs have been coming out on the dry side, cooking @ 225, good flavor though. I cook a meaty slab for two hrs then 2 hrs in foil with a mist of apple juice, then 1 hour out of the foil. I use cookshack rib rub. I want fall off the bone ribs, what am I doing wrong. I just got these ribs at Whole Foods, not cheap. Going to give it another shot today. Does anyone know about the infusion pan Cookshack sells.

I'm no expert but I do cook with a few.

You don't mention what you cook on,which can make a lot of difference.

Have you weighed your slabs and what are they,that can make a big difference.

Some folks will suggest cooking more like 260º to 275º and leave the tricks out for now. Run a toothpick between the ribs around 3 hrs.If not tender ,cook another 45 mins.Try again.


The answers to the other questions will help the good rib cooks on here help.

Read Ribs 101 while you are waiting.

Relax,we'll get you there.

I cook on a Cookshack elite 025. The ribs came out good, but they were expensive and could not afford to serve them to company. First time they came out good. Told the butcher at Whole Foods about the dry ribs and he sold me a very meaty one, thus the price. I am thinking of going to Costco for bbribs, heard they were good. Anyone get their bbribs there?

quote:

Originally posted by AngieMac:
My bbribs have been coming out on the dry side, cooking @ 225, good flavor though. I cook a meaty slab for two hrs then 2 hrs in foil with a mist of apple juice, then 1 hour out of the foil. I use cookshack rib rub. I want fall off the bone ribs, what am I doing wrong.

Tom offers you excellent advice. The weight of your ribs can help us better dial you in. The 2-2-1 method you use should have yielded falling off the bone results, given a 2.5 lb rack of loin backs.

While I don't have close proximity to a Costco, I believe they sell Swift loin backs, which I've used with great results. Look for racks in the 2.5 - 3 lb weight range. Avoid "shiners" - racks cut too close to the bone which expose the top of the bones.

My suggestion would be to avoid the foiling method until your comfortable with your results from a K.I.S.S. smoking method. Apply rub, wrap and hold for an hour, smoke at 250. they should be toothpick tender at the 4-4.5 hr mark.

I've used Costco ribs for years and I'm happy with them. I buy them in the three pack and generally do one rack at a time for my self....

As the GREAT cooks above have said keep it simple (KISS), and take notes, UNTIL you have perfected your ribs technique.