I gave up and then succeeded. The first Ribs I cooked that I was happy with.


 
K

Kevin Mahler

TVWBB Member
I have been challenged by Ribs since starting to BBQ about 2 months ago. Being the typical guy I am, I wasn't about to start with baby backs and then graduate to spare ribs.
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Until I ruined about $130 worth of ribs. Last Sunday after judging at Que and Cruz I decided to try cooking some baby backs and use some of the tips I picked up from the competition. Honestly, the only things I did differently were use a higher heat and watch the ribs closely.

In the last 30 mins of the cook I mopped the ribs with #5 sauce that I heated up with a little black pepper.

I had three friends over and they all praised the ribs. But, more importantly to me I was happy with them. The two women who were here liked the sauce but said that if they had it again they would prefer it to not be quite so hot. Next time I make #5 I'll leave the black pepper out. I make #5 modified with wine and lemon juice. I love that sauce.

I feel as though I now have a feel for what good ribs look like and feel like on the smoker. I'm looking forward to trying spare ribs again soon.


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those look great dude. spare ribs are awfully hard on me and not sure why but i can't do a great job with them... there good but not like bb's. maybe there just that way after all those cooks, but im honestly not sure. 80% chance its me. but bb's are my fav. if I had to pick. yours look great, #5 is good, i agree. ill have to try the lemon and wine sometime. keep on em and they'll always get to your liking somehow. I'm chasing my third briskit I ever made to THIS DAY. I don't know if it will get better then that one. that beginners luck thing is hard to beat. (in my case)
 
I don't know that baby backs are inherently more tender than spares. Perhaps because the bone is smaller,(than spares) there might be a greater ratio of connective tissue and meat relative to the size of the bone.This may contribute to them finishing more tender, once the connective tissue renders.

Either way, the batch you made looks great.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I don't know that baby backs are inherently more tender than spares. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm pretty sure they are. Backs sit under the loin, spares under the belly. I'm sure there's a tenderness difference between those two cuts so why not the underlying ribs.

This may sound weird, but when I sit here and take a deep breath, my spare ribs move while my back ribs stay still. using muscles toughens them up, and I don't think the muscles in the back ribs do much (its why the tenderloin is tender).

I switched to backs about 6 months ago after about a year of mucking up spares. Backs make you look like a rockstar, I've gotten raves from the ribs I made with backs. however I really thought about the last backs I made and I felt they were totally lacking in pork flavor.

I'm going to take what I learned from backs and apply it to spares. This thread just started but might be helpful:

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m/7250053465
 
Not to get on a soap box here. But as a Respiratory Therapist, I can tell you that you don't use the muscles inbetween your ribs for ventilation, unless you are extremely short of breath, or exercizing. Your diaphragm does the majority of the work of breathing, then your scalene muscles, then the musculature between your ribs.

As mammals, there can be a few similarities noticed, but all in all, because a hogs thoracic cage lies parallel to the ground, the ribs do more work of breathing than ours, simply because their diaphragm doesn't get the same benifit of gravity working on the lungs.

The point I was initially making was that there was a larger bone to tissue ratio in spares than there is in baby backs.
 
if bb's had the flavor of spares as J mentions, i'de be a happy camper. I'll be enjoying working on them as well for a while. nothing better then eating mistakes.
 
Wow, I just checked back and had 8 replies to my rib discussion. Oddly enough, I just had the last of the left over ribs this evening. They were still good.

While I was very happy with my Baby Backs from last weekend, my goal is still to cook spare ribs on par with Fat Matt's Rib Shack in Atlanta. So this weekend may see a rack or two of spare ribs grace my smoker. If so, I'll give a report.

I liked the heat I got from the lump charcoal. I'm hunting for some Royal Oak lump locally. I think the cheap lump I was using caused some fluctuations in temp that I didn't want.

BTW, the ribs were really good. Just not quite what I was shooting for. The next time I make #5, I will not add the black pepper. While I really like the spicy tang it adds. The two women over last weekend loved it but said I should tone it down a bit.

Thanks for all the great comments.

Kevin
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Not to get on a soap box here. But as a Respiratory Therapist </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think you earned it, take it. I dont let pride get it the way of learning from someone who knows more than me about something. I was just making an uniformed guess. Being biologist/biology teacher, I know a little about everything, and end up speculating on a lot of things.

I have read in multiple sources that backs are more tender. That doesn't mean those sources are correct, but I was trying to find some reasoning behind it.

Are pig ribs parallel or do they come closer together at the spine and sternum?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I don't know that baby backs are inherently more tender than spares. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm pretty sure they are. Backs sit under the loin, spares under the belly. I'm sure there's a tenderness difference between those two cuts so why not the underlying ribs.

This may sound weird, but when I sit here and take a deep breath, my spare ribs move while my back ribs stay still. using muscles toughens them up, and I don't think the muscles in the back ribs do much (its why the tenderloin is tender).

I switched to backs about 6 months ago after about a year of mucking up spares. Backs make you look like a rockstar, I've gotten raves from the ribs I made with backs. however I really thought about the last backs I made and I felt they were totally lacking in pork flavor.

I'm going to take what I learned from backs and apply it to spares. This thread just started but might be helpful:

http://tvwbb.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1780069052/m/7250053465 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


You might want to consider doing your spares as St.Louis cut. Shorter cooking time as you remove the skirt, tips and point and cook separately. The racks you are left with are meatier than BB , have better falvor IMHO but present in a similar way. I am one that prefers spares over BB. Plus you have all the skirt, point and tip meat that tastes great and can also be used for other purposes.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You might want to consider doing your spares as St.Louis cut. Shorter cooking time as you remove the skirt, tips and point and cook separately. The racks you are left with are meatier than BB , have better falvor IMHO but present in a similar way. I am one that prefers spares over BB. Plus you have all the skirt, point and tip meat that tastes great and can also be used for other purposes. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

thats what I do and usually grind the trimmings for breakfast sausage. Doing backs, I realized that my temps weren't high enough when I was doing spares. I'm planning on trying spares again (and hoping to get better results), its just I haven't had a chance since I've been working out another recipe that I'm using backs for.
 
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