Help! My wife just came home with spareribs!

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torchrider

Fire Starter
Original poster
Mar 8, 2010
71
10
HELP! My wife just came home with a two pack of spareribs. I need your help with a good and simple recipe for smoking them. I have heard that you should try to get them around 3-3 1/2 lbs. but the ones my wife brought home are around 4 lbs. each.
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Is that 6 hours total or 3 hours total? I am pretty thick sometimes.
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Yes, 6 hours total. # hr smoke on open grate, 2 hr wrapped in foil, then 1 hr on open grate to firm up the bark/crust.

I don't so much go by time until I foil. Look for a bit of pull-back before you foil (bones sticking out of the meat)...that's one gauge for meat shrinkage...another is the bend test...lift up the slab from the middle...the amount of sagging determines the amount of shrinkage...if the slab is tight (little sagging) then they're ready to foil.


Good luck, brother!

We'll be here to help you through it.

Eric
 
Yep rub those baby's down and hit them with the 3-2-1 method and they will be awesome. Even Spritz them with some apple juice or anything like that ever hour or so and you will be set.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Cant wait until Saturday. I'll do a QView if I can. Otherwise it didn't happen. Right?
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You're welcome! Without pics just means to me that I have to try to imagine your smoke by how you describe it...you know the saying, a picture says a thousand words.

Have a great smoke!

Eric
 
Make sure you remove the membrane on the bone side of the ribs, the tutorial suggests removing with a fillet knife, I get under it with a fork then grab it with a paper towel and start yanking. Cover in yellow mustard, then add your favorite rub. 3-2-1 is good usually, sometimes it only takes 2.5-1.5-1, when in the foil stage I like to throw in beer (if your into that sort of thing) apple juice works good too, about half a beer will do.
 
Just don't forget to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. That will make you or break you.
 
I like to trim my spares up to a St. Loui cut - basically take a good sharp knife, follow the bone to the point where it will stop and the cartilidge begins (use you hands to bend the skirt end - where it flexes is the end of the bone), then trim off the skirt. You are left with what looks like a big meaty baby back rib, then I do 3-2-1 on them.

I also rub and smoke the skirts, they are usually ready to pull off the smoker after 3 hrs. They make great chef "snacks", sandwiches, or chop them up and toss them into some beans.... mmmmm!
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Here is a sticky with some pictures as well: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...light=trimming
 
Just remember the 3-2-1 thing is more of a guide than anything. I did some ribs and was determined to stick to "the plan". When I pulled them out of the foil they were bendy, had lots of pull back, smelled delicious. I put them back on the rack for another hour and they ended up overdone. In hindsight I think I knew they were done out of the foil, but I was still sticking to "the plan".

of course they were still delicious, but just a little too tender.

Oh, and I started using an oven meat thermometer to pull the back membrane off, since it's dull enough to not cut the membrane or the meat.
 
If you are short on time you can not use the foiling and maybe trim an hour off or so. But I'm waiting on pins and needles for the results.
 
All replies are pointing you in the right direction.

One thing to add... the yellow mustard helps the rub stick on there good, and once smoked you wont be able to taste the mustard. It also helps in forming a nice bark.

Definetly pull the membrane, its not hard to do. I cant stand eating a rib with the membrane left on. Its kinda like getting a bite of aluminum foil. Personal preference I guess.

While your yanking the membrane, also dont forget to trim the skirt, its the diagonal flap of meat (bone side) trim it off of there, rub it up and smoke it for 3 hrs... makes for good munchies or save it to put in a pot of Dutch's Wicked beans.

Also dont hurt to spritz every 30 minutes with some apple juice. Just do it as quick as you can so you dont lose too much heat.

Last but not least... keep a record of your attempt, Times, temperatures, etc. That way when they are done, you have a guide to either re-create your attempt, or make a change.

For example, say you did the 3-2-1 to a Tee, and the meat falls right off the bone, but you like it with a little tug. To change it you would adjust to a slightly cooler chamber temp, or shorten the time. After doing it a few times... you can get it exactly where you want it.

Good luck, take pics!! and let us know how they came out.
You can do it!
 
I prefer to stay at 220-225 for the first couple hours then raise the temp to 275-300 til pullback. But this also means it takes longer for pullback, closer to 4 hours, but does make the meat smokier, which I, personally, love.

Lately I've been putting a generous amount of Parkay and brown sugar in when I foil, and I mean GENEROUS amount! Surprisingly, after it all liquifies and combines with the pork juice, it's really not as sweet as you'd imagine.

And I prefer to do the last firming step after foil on my propane grill and slather with sauce the last ten minutes, it just helps caramelize the sauce better with the hotter heat of the grill. And everyone knows, caramelization means greater depth of flavor!
 
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