Smoking my first rack of St. Louis ribs...

[dparker]

...and I need some bad advice so I'll have someone to blame if they don't turn out.

Thanks in advance to all those willing to throw themselves on this finger-pointing grenade. :biggrin:

 

[SmokinAl]

Check out the 3-2-1 method.

3 hours on the grate, 2 hours in foil with some liquid, 1 hour back on the grate.

There are hundreds of recipes & techniques for smoking ribs.

The 3-2-1 is the easiest.

Al

 

[dparker]

Check out the 3-2-1 method.

3 hours on the grate, 2 hours in foil with some liquid, 1 hour back on the grate.

There are hundreds of recipes & techniques for smoking ribs.

The 3-2-1 is the easiest.

Al

Too late, I already made them and they turned out delicious. Besides, what you give above is good advice. I was looking for bad advice. I mean...how in the world would I be able to blame you for anything that went wrong when you gave me a time-tested, nearly idiot-proof method? :biggrin:

 

[dparker]

BTW, here is what the results after 6 hours at 215-250 (it was cool and breezy yesterday, and the temperature fluctuated a lot between those two points) looked like:

20161009_182624_zpsuaklzaby.jpg

• dparker
• Oct 10, 2016

20161009_183353_zpstbbif8d4.jpg

• dparker
• Oct 10, 2016

Given how juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender they were I'm really questioning the value of the 2-hours-in-foil portion of the 3-2-1 method.

 

[bdskelly]

Nice bones.  Happy it worked out.

Lots of folks on the site debate the foil part.  Sometimes I do and then I don't. One thing for sure. If you follow 321 at 225 you will always get a pretty good St. Lou  rib. "Monkey" around with it to see which way you prefer. 

What did you use for rub? I like the color. B

 

[dparker]

I stayed pretty basic for the rub:

1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp brown sugar

Then a good spritz of apple juice once every hour. I also kept no more than one chunk of mesquite in the pan at a time, which made the smoke flavor a bit on the subtle side. Overall I liked the results, though I think I'll trim some of the fat off next time.

 

[hardcookin]

They looked like they turned out good! Great first try Thumbs Up
As far as rub I like using John Henry's summer peach rub on my ribs.

 

[b-one]

Tasty looking ribs! I prefer no foil personally,but I suggest people experiment with half racks and compare to find there preferred style same with sauce and different rubs. The times are also just a guideline and not set in stone a little practice and you will dial into what you like. Now I need to find that summer peach rub I need to try it!

 

[dparker]

Thanks. I picked up a bag of play sand tonight that I plan to put in the water pan for my next smoke in an attempt to stabilze the temps a bit. I'm hoping it will at least keep the swings lower than 20 degrees in either direction.

 

[bdskelly]

Thanks. I picked up a bag of play sand tonight that I plan to put in the water pan for my next smoke in an attempt to stabilze the temps a bit. I'm hoping it will at least keep the swings lower than 20 degrees in either direction.

The sand works great  b