1st Rib smoke need advice link to pictures.


 
Well the pics look nice great job. It looks like the meat was just barely pulling back off the bones. Looks like they could have been cooked a little longer. But it's hard to tell by just looking at the pics. You should have about a 1/4" of the bone exposed on the ribs when they are done.
 
Rick,
Five hours for spare ribs is probably too short a cook. My spares usually run between 6 and 8 hours - and have gone as long as 9 hours for some pretty thick cuts. Try cooking them a little longer next time. Look for the meat pulling away from the bone, but also try the tear-test. Grab two of the bones and spread them apart. If the meats tears easily they're probably done.

Keep trying and working at it. Experience is your best teacher. Thermometers and clocks are helpful, but this is not an exact science. Every cook will be just a little different and every piece of meat will require different timing. Remember that it's done when it's done. You'll eventually get a feel for the meat and will just "know" when it's done. But this is a skill that takes time to aquire. Have fun getting there!
 
Ditto. My spares take 7-8 if I don't foil and about 6 if I do. I think they needed more time but they sure look good. Nice pics.

Rick--I'm a big advocate of testing doneness by feel. If you think you're near the time they should be done stick a toothpick, skewer, or therm probe in the meat between the bones. It should go in easily; no resistance. Good first rib cook though--and the sides looked tasty.
 
I did spares yesterday too. Mine were some jumbo 5 and Up spares. I cooked them for 6.25 hours. They were tearing easily and the meat came away from the bone nicely.

Question: If I had let them cook more would I have rendered out more fat? Or would they have started to dry out too much? Not that there was too much fat, but I was just wondering...

AR
 
Art--

It would largely depend on the fat content and at what point the ribs were when you ate them. Nicely fat-striated ribs have a larger window than less-marbled ones i.e., from the point you'd first call them tender to the point just before you'd first call them overdone is longer. If they were juicy but had a wee bit fatty mouthfeel the yes, imo, you could likely go longer.

5 and ups are the ones I've been doing a lot lately. They are wonderfully consistant in my neck of the woods; slabs look nearly identical (can't say that about the smaller slabs), well-marbled. I'm rather enjoying the consistancy and I like that I can trim a bone or two off the narrow end, rub and smoke that piece in a couple hours, and use it in a sauce.

Sounds like you had a great Memorial Day meal.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
My spares take 7-8 if I don't foil and about 6 if I do. I think they needed more time but they sure look good. Nice pics. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Kevin -

What is the difference in tenderness between your 8-hour no foil and your 6-hour with foil? Does taking it longer (8 hours) ensure the same tenderness as shorter time with foiling?
 
Adam,
I can tell you that foiling the meat doesn't just make it cook faster, but actually changes the overall consistency of the rib. It's hard to describe. It's just different. I like a little chew and a slight tug on my ribs and prefer cooking without foil.
 
Kevin,

After yesterday, I am a huge fan of the 5 and up slabs.

Mine were not dry nor too juicy. I think I pulled them at just the right time in the "window" you referred to...

The best part is my butcher had them priced a 99 cents a pound!
 
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