Questions for you rib experts

Well,I'm no expert,but I'll throw out a couple thoughts-until they get here.

Loin backs are easy to prep,cook faster,and are a good deal more expensive.

But there is a lot less waste.

Many folks like the extra meat and more flavor of spares.

St. Louis spares will lay better in the comp turnin box,because they don't have the curve of loinbacks.

You can find promo spares for $0.99/lb,while loinbacks may be $4 +.

They can be trimmed to look like big loinbacks[St. Louis cut]

Large promo slabs take 5,6,7,8 hrs to finish.

As to wood,ribs have a low meat to bone ratio,so don't take as much rub or smoke as big hunks of meat.

If you are using the little smokette,I'd start out with about 4 oz. and adjust next time.

I've heard of a fellow that could probe a loinback and figure it out.Don't remember whether he thought 185� or 205� was the magic number.

Don't remember if he used duct tape,or what.

I've never been smart enough to do it.

"Open periodically",might mean open around three hours ,flip,check, spray and go leave them alone until you think it might be time to check again.

Might be an hour for loinbacks,maybe two hrs for spares,until you check again.

When you pick them up in the middle with your tongs and they bend enough the meat about breaks,you are pretty close.

Stick your probe between the ribs or twist the little end bone and that will give you a pretty good idea.

Meat often draws up from the ends of the bone from 1/4"-1/2" or more.

I'm not much for hanging ribs and don't know anybody personally that does it,but some folks rotate them for even cooking or go down about two or three bones from the small end to set the rib hook.

I did see a guy on TV do it once.

One problem with hanging from the small bone,is it gets tender quick and the hooks may tear out

Hopefully,some folks that hang them will chime in.

Hope this helps a little.

I'd go lighter on the wood. 2-3oz max for sweet woods like apple and cherry, 2oz max for hickory and mesquite. Pecan is in between.

No change really for more or less slabs - I think that it's mostly a time consideration.

studly,
i hope this helps you.
back ribs are the trim from pork loin. picture a pig standing on all fours and from his backbone down to about middle of his belly is where the loin comes from. to get really technical this is a namps #422.
now spare ribs come from the same line before the rear leg and in front of the front legs but come from about mid way down the hogs belly to where it ends(ez way is take your hand put it on your side about half way to your navel and picture your self on all fours neat thing is this cut is called a namps #416 and the really cool part is with just a knife you can cut 416A st louis and get rib tips. saves a lot of money and the rib tips are the best part to me. i just did 4 cyrovac packs that i got for 1.19/lb and it only took about 6 mins total time to make the cuts. the one thing you have to remember is the higher up on a hog or beef the less the muscle gets used so it is more naturally tender and you have to account for this when cooking. but for me i like doing the cuts to make a 416 into 416a and b and i like saving the money too
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Each rib cut has its pros and cons:

1) As stated above by our most illustriative companions, the baby back ribs (sometimes referred to as loin back ribs) are the ribs closest to the back bone. Further down are the spare rib section. The baby backs are what Chili's restaurant sings about and what I think most folks use at the competitions. I like the baby backs the best but I do also like a St. Louis cut on the spare. Thats where the spare ribs are cut down and remove the cartiledge section (you can use these as snack bits or in Brunswick stew). On the spares I like to crisp them on the grill after smoking them and basteing them too.

2) One of the first things I found out with bbq is that you can do alot with less wood (except for butt and sholders)

3) Placement of the Taylor or Polder temperature probe in the largest section. I take them off at 185 F and then crisp them on a grill for just a couple of minutes and baste them. I maintain a log of my results and am very consistent. One time though I bought some ribs from Sams and despite cooking them the same way and manner they were terrible...they were just bad bad ribs.

4)I have used rib racks but never have used hooks.


There is a ton of info out there on this forum. Baby Back ribs are the 2nd hardest thing to get right but the hardest is brisket, in my opinion.

Good luck, let us know what you do and how it goes.

PrestonD

Studly-I was having a hell of time with ribs which was the subject of a prior thread here from about a month and a half ago. Every time since then when I mentioned ribs to my wife she just rolled her eyes and said "Oh please - Not again". So - it's been brisket, butts, etc with which I've had some great results.

School's out so wife and daughter went to our house in FL last week for a couple of months and left me to my own devices. Decided this past Sat. to try and conquer the rib monster on my own and, based solely upon the advice from everybody in the thread, I think I whipped it.

Got 2 racks of spares and trimmed St Louis style. Coated lightly with mustard and rub and refrigerated for 2 nights (my timing issue). Put in an unheated Smokette for 4 hours at 225F with 2 oz. of apple. Removed, applied a liberal dose of apple juice, foiled and, returned to smoker for 1 hour. Removed, unfoiled, spritzed liberally with Smokin's butt sauce (this stuff's great) and returned to smoker for 1 more hour. Removed, spritzed again, foiled and, rested for 30 minutes.

The end result, to me, were perfect ribs. Great texture and taste. Very nice bark - not too much or too little. Nicely pulled away from the bone but not too much. Midway between chewy and falling off the bone. Had my rib sauce that I was going to apply but decided against it. The combo of the rub, apple juice, and Smokin's sauce was right on the money. From an aesthetic point of view, the ribs were cookbook cover material. Unfortunately, I left my camera at the office and was unable to get any pics. Called my wife to share my excitement and her response was " It must be me".

BTW - Had half a rack left and the next evening carved the meat from 3 bones, diced, added to 3 stirred eggs with a few dashes of Crystal and, scrambled. The smokey rib meat with the eggs was wonderful. Leftovers rule.

Thanks everyone for your advice and help with the ribs. The credit is all yours.

I wish dls had posted before last weekend.

I tried "Texas BBQ Rub" from Stafford, TX on two racks of spares. Refrigerated overnight. Most of the rub seemed to have come off with lots of juice the next morning. So I coated them again before putting them in the smoker.

Put them in cold and smoked for 4.5 hours at 225F with 3oz of Hickory. No peeking for the entire time.

Result: Too much smoke for my taste, not juicy enough and somewhat salty.

What did I learn: I'm having a tough time with ribs. Don't go nuts with a rub I'm not familiar with. Easy on the Hickory until I find what's best for me. And one or two peeks may not be so bad.