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dry and chewy spare ribs


 
B

brady martin

Banned
second cook on my new weber performer i tried spare ribs.

it was raining and chilly outside (50 degrees outside i guess) maybe that had something to do with it.

they cooked for about 4 hours with temps ranging from 225 to 300. im still getting used to getting the temps right. i did have a small water pan with a couple cups of water. i forgot to check the water pan so maybe the water ran out, i dont know.

they werent fall off the bone and were chewy. they were edible but definitely want to try this again because i wasnt satisfied.

the temp gauge at the lid is 25 degrees higher than temp at the grate, is that correct? any input would be nice because i froze a slab for next saturday. i want to get this right
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">they cooked for about 4 hours </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
They needed a lot more time.

Don't cook by time though - it is only a guide. Cook till the ribs are tender. A probe inserted between the bones will go in like it is going into butter.
 
I cook spares all the time on my OTS 22.5. I don't use any water pan I find Spares usually take 5 hrs to pass the bend test. I don't foil or baste just dry rub and smoke. If you are having problems with steady temps there are a few things that may help you.
1)set up:forget those fancy little charcoal baskets, bank your coals to one side and use the Minion method to start your fire. I use lump with wood chunks mixed in. Put 8 brickets in the bottom of your Preformer and use the propane to light them then place the lit briquettes on top of the pile. Cover the remainder of the coal grate with foil( it will duct the air to the bottom of the fire making temps more controllable.

2)Don't worry about the temps in the upper part of the lid monitor the temps on the cooking grate that is the only temp that matters that is where the food is. Keep the exhaust port wide open control the heat with the intake. On my kettle I open the one touch control less than 1/4 " and it will hold 250 on the original fuel load for 5 hrs.
3) If your Lookin,You Aint Cookin!! keep the lid on and let the grill do its thing. If you need to open the lid you don;t want your fire to run away. Close your intake and exhaust and wait 5 min before you open the lid.quickly do what you need to and lid back up give it 5 min then reset the air and exhaust.

This is how I set mine up
Pictures012.jpg

Good luck Eat well.
 
the bones were barely showing at the ends. maybe 1/3 inch

i tried the toothpick method and it didnt go through the meat like it would through butter. ribs did bend at maybe 40 degree angle.

4 hours seemed like a long time and i still think not checking the water pan was the problem. i think there was not enough water, might have run out halfway through and just made the ribs dry and tough.

people were hungry and i would have like to waited another hour though.

when its done, its done is the motto i will follow saturday.
 
craig i will try your method. i dont have propane set up yet.

i used a chimney starter and followed the instructions from the weber manual for the most part. 50 lit briquettes, to one side, not 25 on each side. after each hour i added 16 like the manual says.

i will post the pictures soon, was hesitant at first because i consider this a failed cook.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by brady martin:
4 hours seemed like a long time and i still think not checking the water pan was the problem. i think there was not enough water, might have run out halfway through and just made the ribs dry and tough. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I never use water in the water pan, has nothing to do with "the keeping the meat moist" therory.
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If ribs are under cooked, they will be chewy and dry, same as over cooked.
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Just different textures between the two.
 
Some real good advise here. Spares take 5 to 6 hours at 225 degrees top vent temp for me. Babies take 4 to 5 hours, and beef ribs take 6 to 7 hours at that temp (if they are big, 5 to 6 hours if the butcher has trimmed them real small). This works every time. I use the small water pan for rib cooks. I don't foil, never needed to. For ribs I think a lower temp works better in terms of the final product than trying to hold 250 at the lid.

Cheers
Lou
 
Another point to remember is that pull back on the bones doesn't always happen. I just started a thread about the same issue a few days ago. I get my ribs plenty tender and 90% of the time there isn't much pull back on the bone. Others have noticed the same thing. Cook's vary depending on temp, air-tight capacity of the pit, guage of steel, cut of meat, etc.
 
Brady this one is usually controversial but if your next smoke is still dry and/or tuff, try wrapping them in foil and spray with a little Apple juice after cooking them for 3 hours. Leave them in foil for 1 hour and then back on the grill uncovered for 30 minutes. You'll like the outcome. Bob B
 
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