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Sharp knives tend to slice through the membrane, while blunt objects do a better job of getting underneath it. Once underneath you can gently pry upwards just enough to get a finger under the membrane and start pulling it away from the bone.

Experience says to stay away from ornamentals for smoke wood. If you're going to use a fruitwood then it should be from a fruit-bearing tree.

Dupree - 275 isn't gonna hurt a butt one bit (try saying that ten times in a row!) If the thermo reads 220 in boiling water then it is 8 deg off - not an issue at all. Since you were cooking at 275 subtract 8 deg which gives you 267 at the dome, which is around 250 grate temp. Nothing wrong...

Don't trust your oven. The easiest and most accurate way to test a thermometer is in boiling water. Since water boils at 212 deg it should read 212 - plus or minus a few degrees.

Shiloh - My family loves the Sweet Baby Ray's sauce. If you want to try something nice then mix one part Sweet Baby Rays Original and one part Hot Bone Suckin' Sauce. I use this combo and spread thinly over my ribs at the end of the cook and it is really fantastic!

Jason - If you can try buying the ribs untrimmed in cryovac. Look for racks that are meaty and have some fat, but not too much. When you prep the ribs you'll want to remove any large deposits of fat with a blunt object - NOT a sharp knife. It sounds like you've gotten a few racks of...

I'd use the High-Strength Turkey Brine recipe found on this site and cook like you would any other turkey.

You can also overcook it a bit until it starts getting dry/hard. Then you can chop it up and add it into your baked beans! Mmmmm.... good!

Adding smoke wood is more important at the beginning of the cook than at the end. As the bark forms around the meat it becomes more difficult for the smoke to penetrate the surface. On rib cooks I'll start with several chunks of smokewood and rarely add any into the cook unless I'm added more...

It's possible when you added the water you left the door off for too long. This introduces oxygen and excites the dormant coals. As these coals ignite your temps will spike. 15 or 20 deg isn't all that terrible and is easy enought to control. Don't stare at the thermo during the plateau...

Jerry, Temp control is an art that takes time to master. Mike's right in that you are using way too many coals to start. 15 coals is a good startng point. Spready the lit coals evenly over the unlit, add smoke wood, assemble the cooker, open lower vents all the way, fill the water pan with...

Just out of curiosity Craig, how are you putting the ribs in the smoker? With four racks or less I'll cook them on a single grate in a rib-rack. Meatier ribs go on the outer portions of the rack and thinner portions towards the inside. Much easier than shuffling the upper and lower racks around.

I'm still stuck on Kingsford. I like the taste of lump and really love the minute amount of ash buildup. Predictability is they key here - lump just isn't predictable like good 'ole Kingsford. I know people that swear by lump and I'll use it from time to time, but have always found that...

Dave, there is no right or wrong answer when cooking ribs. Some people like them nice and mushy. Competition cooks look for a tender rib with a slight "tug" to them. I also prefer mine with a little tug. My wife and kids prefer them falling off the bone tender. We're all different here...

Spares tend to have more fat than BB's. It's luck of the draw as to how much fat they contain. Selection is also difficult because most of us by spares in cryo and you cant see what the bottom rack looks like. When prepping/trimming the ribs you'll need to spend more time scraping away the...

Personally I would change the order in which the ingredients are added. Butter can be used to carmelize the onions, but I would use it sparingly and wouldn't add the sugar until later. Adding the sugar with the butter causes the sugar to carmelize. The end result is very different from using...

Foil is definately the easiest method. Smoke has a hard time penetrating the tough skin of a salmon, so foil is not going to create much more of a barrier than what is already there. Try the brined appetizer-style recipe on this website. It's simple and the results are outstanding!

Ditto for me. I try to keep opening the lid to a minimum. With brisket/shoulders I put the larger cuts on the top rack. With ribs (in a rib rack) I put the meatier racks on the outside and the leaner cuts in the middle. It works pretty well and avoids the need to open the lid and rotate.

I've reheated them in a microwave safe container. It's not my first choice for reheating, but works in a pinch. Spray some apple juice on them, seal, then cook for a couple of minutes on medium power. Just be careful not to overcook them.

Are you cooking them bone-side down or up? Sometimes radiant heat can dry the meat out. I'd cook them bone-side down. Also, make sure your temps are accurate. The tough, leathery skin is usually indicative of the meat being overcooked.