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first time with st. louis cut. i usually do baby backs for about 4-5 hours. so i figure 5-6 for the st louis cut? i don't foil just straight smoke with water in pan.
How hot are you goin to run your smoker? That'll play into how long your ribs are going to take. I've been smoking at temps between 275*-285* and have been hitting times around 4hrs for St Louis ribs.
Get your temp up and wait for the sweat to appear on top of the ribs. then do the bend test. Should take about 4 hours at 275˚. then give them a 1 hour rest. Spares are usually fattier than baby backs, so the higher temp is really beneficial in rendering the fat. At 245˚ you're looking at 5ish hours, but it's been my experience that the flavor and texture isn't as good as with the higher heat.
they were fantastic. 5h 45m i did not care for the cut though. i was under the impression that there would be no cartilage or whatever those white tubes are. and they were still there. i much prefer the baby backs...