Pork spars cured in Pop's brine with Q view

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

remsr

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jun 8, 2014
982
63
Woodbury Minnesota St Paul)
After going back and forth with Bear about how to do this I finally gave it a shot.
I pretty much followed Bears step by step for bacon on a stick, accept I did a wet brine using sodium nitrate pink curing salt #1 and he used TQ and did a dry cure. Most of my questions were about the curing times between the two different methods and how my MES 40" would be affected in below freezing weather. The one thing I was not clear on was the finish internal temp. I was treating them like a normal rack of spar ribs doing a 3-2-1 looking for a 195 internal temp which I never got to even after 71/2 hours at 225 degrees.
I started by washing the ribs in cold water and drying with paper towels.
Then I removed the membrane.
Next I mixed a gallon of Pop's brine in a larg stainless steel stock pot and placed the whole uncut rack in the pot with a 1 gallon zip lock bag to keep the rack submerged. Then in to the refrigerator they went. Sorry no pictures.
After 48 hours I remove the ribs from The brine and rinse them in coldwater then dried them with paper towels.
Then I sliced a couple thin slices for a fry test.
A little salty for my taste but I was using a salt free apple flavored Rub called Pig Out.
Next I let the rack dry on a wire rack in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The next morning at 8:30 am I gave them a coating of maple syrup and another liberal dusting of Pig Out then they went in the pre heated smoker set at 225.
After 31/2 hours of steady smoke with a competition blend of pellets in my amazing smoker, placed on the right side bottom rack with the chip tray pulled out a cupola inches I pulled the ribs and placed them in an aluminum pan with some apple juice and brown sugar. Sorry again no pictures. It was so windy and cold that I wanted to get it done and get back inside.
After another 21/2 hours in the pan, they went back on a rack in the smoker to firm up the bark for another 11/2 hours for a total of 71/2 hours trying to hit 195, 169 is where I ended.
The results were a tender juicy rib with a bit of bite that came off the bone clean, I think they tasted more like ham then bacon, but the boss says they taste like bacon.
I would do this again they were really good.
Randy,
 
They look great.    Wonder why you didn't get any pull back?

I made these once and we loved them.  I need to make them again soon.   Winter is here, I finally have time to cook more.

What brine cure did your use?   Pops?
 
They sure look good from here.

Lately I've been smoking my ribs at 270-280.

They get done quicker & are just as juicy & smokey tasting!

Al
 
Hi Al!
Thank you Al they were good.
I'm hearing more and more about smoking at higher temps, how would a 3-2-1 work on spair ribs? Would it be more like 2-1-1/2?

Randy,
 
Hi Al!
Thank you Al they were good.
I'm hearing more and more about smoking at higher temps, how would a 3-2-1 work on spair ribs? Would it be more like 2-1-1/2?

Randy,
That's probably a very good estimate on time.

I go by IT, and my ribs usually take about 3 hours to get to 195 with the smoker running at 270, which is how we like them.

I usually don't foil the ribs, but if I do, I foil them at around 165. Then they take about 45 minutes to get to 190 in the foil.

Then a quick finish on a hot grill with BBQ sauce (about 5 minutes) & they are perfect for us.

Or you can put them back on the smoker for about 1/2 hour to firm them up & caramelize the sauce.

Al
 
Last edited:
Sounds like they aren't falling off the bone tender at 195 and that's the way we them, just a little bite to separate the meat from the bone nice and clean.
What's the pint in low and slow if high and quick works just as well?

Randy,
 
Sounds like they aren't falling off the bone tender at 195 and that's the way we them, just a little bite to separate the meat from the bone nice and clean.
What's the pint in low and slow if high and quick works just as well?

Randy,
They look Great from here!!
drool.gif


I would not try to get to 195° with these. These are not regular smoked ribs---They are Cured & Smoked Ribs---Fall off the bone would not be good for Bacon-on-a-Stick.IMHO

Mine end up in an around 180° IT or so. I don't know exactly, because I have never gotten accurate readings of Temp by probing Ribs.

I can stick between the Ribs & get 180° Then remove it & put it in again between the same bones, but 1/2" away & get 170°, because there isn't enough space between the bones for consistent measuring. Ribs are too thin for accurate probing of Temps. IMHO

So all I do is what is in my Step by Step, and I use 225° because that's what I did the first time & it was Perfect, so why change.

Here's mine:

Bacon-On-A-Stick       

Bear
 
Last edited:
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Clicky