Spare ribs great but not tender - why?

For my second Q ever, I selected 2 racks of spare ribs, dry rubbed them the night before, Q'ed them in my WSM at 225-245F. For what I have read, they should have been ready (tender) in about 5 to 6 hours, they were not. After 7 hrs still not tender, 8hrs not tender, 9hrs not tender, at this point patience ran out, took them out and ate them. They looked excellent, tasted excellent with or without sauce on them, but were not really tender. Is this the way spare ribs are (never had real BBQ spare ribs before)? or do I have to brine them (not sure if brine makes meat tender or just tastier and moist)? What I can do to improve in this area next time?

Many thanks,

Guillermo

Morning Guillermo!!

Usually the problem with tough ribs is not enough time in the cooker. My spares usually take 8-9 hours so you were not that far off.

3 things to look at.......

1.) Were your temps grill level or from the dome? If from the dome, that may be your problem. That dome temp can be 20?+ higher than the grill level, especially on a new cooker. That means that if it is reading 225?, the grill temp is only 205..or even 245=225. At those temps it is NOT unusual to take that long for spares...especially if they are extra big.

2). How often did you peek??? That tends to be a big factor with many rookies.....myself included! Every time you pop the lid, add 15 minutes to your cook time. From what you described, it soumds like the lid was opened at least 4 times at the timing marks you mentioned(6, 7, 8, 9)..how many times did you peek before that? Not being harsh here!! After all, who DOESN'T want to see those purtty little things in there!!??

3). Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the spares may have been what I call Bronto's....very large...the lower the price, the bigger they are. The bigger they are, the longer to cook.

Hope some of these ideas help you out......

Stogie

Good morning Guillermo:
I can only add a few comments and/or suggestions to the excellent advice Kevin has shared. I've brined, marinated, rubbed and yes, I've even par-boiled (a smoking sin!) trying to get the tenderness you are after. Given all this, however, until I was patient enough to abide by the smoking rules for a truly long-smoke (as Kevin stresses), I got tough ribs! I have found that I get excellent results (1) by firing the WSM up following the Minion Method, (2) by maintaining the appropriate level of water in the smoker's water bowl, (3) by either 'rolling the ribs' as Chris suggests or by placing them meat-side down over the water bowl, and last but certainly not least, (4) by just kicking back enjoying a couple of three beers more than usual while my WSM transforms a piece of pork into one of the most delicious meals available! Good luck in the future.
?.John

Guillermo
What do you mean by really tender?
You read so much about folks talk about ribs falling off the bone (totally overdone).
I cook spares 5 to 7 hours with the pit temp measured in the top of the dome at an average of 245?. I do try to get as small a spare as I can find.
What are using for a thermometer? It may be off.
You may want try Best ribs in the universe
only because it gives the cooking tech on a WSM. It will allow you to try a proven tech and then make changes in rub to your liking.
Jim

Maybe I was too impatient, but after reading that 6 hrs is what it takes for spare ribs, 9 seemed a bit too long and a was plain hungry, anyway!

- Temperature was taken with a FLUKE meter model-16, temperature probe was placed at top grill level, this instrument is actually too precise for cooking, but that is what I have.

- I only peeked at the 3hr mark to spray some apple juice, then at 6th hour, when I thought they'd be ready, then at 7, 8 and finally 9th hour when I took them out.

- I don't know if I got "bronto" ribs or not. I have been a beef eater, not used to pork at all. Ribs bones where about 4" long and the rack of ribs were about 16" in length. Does that make them qualify as "flintstone" ribs.

- Ribs where cooked in a metal rib rack

- What do I mean by really tender? I believe I read that when they are done you should be able to easily separate the ribs by hand, am I right?

- Having say all that, they were really delicious.

Maybe it is just a matter of cooking them for as long as they take to be ready.

I will certainly try those "best ribs in the Universe", next time.

Many thanks,

BTW, my Smoke&Spice copy was just delivered home, can't wait to read this well acclaimed book!

Guillermo

You know, the last couple of batches of baby back ribs I've cooked have not turned out as tender as I would like, yet I'm following the same process that I normally follow. You might try the same method with another bunch of ribs and get a different result. Hard to know why this happens sometimes, perhaps some ribs are just better than others? I guess it explains why BBQ competitors cook up many slabs of ribs and then choose the best one to present to the judges.

Anyway, keep at it and have fun,
Chris

Guillermo....

Be careful with the Smoke and Spice book...the times they mention I have found to be quite a bit off! Just don't get discouraged!

Stogie

So is it best to cook ribs, or any pork for that matter, on the bottom or top grate?

PJ
It doesn't matter unless you plan on putting poultry or lamb above the pork ribs, then ribs go on the top grate.
Jim

Wrap them to speed things up next time.

perhaps you should cook em using the f-word method.[oh-oh, theo said the f-word!] I do on occasion & the meat falls off the bone.

That is, wrap em in aluminum foil the last hour or so,(i add applesauce to mine),on the rare occasion i use foil,usally only for denture wearing company.

my own preference is w/out the foil.