Am I being too simple with my ribs??


 
L

Lee Morris

TVWBB Fan
I have had my WSM for 2 summers now. By far, my most cooked item has been ribs. Have done multiple cooks of baby backs and St Louis spares.

I'll preface my question with this...I, my family, and all my regular BBQ friends love my ribs. I have made several batches for others at their request. Have never had a complaint.

My question...is my cooking method too simple...could I do even better?

My rib cooks go like this. Peel membrane/trim ribs, apply rub, put on smoker, take off smoker and cut up.

I never spray with juice during the cook, I never do a finishing glaze or do any saucing.

Cooked 3 St Louis spares on Tuesday and only removed the smoker lid once...so I could take the ribs off about 6 hours after they went on.

I always cook about 235 degrees. I'm always toying around with different rubs and wood combinations.

So, what do I have to gain by spraying or glazing or saucing if I already think my ribs are "perfect"?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lee Morris:
So, what do I have to gain by spraying or glazing or saucing if I already think my ribs are "perfect"? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Dear Mr. Perfect,(just kidding Lee)
Answer, IMO, nothing
 
sooooo, how do you know they are perfect ? compared to what ? many out there spend a lifetime getting that perfect rib. i suggest that you experiment. why not try an apple juice spray on them ? or a finishing sauce ? open up to the possabilities.
 
I used to spray them with apple juice, but I honestly think I am getting better results without opening the smoker except at the very end to test for doneness.
 
I'm with George and I have the perfect example; prior to joining this site I thought I knew everything about cooking tri-tip and they were damn good and no one could do any better, I was a tri-tip GOD and most people who ate my tris would agree. Then I started reading about this reverse sear method, and scoffed at it at first, reverse sear, everyone knows you've got to sear meat at the beginning of the cook to seal the juices . . . boy was I wrong. Now my tris are perfect! Just kidding of course.

Shake it up a little, branch out, and "tri" a couple different methods and see what else is out there. You may just confirm your current method is perfect or you may find something else you like.
Either way you win because you're eating great Q.
 
You can certainly turn out some very good ribs that way. Way better than restaurant and some BBQ joint ribs.

The quest for the perfect rib is a life time adventure. The more different things you try changes the taste / flavor just a bit. The most popular spray is apple juice. Then again if you foil you can use apple juice to help braise (read tenderize) the ribs. Then again some people use apple, pineapple, grape or some other fruit juice as a spray or braising liquid. It all helps depending on your tastes. Heck, some people spray on vinegar on the ribs. Experiment and you may find that you can turn out some better ribs.

Then again, simple may be best. You'll never know unless you experiment.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'll preface my question with this...I, my family, and all my regular BBQ friends love my ribs. I have made several batches for others at their request. Have never had a complaint. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lee,
They probaly also say things like you should open an resturant. Or you should cater. Yes you can improve. Family and Friends will always love your food its just the way it is. Have you ever tried foiling your ribs for tenderness? Or maybe boiling them?
 
Perfect is what tastes perfect to you and those you cook for. You might not like my best ribs, and I might... taste is subjective. If it's working for you then stick with it. I prefer my ribs with no sauce as well. If you do make changes, then only do one change at a time. DO NOT make multiple changes at once in case something doesn't work. You'll have a hard time figuring out what it is if you did 3-4 or more things different on that cook. Spraying is a waste of time IMO. HTH
 
I agree with change one varible at a time.
Sounds like you have a good grip on the ribs. It is simple to turn out awesome ribs on the wsm. The main thing is you and family enjoy the food. Some like to experiment.

Foil
Different Wood
Different rub
Sauces on the side
 
I don't monkey around too much with my BBQ either.

Having said that, every so often I do like to mix it up just a bit with different flavors.

So long as I don't overcook my BBQ and dry it out...it's always good.
 
Lee, my ribs are the best in the world. If only I could remember which ones they were.
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I change mine just about everytime I cook them.
 
Well, IMO I haven't perfected any thing yet on the WSM.

But, I'm havin alot of fun tryin.
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Tim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KenP:
Lee, my ribs are the best in the world. If only I could remember which ones they were.
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I change mine just about everytime I cook them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Totally agree. I do the same...change it up everytime. The ribs always come out great no matter what combo I use (rub/wood/sauce).
 
Thanks for your input everyone. Seems like there are folks on both sides of the fence here. The "ain't broke, don't fix it" side and the "it's still not just right yet" side.

I guess I should branch out a little bit and try a few things. That will give me an excuse to do a few extra cooks just for the family...I'll have to experiment before cooking for friends or a group...the wife will just have to understand.
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A question for you, Bryan

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bryan S:
I prefer my ribs with no sauce as well....Spraying is a waste of time IMO. HTH </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you don't sauce or spray, what do you do "different" on your rib cooks?
 
I am a firm believer in doing what works best for you. If you like the way you cook them and everyone else is happy then that is awesome those are perfect for you. However if you want to do more then go ahead and experiment. Its all up to you who are we to tell what is perfect. All we can do is offer you sudjestions on how we cook ours and you can try that and you may or may not like it.

Also on another note I have a rib book with recipes from some of the greatest bbq joints around and you would be suprised at how many just use salt and pepper on ribs and then at the end dunk in a watered down bbq sauce. Now that is a simple cook.
 
Doing what works for you and yours is a good thing! I did much of the same for a long time. Always cooked them with the same technique, rub, sauce on the side etc. Teaches you a lot and builds confidence.

Now you know how to make them one way really well. Try experimenting with one or two racks during a cook and see how they fly. You may end up with several methods that everyone likes just as well.

Worked for me, and experimenting is fun. You don't have to totally change up. Ribs are easy to modify. You can always drop back to "old original"
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I've had the WSM for a few years now. My family has not liked anything I've made. All they tell me is "No, it's not that good, you should try again
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". I am still trying.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So, what do I have to gain by spraying or glazing or saucing if I already think my ribs are "perfect"? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Spraying could perhaps help with moisture but primarily I think it is useful for flavor layering. Using it several times over several hours is different than one time.

Glazing or saucing is a finish, flavor and/or appearance. Sometimes suttle, perhaps not. Really depends what you are going for. I had some great ribs that were finished with mango jalapeno sauce. That's not the typical hickory/tomatoe bbq sauce.

Instead of using spice rub perhaps you just apply S&P (I do S&P stuff from time to time, love it). Spray a couple times with juice and vinegar, finish with peach preserves.

I'm just making stuff up, your own imagination is the only limit. Spray, sauce/glaze, foil are tools in the rib tool kit.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lee Morris:
I'll preface my question with this...I, my family, and all my regular BBQ friends love my ribs. I have made several batches for others at their request. Have never had a complaint.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That says most of it....

What I have been doing of late is leaving them on for around 4 hrs, then foiling with beer for about 45min, and finishing them for around another hour or until done to dry them out a bit.

Like everyone else said, change one thing at a time and see if you like it.

Burt
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shawn W:

Instead of using spice rub perhaps you just apply S&P (I do S&P stuff from time to time, love it). Spray a couple times with juice and vinegar, finish with peach preserves.

I'm just making stuff up, your own imagination is the only limit. Spray, sauce/glaze, foil are tools in the rib tool kit. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now that gives me a hell of a recipe idea! Asian influenced... almost sweet & sour. Salt, white pepper, with a small amount of Chinese 5 spice powder for a rub. LIGHTLY Smoke w/ a mild wood... mebbe apple or a bit of mesquite. Spray with rice vinegar during the cook. Cook till done, and then glaze w/Chinese duck sauce at the very end.
 
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