Skip to main content

3 replies

Spare Ribs - First Smoke

B bigpoppyMember
Hello Everyone. First, thanks for getting me to this point. This forum has given me a lot already. Hope i do this posty thingee right.

So, I just got my 025 last week, seasoned on Saturday, and made spare ribs on Sunday. Here are the details:
Fresh Spare Ribs, bought from Lowe's Foods. 5 lb 4 oz before trimming, 4 lb 3 oz after. Rub applied at 0930. Split in half. Into smoker at 225 deg at 1200. 1 piece, 2 oz hickory. Top rack for ribs, meat side up. Trimmings on bottom shelf. Smoker started at 55 deg. Checked at 1505, sprayed with apple juice. Checked at 1635, internal temp 170. Sprayed with apple juice, raised smoker temp to 250. Removed at 1800 to eat. 3 lbs 0 oz at removal. Sauce appied at table.

Here are my questions:

1) Half of the rack was much thicker than the other. When I pulled them out, the thinner end pulled apart, the thicker end did not. What changes do I need to make to get both ends to the same doneness? The internal temperature on the thin end was around 191 (meat pulled back, tooth pick says done), while the thicker end was around 182 (not like the thin end).

2) The flavor could have been a little smokier for me. Should the next step be 3 oz of wood?

3) Is the difference in thickness between ends typical for spare ribs? First time I have made them in any manner.

Thanks Again for all the help.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

M maxqMember
Welcome to the forum BP and congrats on your purchase.

I'm not familiar with Lowe's Foods but in general, full racks of spares are thicker on the brisket end...some more so than others. Try to select racks that are as evenly thick as possible.

I assume you split the rack to accommodate the shelf space. Try to match equal weights when you split. Still, you might have thinner ribs on one portion...no big deal. One solution is to give the thicker half a head start. Your smoke took 6 hrs. Pehaps an hour head start of the thicker half will help equalize the end result.

Another trick is the toothpick test. Toward the 3/4 time mark, insert the toothpick between the bones in the center of the rack(s). When it slides in and out with minimal resistance, the meat's ready. If one half rack finishes first, foil it, wrap in a towel in hold in an insulated cooler. This is referred to as FTC.

As for smoke, by all means try 3 oz of wood next time. You're allowed to play with your food when it comes to BBQ Smiler Keep notes as to the details, though by your post you seem to be doing so. Good man!

And yes, you did the posty thingee perfectly. Any questions/issues...we're here to help.
cal 2cal 2Member
Welcome to the family! You're on the right trail of learning and that is by practicing and taking good notes. As you cook more you will learn more about your smoker and what you can do with it.

While I don't cut my ribs in two sections, I don't see why a person can't make it work. On spares the small end will always cook a little faster, so I tend to trim it back a little, just like trimming the bottom side.

The front half of your smoker will cook hotter/faster then the back. I think it is because of the way the wood box shield is shaped, just guessing on that part.

Did you let the ribs rest for a short period of time? No reason the smaller section couldn't come out before the big section.

You'll have to practice on the amount of smoke,oh well. My smoker seemed to get a better smoke flavor after it was seasoned for a few months.

I'd say you did a fine job for never smoking ribs before, at least they wasn't black and bitter from too much smoke!

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×