Spare vs. Back rib bark differences


 

Dave Russell

TVWBB Honor Circle
Not being one to leave well enough alone, I've gone back to foiling spares for my first two cooks on my new (to me) BIG WSM. After all, I'm finally back to a 22.5" grate and have enough room for THREE FULL-length st. louis slabs. First cook, the ribs were some of the best I've ever cooked, but this cooker has an extra top vent and I was amazed at how fast I was able to reach 275* (gauge). The ribs looked great some time before the two hour mark so I foiled them, so actual cooking temps were obviously well north of that.

Anyhow, yesterday there was a fairly brisk north that really put a damper on things and I couldn't get my temp north of 275* long enough to get bark soon enough for foiling. Yes, the problem was WATER in the pan, but the thing is, I can cook back ribs with moist heat at 250* and foiling seems to be a big help in achieving better tenderness. No problem with the back ribs in getting the color and texture I want soon enough with water in the pan.

Well, I've noticed that lots of bbq competitors recommend 250* for back ribs and 275* for spares, and I've also noticed that water pans seem to be more popular with MBN competitors (who primarily cook back ribs and no brisket). I'm reminded of something I read in "Smoke & Spice", by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, regarding water smokers:

"The most serious shortcoming pertains to traditional barbecue meats such as beef brisket and pork shoulder, which remain excessively fatty because of the added moisture"..."It (water) also adds considerable moistness to food, much more than you get from a water reservoir in a log pit. When you want a crisp, crunchy finish in a dish, you may need to cook without the water pan, or perhaps remove the pan during the last stages of cooking."

Bottom line is that I'll have my clay pot base in the pan next time I decide to cook comp-style spares, or brisket, for that matter. Besides, it's pretty inefficient to try to cook with water over 250*, and I'm gonna go through a lot more charcoal with this new cooker, anyway.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">but this cooker has an extra top vent and I was amazed at how fast I was able to reach 275* (gauge). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's wonderful isn't it ? With my 2nd exhaust vent I can put 100 lbs of pork butts on my 22" and get it to 260° in 30 minutes before shutting them down.

Although I am now non-water all the time, I wasn't originally. Cooking spares at 275° is when I stopped using water, because it was harder to maintain that higher temp with water, and I didn't have the 2nd exhaust vents back then.

And you just reminded me I need a new clay base for this weekend, I dropped mine memorial day weekend.

Enjoy the new 22"!
 
I've been cooking on an 18 1/2" WSM for over a year. I recently got a 22 1/2" model, and have about 4 or 5 cooks in it. I use a foiled clay flower pot base in a foiled water pan. I use an 18 1/2" charcoal ring in my 22 1/2". It seems to use less fuel.

The big WSM does seem to come up to temperature faster then the little one. The extra capacity is very nice.

I cook backs and spares at 275F, and foil. I've had great results.

Bob
 
Dave congrats on getting the big boy

I too am going to try foiling next time I cook for the family. Going to try to maintain color. This weekends cook is not the time to try
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Thanks for the replies, guys.

I know you 100% dry-panners might not be able to appreciate my OP, but I thought it might confirm someone else's experiences or suspicions. From disappointment in my last brisket, all future brisket cooks will involve lots of foil, both above the grate AND below. Of course, now I'll actually have room to foil a brisket. I'll stick with water in the pan for big st. louis rib cooks since not foiling, but I find it advantageous to stay flexible on the foil issue when it comes to butts. Not sure I want to try cooking butts in dry heat without foiling unless I invest in an ATC.

Anyhow, my buddy threw in everything but the kitchen sink on this deal: CB doors for BOTH of my bullets (that actually FIT!), both a 12 and a 14" clay pot base, a couple extra grates, and covers for each size bullet as well. His bullet not only has the extra top vent, but extra grill supports and a one-piece charcoal grate/ring with handles. Oh yeah, and extra vents for my 18.5" so I can do an extra top vent on the little bullet, as well.
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Last spares I cooked I had water and plenty of bark. That could be directly related to the amount of rub and spraying with apple juice.
 
Dry vs water, yes. Spares vs backs, no, not really. It's easy to (re)establish bark after tenderness is achieved, if necessary.

I also don't buy Jamison's quote.

I can't say I get the fascination with getting temps up quickly.

If one is cooking dry I don't see the need for clay.
 
Well, alright then. Here's my own unsolicited guidelines then, based on my OWN observations from many cooks (with and withOUT foil) on the wsm (with and withOUT water) and other cookers.
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Feel free to disagree, but this works for me:

Regarding back ribs, no matter whether water in the pan or not, I think foiling is worth the trouble because I seem to get a more consistent product if I foil 'em after they're the color I want.

Now for larger or just more simpler cooks, my go-to plan is st. louis ribs smoked WITH water in the pan at around 250*, meat side up if not in a rack, no foiling, and no saucing. To reiterate, in my experience at least, with water in the the pan, foiling st. louis ribs becomes more trouble than it's worth since it takes longer for the bark to form than if cooking dry. (In other words, why mess with it if they'll be in the foil less than an hour, anyway?)

Speaking of big rib cooks though, I'll be prepared for a big one once my SIX Weber rib racks get here. Don't know when I'll ever need to smoke TWENTY-SEVEN slabs of St. Louis ribs, but I'll be ready when I do.

Now if I wanted comp. style st. louis or just wanted two or three slabs done faster, my plan would be no water in the pan, and to cook at around 275-300*. It's probably a good idea to trim more of the fat off than if not foiling. Harry Soo seems to have suggested somewhere that he gets the bark he wants withOUT having to re-set it after foiling. How? Well, he seems to suggest that spritzing helps for one thing, and for another, he claims you get better bark with a dry pan. Not an expert yet on the spritzing, but I can attest to the difference he acknowledges on the dry vs. wet pan. That's for sure. It's kind of like how if you cook st. louis ribs too slow and they get done before getting good bark.
 
Dave, i myself spritz ribs all the time, i do not spritz for flavor cause that will never happen, i spritz to control the bark on ribs no other reason. Some will disagree but that's fine. Also just using the top rack i find no water pan at all is the way to go, no burnt sides etc...every thing cooks evenly, very low fuel usage, easiest way to control temps, once temps are dialed in set it and forget it that simple.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J Hoke:
Last spares I cooked I had water and plenty of bark. That could be directly related to the amount of rub and spraying with apple juice. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

So just so I'm understanding you right, did you foil the ribs during the cook?

For both kinds of ribs I use lots of b. sugar in a pretty heavy rub, but with spares there's gonna be one spritz at the most before I foil if using water in the pan. That's not enough to matter, but if I spray any sooner I'll wash the rub off. For what I can remember, that's never so when cooking back ribs or cooking with a dry pan, and that's my point.
 
Yes, I have always done 2,1,1, then check ever 30 minute method, foiling for 1 hour after 3 hours, spraying with apple juice after each turn and when put in foil.

New to WSM cooking, always have had offsets. What is the clay pot base used for?
 

 

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