Grillin' ribs tonight...what do I need to know.

[FATZ]

Pit's on fire and I have about 4lbs of pork spare ribs and 2.5lbs of pork baby backs and I need to know....

Fat side up or down?

Gonna cook them slow and low. What should I be in for on this journey.

Before...
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs01.jpg

Freshly unwrapped....
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs02.jpg

...with rub
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs03.jpg

1 hour - pit temp. 250*
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs04.jpg

2 hour - pit temp. dropped to 180. Added briquets. Mistake?
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs05.jpg

3 hour - pit temp. 250*
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs06.jpg

Am I cooking these too fast?

4 hour - pit temp. 200*
http://www.angelfire.com/super/fatz/ribs07.jpg

[Deuce]

They look just fine. How'd they taste? If they didn't come out as tender as you would have liked then you can wrap them in foil for the last hour. Be careful with the foil as cooking them in foil too long and the meat falls off of the bone. I prefer the meat to stay on the bone and come off with just a little effort.

[FATZ]

They actually turned out pretty dad gum good. I ended up falling asleep and they cooked a little longer than planned but at a little lower temp which was absoultely fine. I must say, I may have found something I am actually good at...lol.

[sharky]

They look great!

Did you mop or spray them?
I spray a bourbon and water mixture (equal parts) about every 30-45 minutes.. and I foil the ribs after about 2 hours for an hour or so, and then unwrap them for the last hour or so.

It seems like you have got a good method and good results. Tweak each time and you will improve for sure!

[FATZ]

Yeah. I haven't experimented much with the mops/sprays, but I did use a grape/apple/oil/vinegar/lemon spray, similar to the one I used on my brisket the other night.

I will def try the foil method next time. I believe this could have helped. It is a little tough on the edges making me believe I just somewhat overcooked them.

[St. Louis Griller]

Lookin' good Jason Lee. I love the pictures.

Last time I made ribs I marinaded them overnight in apple cider. Then, the morning of, I took them out of the marinade and immediately rubbed them and let them cure in the fridge for about 7-8 hours. The combination of the ribs (with still a little apple cider clinging to them) and the rub kind of made another minature marinade.

I then cooked them indirect with apple wood chips on my 22" Weber using a rib rack, and sprayed them with just apple cider every half hour or so as they were cooking. The ribs came out sweet and smoky. I was a little weary at first with all the apple flavoring because I like the BBQ flavor, but I was pleased with the way they came out. The basic recipe for this is in Steve Raichlen's BBQ USA book, I think it was called Apple City Championship Ribs. I followed that basic recipe, only I used my own rub and did not use the sauce.

I am still experimenting, however. There are so many different ways to cook ribs (and anything else on the pit for that matter...). It is impossible to get sick and tired of BBQ!

[sharky]

I haven't tried marinating the ribs anymore than just the rub. It seemd like that might work a little better on spare ribs.

what kind of ribs did you use?

[FATZ]

Tyson Pork Spare Ribs and Tyson Pork Baby Backs. I did get them a little salty. The Sweet, Sha-Bang BBQ Sauce helped a ton. I'll be doin' ribs way more often until I get those down.

[FATZ]

My bad, sharky. You's talkin' to SLG, weren't you? It's all good.

[sharky]

My bad, sharky. You's talkin' to SLG, weren't you? It's all good.


Yeah, however that does help when figuiring out how you are cooking them.

have you ever watched alton brown on FoodTV? He is a good guy to check out and help you learn more about food and how to cook it properly

[FATZ]

I like Alton. He is very informative and pretty thorough, too. I pretty much keep my TV on the Food Network except for the middle of the day when I'm home. I hate the 30 minute "Watch me cook in my kitchen" shows. Emeril is just about too much for me. I like the shows lkike food finds and Good Eats and I love Bobby Flay and Iron Chef.

[St. Louis Griller]

I haven't tried marinating the ribs anymore than just the rub. It seemd like that might work a little better on spare ribs.

what kind of ribs did you use?

The recipe actually called for spares, but I used babybacks. Surprisingly, it was not that overpowereing. The ribs came out tender and moist.