She Who Must Be Obeyed wanted spareribs. She threw a frozen rack on the counter first thing in the morning. You intrepid hero took things in hand and put the ribs on a heavy pot that has been turned over. This is a quick way to defrost items as the pot is an excellent conductor of heat and has a large surface area.
I usually do my ribs by cooking them for 2 hours in the smoker, wrapped in foil for 2 hours and then brushing with sauce for the last hour. However, research here showed that some smokers I respect don't foil their ribs and cook them through in the smoker. I decided to give this a try.
Once the ribs were thawed, I dried them off with a paper towel and removed the silver skin from the back. I rubbed in some of my Chumpionship Rub.
This is the first time I used the rub on ribs. It had worked well on pulled pork but was too salty for ribs. I will make it with half the salt for ribs.
Then I put the ribs in a 230 F smoker over maple smoke for 5 hours.
After 5 hours, I took the ribs out and painted on my Passing Wind Estates Barbecue Sauce. Into a 230 F oven for 15 minutes and another light brushing of sauce. I gave it 3 more 15 minute periods in the oven with brushing of sauce after each 15 minutes. Then, I cut them up and served.
The Verdict
The meat isn't as fall off the bone as it is with foiling. It pulls from the bone easily but has a nice chew. I definitely prefer the texture without foiling. Fortunately, She Who Must Be Obeyed likes it better too. If I cut back on the salt in the rub, it will be perfect!
Disco
