Think I'll do spares tonight...any advice?


 
P

Phil R.

TVWBB All-Star
My local grocer has racks of spares going for $5.50...I just can't pass em up. I'm going to do two racks today.

I've only done one rib cook, that time doing baby backs. I've got some BRITU rub left over, and thought I'd use it on the spares. Though I don't have any cherry wood, I'm going to use the BRITU method too.

Am I just looking at a little longer time for the spares (using the BRITU method) than I would be for the babies? Does the tear test still apply?

thanks, Phil
 
I would shoot for 6-7 hrs for spares, Phil. I do the tear method on them to see if they are done just like on babies.

I usually do a 3-2-1 method for tenderness...
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Phil R.:

I've only done one rib cook, that time doing baby backs. I've got some BRITU rub left over, and thought I'd use it on the spares. Though I don't have any cherry wood, I'm going to use the BRITU method too.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

FWIW there was a problem for someone on the board in the last week who did spares using the BRITU method. His problem was that his heat dropped to about 200 and he couldn't get it up. I think the conclusion was that he didn't follow that part of the BRITU plan that called for leaving the ribs out for a certain amount of time before putting them in the cooker. That would have resulted in a warm up of the meat and therefore less of a hit on the temp when they went on at 250. I would probably just use the BRITU rub but follow the standard method for firing up which would mean putting cold meat on the cooker around 325 or 350. I think BRITU is better suited for the smaller loin backs. Spares are street fighters and sometimes you need to give 'um a swift kick in...
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I go 3.5 hours without foil, 1 hour in foil and finish for another hour or so without foil. Did it last weekend and it worked great.

BTW that would be a very high price for spares down here ?

Paul
 
Paul,

$5.50 for the whole rack, not $5.50/lb...not sure how many pounds it was...probably about 3.

Trimmed em up St. Louis style per the instructions on TVWB. Now I've got that "flap" skin and the cartilagey piece, I think I'm going to put them on the gasser. The "flap" will be mine, and the cartilagey piece my golden retriever dylan will get. Hopefully everything goes well!
 
Uh...be careful feeding the dog. He might steal your barbeque.

I've done them both ways and foil is fine. I like my spares with no foil. They get a bit more of a bark on them. I use a rib rack and usually cut the slab in two sections. I flip them usually once. YMMV.

Good luck. Enjoy.

AR
 
Love spares! I only do spares anymore, no B.Backs. They take between 6-7 hours. Start to peel the membrane, wrap it around a butter knive, and just roll it off. Only takes a minute. 3-4 hours, wrap for 1, unwrap and finish til the tear test works. Sometimes I sauce when they come out of the foil the last 60-90 minutes, (very thin layers) sometimes I leave them dry.
I don't prep them St. L. style. I leave it all on.
Room temp the ribs, start the WSM, put the ribs on on the way up to temp. I feel it's easier to control the temps on the way up, but for some, this may be to much smoke flavor on their ribs.
 
I'm a spares fan too. I've been getting these wonderfully consistant racks (look at a few and you'd swear the pig was cloned); on the large side, but the smaller racks have fat quantity and placement all over the map. I do trim. I like rubbing the trimmings and cooking them on the lower rack where they can be extracted through the door when done and put into the sauce pot(s) to add smoke, meat, and bark flavors. Ties the sauce in really well.

I tend to start up with the MM and put them in on the way up as well.

Phil--how'd it go?
 
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