St Louis Spares .. Favorite method?

[Tom Raveret]

I have 5 slabs of St Louis cut spare ribs going on the 22" smoker tomorrow but I haven't settled on how to cook.

I'm leaning toward rubbing and smoking and spraying with apple juice once an hour until they are done but I've also done Harry Soo's method before cooking at 275 for a couple of hours then wrapping.

Likely saucing with Blues hog at the end but open to ideas!

Thoughts or suggestions?

Whats your favorite way to cook St Louis Spares?

Preferred temperature for best results?

 

[Tim Campbell]

Hi Tom!
My method is very similar although I've not done 5 racks at once, fwiw.

I trim and rub the ribs with salt and let sit for a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge. I then coat them with Meathead's Memphis Dust, which has zero salt in it. I let the ribs come to room temp while I prep the smoker.

My son is allergic to apple so I usually use cherry wood chunks and Kingsford or Jealous Devil. Instead of ACV or apple juice, I spritz with water or lemonade. Or root beer. Or Sprite, etc.

I usually don't wrap ribs but when I do I add butter and some brown sugar. Then unwrap and finish cooking for about 45 minutes.

This method works well for me but there's tons of folks here with a lot more experience. There's also a bunch of info in the boards about high heat ribs...

No matter how you do them, they're going to rock.

 

[Richard S]

When I do multiple racks I like to keep at least one rack dry (no sauce) so you can really get a feeling for how the smoke and seasoning impacted the meat. Good luck!

 

[Erik Tracy]

I've never done more than 2 St Louis racks on my smaller 18WSM.

I used to smoke, then wrap, then firm via a modified 3-2-1 type of cook. But over time I just do a 'full ride' method as I seem to get better bark.

Trim, then mustard slather and dust with rub the night before to set up. Then a full ride on the top rack, meat side up, no turning. Target cook temp of 240-250F, bowl in, no water. I like a combo of hickory and pecan (or cherry). Spritz with plain water as needed after the bark has set. Then monitor for doneness, and a light slather of sauce 10 minutes before taking off the smoker.

Cook time depends on the racks...some are meatier than others - it's done when it's done. But, typically, for my St Louis cooks, around 4 hours.