<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Raymond Kawasaki:
Did a few racks of St. Louis cut ribs today. Simple rub of salt, sweet paprika, onion powder left overnight in 'fridge. Smoked for about 5 hours at ~200-225 degrees with a combo of hickory and apple wood chips (using up the stash; chunks next time). Mopped with apple juice/cider vinegar/olive oil combo every 2 hrs. and sauced lightly at end. Looked great, but came out a little tough, and "powdery" with the rub (everybody always says be generous with the rub). Any advice for this novice in regards to other rubs, less rub, cooking time, etc. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Go much lighter on the rub than what you would with pork shoulder or brisket, and don't put the ribs on the cooker before they're wet and shiny looking. Don't do it the night before, though. You're not trying to cure them. You just want to draw a little moisture out for the rub to soak up, and it won't take over an hour, especially if they've lost their chill from trimming and skinning. (Harry Soo of Slap yo Daddy bbq calls this "letting the rub sweat into the meat", and if in a hurry, put a light coat of mustard on the ribs first.)
However, it sounds like your main problem was you simply didn't cook them long enough. I don't cook spares like this all the time, but if I cook low-n-slow under 225, I'll spritz quite often once the rub sets, 20 min. to every half hour, w/ ribs preferred to lay flat, bone down. Even w/ only occasional mopping though, every rack of ribs I ever cooked at those temps took over six hours.
Bottom line w/ spares: Cook til tender and not a minute more. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get my drift. You overcook, and they dry out QUICK! You want the meat to pull clean from the bone, not fall off the bone, or rather have the bone fall out. HTH
