275* SL Spares with plenty of Q-view

[bpointer01]

So my wife got my smoker for me for my birthday about a month ago.  I was brand new to the technique save for a lot of reading on this forum as well as Jeff's website and I have learned lots.  I have done something every weekend since I got the smoker from pulled pork to brisket to chicken.  I even prepared nearly 70 lbs of food for nearly 100 people for a 4th party we threw last week.   

Unfortunately, at almost 310 lbs, my physique can handle no more of the way I have been fueling it for too many years.  I have petitioned my Facebook friends list and got around 15 people to participate in a Biggest Loser style weight loss contest to last 22 weeks starting tomorrow and running until the weekend before Thanksgiving. 

As a last hoorah so to speak before the first weigh in tomorrow, my wife and I decided on spare ribs as a last supper.  I was surfing the forum yesterday and I saw a thread about smoking ribs at 275* and it was intriguing to say the least.  I decided that I would give it a whirl and all I can say is, I will never cook ribs any other way ever again.  2 hours in the smoke, about 80 minutes in foil and then 20 minutes or so with sauce back in naked.  I documented the process with plenty of Q-view so enjoy all and know that I will be lurking with a hungry belly looking at everyone Else's  Q-view for awhile.

Getting ready for some rub.

Rubbed and Ready

On to the smoker.  Cooking the tips and skirts too, for baked beans.

2 hours into the smoke, ready for foil.

A nice bed of brown sugar, margarine and rub.  Meat side down.

Same for  the other side.

Time to cut up the skirts and tips to go into a baked bean bath.  OK, I ate the skirts but the tips made it!

Everybody in the pool!

Out of the foil, sauced and ready to go back into the sauna.

About 20 minutes or so later and the bend test is looking good.

Looking good!

Plated and ready for serious gnash!

Thanks again to everyone who posts on this forum and who has directly and indirectly helped me out.  I have had many compliments on my Que as a result of following the guidance of many of you here.  I plan to still cook over the coming 22 weeks but not near as much as I would like.  Hope you enjoyed looking over my rib cook.  It tasted very good for sure and was a worthy last supper!

 

[davidhef88]

Great looking ribs. Good luck on your diet.

 

[s2k9k]

The ribs look awesome!

Don't give up the smoker, there is still a lot of healthy stuff you can cook with it!

 

[dewetha]

good luck on the weight issue. I just peeked at 309. but starting Monday, It time to tackle the issues. I have bad knees, bad this bad that and really bad eating habits. it's not my first rodeo with weight loss. food isn't the biggest factor as is my inactive life style.  so I  bought knee braces and lots of advil. lol

don't give up on smoking, just give up on the bad ingredients. Rubs- cut down on sugar and salt. try different woods for more flavor. just foil(if you must) with very little apple juice some parkay. no other sweeteners. use baby backs - leaner meat.

serve it dry and use a vinegar base sauce on the side for yourself and sweet stuff for others. use agave necture if you need some sweet. keep food on hand that are low on the gylcemic index.(all spelling issues aside)

to truly change, you need to change your life style. the word diet has been very abused in fads. I never gain weight when i'm at home. it's just road warrior food :(

but if you are doing a rapid loss diet, you made one fine last meal.

but i once again strive to loose weight, i begin by reducing things. put less butter on bread,baked potato, etc. check out "eat this, not that" it a small step but i can't just never eat another burger again! 

so as I work on new recipes that are diebetic and weight loss friendly. I will be happy to share them.

 

[mdboatbum]

DAMN!!! Those ribs look just about perfect. Good luck with the weight loss, I'm sure you can do it!

 

[bpointer01]

@dewetha  I totally agree about the sedentary lifestyle. I was a competitive swimmer at one time in my life and I have slowly put on weight throughout my life as I have gotten less and less active.  I plan to alternate walking/jogging with bicycling on an every other day schedule in hopes to gt the old metabolism going. As for diet, I will certainly have to leave some stuff behind but I think that portion control can go a long way.  Some stuff I am better to stay away from completely rather than try to battle with the willpower side of things!

@Everyone else  Thanks for the compliments, they were fantastic.  I have gotten lucky and had everything that has come out of this smoker be pretty perfect so far.  Hopefully my luck keeps up.

 

[smokinhusker]

Those are some GREAT looking ribs!!!!! Good luck to you on the diet...if you approach it the way you have smoking, you're sure to excel!!! We're here for you and there are lots of "good" foods you can still smoke. 

 

[dewetha]

@bpointer01. what is this thing you speak of called "willpower"? LOL.

I going to pysch my self out. I was raised to eat everything on your plate. so i'm going to buy smaller plates! and wait 15 mins before going for seconds. hopefully by this time next year, no more seconds and i can get that darn portion control down. 

but at least i can cook for my friends with high metabolism and live through them :(

 

[deannc]

Great looking ribs!  Good luck with your weight loss!  It's definitely tough getting back into the routine, but well worth it once you get over the hump. 

 

[bpointer01]

LOL I hear ya dewetha.  I have had some inquiries about making food for some parties so maybe I can become a smoker for hire to get my fix.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

That's great, you' a fast learner , congrats...

Have fun and...

 

[rhanson85]

That looks absolutely awesome!

 

[big sexy]

The ribs look great. 

Look into Weight Watchers, you can still enjoy the smoked meat, just not as much of it on thier program.  They have a great app for a smart phone too.  I lost 60lbs in about 6 months with them and was still able to eat what I wanted just in moderation.   

 

[sescoyote]

Good Luck on the Dieting, what a great last meal.   Seriously though, try healthier meats like turkey and chicken in the smoker, but just don't add any sugars and extra stuff that packs on the pounds.