St Louis Spares

[Matt Falk]

Here are the spares I smoked on Saturday. It was a weird smoke. First time with no water in the pan. It felt like the ends got overcooked a little, while I might have pulled the ribs off a little too early. They didn't pass the tear test as handily as I would have liked. I kept the temp between 220 and 250 for five hours. I know people on here generally say that having no water doesn't affect the moisture of the meat, but they felt a little more dried out than the spares I smoked two weeks ago.

 

[Bob Sample]

Look pretty good. If they were under cooked they would have seemed dry.

 

[Bill W. Michigan]

I always fix dry with more sauce but that's just me... Anyway I'll eat those if you don't want them.

 

[Jim Lampe]

Matt, your ribs look GREAT!
I've cooked spares the same way you have <span class="ev_code_GREY">(220 and 250 for five hours)</span> and never had dry ribs...
and I do NOT use water in the pan.
I think you can believe that water in the pan does absolutely nothing in keeping your ribs moist. I believe it.

 

[Mike Coffman]

Great looking ribs Matt! And I also do not use water anymore in my WSM. I have a clay saucer in my water pan and it helps me regulate the temps. Never had anything come out dry since I switched.

 

[Russell McNeely]

Ribs look great to me! I never use water in my WSM either. If they didn't pass the "tear test" very easily, I would think they were undercooked.

 

[Wolgast]

Looks good to me matt! Have you tested the dome thermometer in boiling water?

 

[Matt Falk]

Thanks all. Yeah, one slab passed the tear test pretty handily. The other one was just a tad underdone. Next time I will let em go a little longer. And I haven't decided if I'll use water in the pan next time or not. I don't mind having to scrub the pan after a smoke.

 

[Mark Skeet]

Your ribs look good! Foil your pan and you won't have to scrub, water in the pan or not.

 

[Patrick (Hammy)]

Hi Matt,
Hey my neighbor to the south; I thought I smelled some "Q" up north. That must have been you!

 

[Matt Falk]

So the place where I got the ribs, B&B Grocery, posted the pic I sent them on their website. Anyone near Des Moines should check them out. Great butcher shop!

http://bbgrocerymeatdeli.com/b...ct-for-the-barbecue/

 

[Jim H.]

Those ribs look pretty good Matt. You can also probe for doneness with a toothpick or a skewer between the bones. If the probe goes into the meat like melted butter, then they are done.

 

[Matt Falk]

Yeah, I did that too. The slab that I thought was underdone had a tiny bit of resistance when I tried the toothpick, but it was already 6:30 at that point, and I had guests waiting. Next time I'll start earlier and give them more time.

 

[Dave Russell]

Matt, stick with what works for YOU. Nothing wrong at all with using water in a water smoker and like so many others, I've DONE IT ALL. As to the ends of the ribs on an 18.5" wsm, nothing wrong with rolling and skewering or smoking half slabs.

Unless I want to cook faster and foil during the cook though (which I'd just as soon NOT), there's some water in my pan, I guarantee ya. Spray it with Pam precook to make clean-up easier, but you don't clean the rest of your smoker up like dishes so don't worry too much about the pan either. It's just another part of the smoker and mine sometimes doesn't see anything but paper towels, my plastic putty knife, and a little rinse from the garden hose.