New to smoking ribs....

[celticgladiator]

welcome! i'm new here too but have found everyone very friendly and helpful so far!

 

[texansmoke]

Yea, it is hectic when they are all home.  All are grown & only 2 living with us, one just graduated from Texas A&M in May, continuing her education by starting law school next week & the other is working/saving money for a new home.  All the others have lives/families of their own.  Holidays & Birthdays when all of them are home is total organized chaos.  I give all the credit to my wife for keeping things in check & managing to get 4 of the 6 in College & getting their Degrees.  We have one Forensic something or other, one is a Professor at U of H  the other is a Marketing Major & one living in Michigan working for Ford with computers or something.  My retirement fund in action........

 

[sqwib]

Nice looking ribs Squib. If you really want a treat take 2 parts Sweet Baby Rays, 1 part cider vinegar, 1 part apple juice, and brown sugar or mollassas to taste. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce by about 1/2, makes a delightfully tangy sauce that goes awesome on ribs and chicken. Also if you want a little bit of kick you can toss in a teaspoon or two of red chili flakes.

Thanks, I Will definitely try that

 

[sqwib]

Yea, it is hectic when they are all home.  All are grown & only 2 living with us, one just graduated from Texas A&M in May, continuing her education by starting law school next week & the other is working/saving money for a new home.  All the others have lives/families of their own.  Holidays & Birthdays when all of them are home is total organized chaos.  I give all the credit to my wife for keeping things in check & managing to get 4 of the 6 in College & getting their Degrees.  We have one Forensic something or other, one is a Professor at U of H  the other is a Marketing Major & one living in Michigan working for Ford with computers or something.  My retirement fund in action........

I only hope I can give my kids a good start like that, you should be very proud
 

 

[texansmoke]

Thanks for the nice compliment!  We are proud of them!

 

[masterk]

Twobears,

I have always felt that the racks do more than add space.  With the ribs on their side, the fat and juices drizzle through more of the meat rendering juicier, more tender meat.

I usually cook babybacks.  I cook them two ways.  One is straight up 4 1/2 hours at 225.  The other is 3 1/2 hours in smoke and 1 hour in foil.  The purist in me says cook without foil.  But, honestly, they are usually a little more tender and juicy with the foil method.  I have used apple juice misting every hour.  I dont think it makes them any better.

Rub with dry rub prior to cooking.  Sauce is a condiment to be served on the side (IMHO).  The sauce sugars may be what was making your ribs so dark.

I would definitley invest in better thermometers.  My local Lowe's has magnetic therms that can be put right on the surface of the grate.  That will give you the best reading.  Downside is you have to open the pit to check temp (which you should avoid as much as possible).  They can be put on the outside surface, but, that gives you surface temp, not, grate temp.  These can be a quick fix until you replace the one on your lid.

 

[sqwib]

Twobears,

I have always felt that the racks do more than add space.  With the ribs on their side, the fat and juices drizzle through more of the meat rendering juicier, more tender meat.

Rub with dry rub prior to cooking.  Sauce is a condiment to be served on the side (IMHO).  The sauce sugars may be what was making your ribs so dark.

I agree and this was being discussed in another thread, and it seem like we are the minority.

Rib Rack Discussion