holiday cook - first time for spares (pics to follow)


 
T

t wright

TVWBB Member
So with the day off tomorrow, I've got 3 racks of spares (untrimmed). I got them each for 1.59/lb (fresh, not frozen, not enhanced).

So far on the WSM, I have cooked beer can chicken, basic bbq chicken, fatties, and some butts. All have gone as good as they can for a newb.

I'm a little concerned about the ribs, but I'll give it my best shot. I have planned on trimming them to STL cut (have never done this or removed membranes before, so i'll cross my fingers!)

Here's my plan, please give feedback and advice!

1. Trim the spares.
2. Remove Membrane.
3. Use some rub (don't know yet!!! uh-oh!)
4. Fire up WSM with clay pot
5. Add 2 chunks of pecan with a handful of apple chips (hard to get apple chunks here)
6. Smoke at 250* dome temp until they pass the tear test/bend test.
7. Not planning on using foiling this first time. I want to see how it is going straight up the whole time.
8. Will be basting with apple juice/cider vinegar/bourbon each hour after the first couple of hours.
9. Haven't decided if I will put any sauce on near the end or not.

Hope everyone enjoys their day off tomorrow. Thanks for the advice in advance!
 
If you are using both levels, I'd go higher temp, 275 top vent....I'd go that even if only using top grate. Otherwise plan looks great, but I'd also cut back in the basting, you lose heat everytime you open and it can take some time to recover. I also fill the clay saucer with sand to increase the thermal capacitance even more.
 
I'd get the WSM going first, then prep your ribs. It wont take as long as you think. The membrane will come off easily if you use a butter knife, and a few dry paper towels for traction.

I would still recomend foiling, it will simplify the process, and make it easier not tweaking temps every 10 minutes. And yes, basting once in a while wont hurt but removing the lid to do so often will lengthen the cook time. You can get some nice flavor additions doing that, but it wont tenderize or moisturize the meat. They will likely be done in about four hours from begining to end.

Good luck and share some pics.
 
thanks for the response.

i went ahead and trimmed the ribs and removed the membranes this afternoon. All went well on that front.

i'm planning on basting maybe once an hour after the 1st 2 hours, so not too much.

Everything I had read seemed to say it would take closer to 6 hours. Should I expect more around 4 hours? I seem to be able to easily settle in at 250* dome temp on my past smokes.

I will definitely share some pics.
I picked up some hash from Shealy's (a local BBQ joint) to make up some rice and hash as well. I'm not willing to tackle making that stuff.
 
Timing will depend on actual cooktemps and whether you foil. When I've cooked at those temps, spares have come in ~5-5.25 hours, if using foil, longer if not.
 
is there any noticeable difference when you cut the rack in half to fit it on the WSM? of course I'd rather have the whole rack together, but wasn't sure if they would all fit.
 
i'm almost 3 hours in to the cook...the meat has started to pull back from the bones some..is this normal?

sorry for stupid questions! i remind you this is my 1st time doing ribs
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I'm also doing spares for the first time.

I'm cooking mine at 225, just over 2 hours into it...I haven't even checked them yet...and I'm using the "Cartman" setup, the probe is in the butt...*groan*

I'm doing a fattie for the first time also...have no clue what I'm doing there, just rolled it up with cheese in the center and smokin' it...

BTW, this is just my 2nd time to use the WSM, and first time to use the clay pot. I noticed a couple different ones when I was at OSH. The one I got has a smooth surface on the inside, but some had some type of tar or something brushed inside...probably doesn't make a difference...

I had a Brinkman, I'm using the pan from it, the clay pot fits in just perfect. Would have worked just fine in the weber also, just not as deep. I just wrapped mine with foil, didn't add any foil balls into the pan under it...I think it's fine...I'll check my ribs in an hour or so...
 
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