First smoke need quick help : )


 
R

Ross S

New member
Hey All,

As the story goes after years of "want" I finally got a WSM 18incher.. as a gift!! No it doesn't get better then that.

Well the smoker is together and Im ready to make the beginer baby backs... one problem...

I bought spare ribs! Doh! So heres my question... if I follow the beginer rib guide... will I need to vary the temp and cook time? Or should I just stick to the plan... smoke as directed... and perform the tear test after 3 hours?

Thanks ahead of time!
 
Ross,

This WSM is almost fool proof. You can drive yourself crazy with time/temp discussions; the food is done when it's done, and within a reasonable range one temp is as good as another. So, raise your temp a little, set it and forget it, and check the ribs after a few hours. Cook a little longer if not done, or enjoy if done. Just don't take them off until the ribs tear apart with little (very little) or no resistance. How long will that take? Who knows. I smoke baby backs all the time and have given up on time management. I shoot for around 275, start early enough that in the worst case I should be done a couple hours early, and then foil them in a cooler until ready to serve. Always hot, always delicious, always easy. Relax, and enjoy! Just my two cents worth!
 
I think that spares usually take a little longer to cook than BB ribs. You can use the same temp if you like but overall cooking time may run to 6 hrs depending how you want the final product to be. That being said, there are variations of that cooking method that May suit you better. Do a search on ribs and you will see what I mean. Many folks like to foil after 3 hrs, some don't. It's kinda personal choice and the desired finished product. At any rate HAVE FUN with your first cook on the WSM. BUT remember, if we don't see pics of the cook, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

Oh and welcome!

Mark
 
Keep your first cook simple. Follow the plan. You might want to use more unlit than is called for because spares typically take longer. They are usually larger, too, so laying them flat on the top grate in one piece might not work so well.

Cook until tender and you'll be fine.
 
Thanks guys!!

Sooo... I put the spare ribs on ice.

Just got back from the butcher lol... 3 racks of pork loin ribs later ! Yep Im out of my mind... but Im really excited about the smoker and didnt wanna to worry about it for the first time. Like you said... its all about having fun...

So wish me luck... I will def snap some shots. Of course if my ribs come out looking like dinosaur bones... uh thrn I forgot to take pics... and they came out perfect : )
 
If you can get to 250-300 (not sure if your using water) you could be anywhere from 4-6 hours.

It can vary from time to time, if you give em the right amount of time to be done properly it will be worth the wait!

Good luck and keep us posted!
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As they say there done when there done ! I use the tear test and have had BB/loinbacks take anywere from 4 hrs to as long as 7 hrs same with sapres . You just never know ! I personaly never foil and never open the lid for the first 4 hrs and my ribs if I do say so myself have always been as close to perfect as I could ever want ! IMO of course YMMV

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Hey guys... sorry for the delay and thanks for the advice.

Well my ribs... turned out great!!! Unbelievable even!! I did have a hard time judging if they were done but fortunately things went well in that dept as well. I tried the tear test but I think I was a little lost and was worried about over cooking.

Check out a pic of the ribs after saucing : )

ribs.jpg
 
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