Dry ribs (with a dry rub but no sauce)


 
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I am wondering if anyone every do ribs in the smoker (still use a dry rub) and didn't add any sauce at the end? I have done ribs on the bbq with a dry rub and I did not add any sauce they turned out not bad.

If anyone has do you have the recipe of the dry rub that you used if you use a dry rub or a mopp?

Thanks,
Jeff
 
I rarely put any sauce on my ribs, rather I put out a bowl or 2 for those that want to add it. I'm still in the experimenting mode, probably won't get out of it, so I don't have a single rub. I'm constantly reworking rubs and sauces.
 
I never sauce the ribs at the restaurant and we are going through 5 (winter) to 10 (summer) cases a weekend. There are a lot of folks out there who do not care for sauce.

Konrad
 
Can't stand sauced ribs. I always cook and serve dry, sauce on side.

Last night's dinner (half eaten); sauteed kale with garlic and Aleppo, roasted sweets mashed with butter, maple, chipotle and sherry vinegar; vinegar sauce on side:




The spares were cooked at the end of a high heat butt cook (~325; 2 butts, 5.8 lbs each; 5-hour cook for butts; ~2 hours for the spares). Pile-o-pork:




Ribs, sliced:

 
Looks darn good KEvin!

I always do my ribs dry and just put a couple sauces on the side. I just don't like the sauce put on directly. All personal opinion I guess......

Clark
 
I always cook em dry, and serve em dry with sauce on the side. Some times when I bring em to work, I might place em in a large plastic container, add a little sauce & shake em up. We can only nuke em at work.
 
I've found a sauce that compliments my rub very nicely. At the end of the cook I'll take some of the sauce, water it down, then paint the ribs with as thin a coating as possible. It provides a nice sheen, adds another flavor layer, and adds that touch of moisture to the outside bark. Once the ribs are "painted", I wrap them in foil and let them rest for a bit before slicing and serving. The end result is very nice!
 
Glazes are a whole nuther thing. I sometimes glaze as well, for the reasons you note, Russ. Usually I make a separate glaze, one that will complement both the rub and sauce, and take a different tack: I make it quite thick but still paintable. This I paint on very thinly--a veneer so thin it's transparent--a few minutes before removing the ribs from the cooker, then again a minute or two later. It siezes quickly from the heat, tightening, and needs no further cooking. It does the same thing, adding shine and a flavor layer.
 
I'm still relatively new to smoking, but I have done spares 4 times now. Every time I have rubbed before cooking and then taken them off the smoker when they were done...that's it and that's all. No foiling, no sauce, no spraying.

Every time they have been absolutely outstanding if I do say so myself. All the friends and family I have fed seem to agree.

Everybody has their own style and taste preferences, but in my humble opinion, the simpler the better when it comes to cooking spares.
 
Lee,
You hit the nail right on the head. Everyone does have their own style - there really is no "
right" or "wrong". What most that are new to smoking do is find something that works and stick with it. I think we've all been there. Sooner or later you'll get bored and start experimenting a little more. I've cooked eight racks at a time and each one was done just a little bit differently. Everyone at the dinner table got two bones from each rack and gave their opinions. From that point on you start tweaking you recipes until you are completely satisfied (hint: you'll never be completely satisfied, always looking for that "one more thing to change"). It's a lot of fun - enjoy!
 
I put sauce on the table, but it rarely gets used.

I always look at it (just to be polite and pay it some attention
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) and then think it'll just get in the way of tasting the ribs.
 
Thanks everyone on your info, it is greatly appreciated! Can any of you guys add your dry rub recipe?
 
I never sauce 'em either. My personal preference is to cook them at 225 with a full tray of water at the start, and let them go for 6 hours. In a perfect world (which is not he one I live in), the last 2 hours will be with a dry water pan. The ribs dry out a bit more without the water. As the coals have burned down a bit by then, I do not find that the temp spikes in any significant way without the water. Something about the dryer ribs does it for me and the wife. We have put on 2 racks, pulled one off after 4 hours, and then ate the other after the full 6, and the difference if huge.
 
there is a place near us called Red Neck Ribs. we got their ribs with sauce. we were served luke warm ribs swimming in cold bbq sauce. NASTY. i can handle luke warm ribs, but with a cold sauce....YUCK! i add a little sauce on mine at the end when i place them on a gas grill to add some crispness, but cook with a dry rub the whole way through.
 
I like to keep it simple... salt and pepper, hickory smoke and with few spritz of apple sider. For me that is heaven.
 
99% of the time I sauce my ribs at the of a cook. Most of the rubs I use have a little too much heat in them but the sauce helps balance it out some.

Howeverrrrr...I have long preached on this site how I love a slab of dry ribs using Corky's BBQ rub. I also tried the Rendevous recipe but I don't like the celery in it.
 
I bush on sauce just to glaze them. Hate my ribs swimming in sauce.....What are you trying to hide is what I ask when they are swimming. Glaze them just enough so there is a nice sweet and spice mix between the rub and the sauce. Then warm sauce on the side for those that like to add more.
 
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