First spares with q view

schaydu · Jun 18, 2010

I finally had the time for a long smoke, so i picked up 3 slabs of spares from Sams clubs. I prepped them the night before and the morning of i let them marinate in apple juice and in the juice of three two lemons. I wanted to use apple cider but i couldnt find any around here. Just out of curiosity is there a difference in using apple juice and apple cider? Anyhow after they marinated for a couple of hours i rubbed them down with my home made rub and let them rest for another hour in the fridge. The rub i used is brown sugar and paprika based along with some garlic, onion, celery ceed, salt, and cayenne.

I built my fire with pecan logs and also periodically threw in some hickory chunks. This was also the first time i completely used wood, and i have to say i wont do it any other way now. I had a little trouble regulating the temp due to a down pour but i finally got the hang of it. I cooked them for 2 hrs out of foil 1 and half hrs in foil and another 1 and half hrs out of foil. I have heard a lot about the 3-2-1 method but i wasnt quite sure i wanted the meat falling off the bone so thats the main reason why i did 2-1half-1half. I spritzed them every 45 minutes with the slaughterhouse spritz.They tasted great but i wish i would have done the 3-2-1 now because they were a little bit tough. Next time i will for sure do 3-2-1. overall i had a lot of fun and learned quite a bit.

http://s912.photobucket.com/albums/ac329/shaydu_2010/ribs/?action=view&current=101_1281.jpg

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mballi3011 · Jun 18, 2010

Now those are some good looking ribs you have there. Also how did they taste and were they really tender??? Now I have made adjustments to the 3-2-1 for spares now I do the 3-1 1/4-1 for I like a little tug to my ribs. The time your ribs spend in the foil is the fall off the bone part of the smoke the less time in the foil and less fall off the bone you will have. I hope that you post some of the real money shots later and I'll check back in. The plating shots please.

schaydu · Jun 18, 2010

Thanks! They had great flavor, but they were just a little bit tough. I plan on leaving them in the foil a little bit longer next time. They went fast so i regret to inform you that i was not able to get the " money shot" but i will tell you that they had a really nice smoke ring. I was a little worried about the flavor being too smoky but much to my relief they just right. Oh and the trimmings that i cut off and cooked was just about the best thing i have ever put in my mouth.

caveman · Jun 18, 2010

Your ribs look excellent!! To answer your question about juice & cider, In the United States, apple cider refers to the unprocessed liquid that you get from apples. The apples are washed, cut, and ground into mash before being pressed. The resulting cider usually contains apple pulp and is dark, brown, and cloudy. The beverage is perishable and must be refrigerated. If this liquid is filtered and further processed, the resulting product is apple juice, which has a longer shelf life than cider. In England, apple cider is an alcoholic beverage that is produced when the juice from freshly pressed apples is allowed to ferment. It's sometimes referred to as "hard cider." Some ciders and juices have not been pasteurized and may pose a health risk. The FDA requires all unpasteurized drinks to be labeled.

indyadmin1974 · Jun 19, 2010

Sweet lookin' spares!

I've only recently started doing ribs but I've noticed that depending on the slab, I have to go by site and do the bend test rather than stick to the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 for bbs.

I've foiled and not foiled and had success each way. It's about keeping a steady temp. I do spritz my ribs after I get a decent bark. That happens about every 1/2 hour, but I can't say for sure that this keeps them moist since I haven't done a proper test.

You know though taste is what matters and if you and others liked them despite them being dry, roll with that.

The best part about thinking you didn't do something right is you get to try again in front of the smoker...that's a re-test I'll take any day.

cliffcarter · Jun 19, 2010

The ribs look real good, good job.

One quick question, did you put any apple juice in the foil with the ribs? What temp did you cook at? Was the smaller of the three a bit more tender than than the others ?

OK that's three questions, but it's still early and I have'nt had my second cup of coffee.

schaydu · Jun 19, 2010

Thanks for the compliments guys, and thanks for all the info on apple juice and cider.And to answer your question, i did not put any apple juice in the foil. Will that make them more tender? I didnt have a problem with them being dry just a tad bit tough. I tried to keep them between 225 and 250. And i am not sure about the smaller slab. I just cut them all up and threw them in a pan. I want to get one of the maverick thermometer just because i like the dual probe feature and the grate level gauge is falling apart. I suspect that the temp fluctuation or inaccurate gauges may have something to do with the toughness.

tnbarbq · Jun 19, 2010

I love cooking spares. More meat for the money and I can trim them to the way I like them. Those look great!

eman · Jun 19, 2010

Adding any liquid to the foil portion of smoking will tenderize the ribs . What you are doing is steaming the ribs inside the foil. That is why you need to go back on the smoker w/ no foil after the foil to firm the meat back up.

cliffcarter · Jun 19, 2010

What eman said. Add about a 1/4 cup to each foil package. Apple juice is often used because apple and pork go well together, but you can use beer or a different juice. I usually foil with brown sugar and bbq sauce.

Good Luck

nole09041 · Jun 21, 2010

How many racks can you/should you put in each foil package??

rp ribking · Jun 21, 2010

rp ribking · Jun 21, 2010

rp ribking · Jun 21, 2010

Nole09041 said:
How many racks can you/should you put in each foil package??

none

rp ribking · Jun 21, 2010

rp ribking · Jun 21, 2010

First spares with q view

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