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9 replies

Spare Ribs & Thermometers

FM Former Member
Hi Fellow Smokers,

I am cooking pork spare ribs in my Amerque. I am using a Maverick remote thermometer with dual probe. I am smoking about 5 pounds of ribs and cut them in half and place them flat on the rack.

I placed them in the smoker at noon and placed the thinner rack on the top. I set the temperature at 225. At 1:30 the temperature was up to 166. I assume the well done temp is 170 according to the thermometer.

I have read on the forum to cook 4 to 5 hours. At this rate my ribs will be at 225 degrees.

Any suggestions?
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FM Former Member
Oh! I having a bad day. Its now 3:50 mins in to my cook and thundershowers are heading my way.

I hope covering the top control panel will be enough so I don't break my smoker with a short.

Back to the cook....
my thin ribs reached 175 so I wrapped them in foil and kept them in the smoker. The thicker rib slab is about 157. They have a good dark smoke color but not pulling away from the bone very much.

I marching on at 225 degrees and hope I dont get much of a rain shower!

Thanks for the help.....
FM Former Member
Don't go by temp on ribs....ever.

Go by feel. See if they bend about 45 degrees when held in the middle with tongs and start to break. Or take a toothpick and see if it passes through the thickest part with little resistance. If one or both of those happens....they're ready.

Nothing' wrong with your smoker.
T tomMember
Like crony says.

I know we have a couple folks on here that like to temp probe ribs,but, personally, I've never been able to figure out how.

Think about cooking a dozen,or so,slabs,with different weights,thickness,placement in the cooker.

I've heard everywhere from 170º to 225 º as "done".

Don't know if that means old, tough,prefrozen slabs,or young fresh market hogs.

Is that slabs with a lot of fat to render,or overly lean slabs?

Inquiring minds want to know?
Last edited by tom
Q qnorthNear Traverse City, MI
I agree with Tom. Besides the ribs being different between two or more slabs, each time you buy ribs you're going to find that they cook differently.

Add to that the fact that trying to probe them is really an inexact chore because you might be next to a bone or the meat might be thin etc etc etc.

I probably have more remote therms than anyone on this list (yeh, I've got waay too many and some I haven't even used yet) but I have never tried to put a probe into them.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by cronyism sucks:
Don't go by temp on ribs....ever.

Go by feel. See if they bend about 45 degrees when held in the middle with tongs and start to break. Or take a toothpick and see if it passes through the thickest part with little resistance. If one or both of those happens....they're ready.


I like that 45 degree rule. I assume that's for full racks of babybacks? What about half racks? Will they bend that much?

Thanks.
FM Former Member
I'm far from being a "pro" but I just pick up one of the larger slabs, grab one rib bone in the center of the slab and give it a little "twist". If it pulls away from the meat, I consider it done...If the meat still hangs onto the bone, it goes back in the smoker... never failed me yet.

LL

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