The Texas BBQ Forum

Well, I about to fill my "barrel pit" with mesquite lump and hickory chunks to make my first try with some 4lbs spare ribs I picked up at HEB. I'm going to build the fire on the left side and cook on the right. I have heard about 5-6 hours at 225-250. Is this in the right ball park? I'm also gonna use season salt, pepper, and bbq sause for rub since it's what I have. Are there any pointers? Do I need to baste it along the way? If so, with what? I'll update my progress along the way! Thanks in advance!

Eric

I wouldn't use the BBQ sauce. You can use Worcestershire sauce to make the seasoning stick, olive oil or just water. BBQ sauce has a tendency to burn.
Do not mop lifting the lid screws up temperature control. First it lets the heat out then it lets air in the cause the fire to flame up better to leave it closed.
If you want to make the ribs pretty toward the end of the cook mix some BBQ sauce with honey and paint the ribs with just a single light coat to glaze.

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tarde venientibus ossa....

Some go by the 3-2-1 method which from what i read involve 3 hrs smoking, 2 hrs on the foil wrap and one hr with foil unwrapped. But i only do mine unwrapped, it really depends on what you like. The best thing about smoking is theres a good margin of error and it more so dependent on the one doing it . Always start with quality meat and low and slow. Knowing the grate temp is key to success and not relying on the temp on the dome. Get one oven thermometer for less than $10 at any Academy or Restaurant Supplier in your area.

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Precision- ... -3-catcorr

Thanks for the tips. I have the meat on the pit now, with a grate temp of 250. I coved the fire side of the grate with foil so I can somewhat channel the heat to the meat. I'm kind of struggling to keep a steady temp but I think I'll manage.

There are a lot of different ways to cook ribs. They're fairly forgiving. To check for doneness just grab two bones and pull them apart, if they pull apart with just a little force they're done.


-Nick

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-Nick

Custom R&O Offset
Lang 84D w/Chargriller SOLD
Weber Performer
22" Weber One Touch Gold Kettle
18" Weber Smokey Mountain
Weber Smokey Joe

What Papa Tom said

Couple other ways to check for doneness

Use a toothpick and probe the meat - should go in easily (not like butter as in a brisket but close)

Look for a good drawback of the meat on the bones - say about 3/4 - 1"


Slide your tongs halfway down the rack the ribs should bend close to 90 degrees - I like to keep the other end supported on the rack so they don't break in half.


5-6 hours should do but may take a little shorter or longer depending on your ability to hold the temp. cook till done, not to time

Good luck with it and good eatin

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Suppose you were a fisherman, and suppose you exaggerated a lot ..... but I repeat myself

Papa Tom and the others are both right, and there are different ways to do it. Papa is particularly right, IMHO, about not mopping with barbecue sauce for the most part because the sugars can carbonize and burn. And opening your lid and mopping will indeed extend your cook time.

That said I still mop (just me), because I like mopping on layers of contrasting or complimentary flavor later in the cook after the rub has really cooked into the surface, and I do think is adds a little surface moisture over time or cools the edges to tame carbonizing or both. Arguable if I actually know what I'm doing, but it works for me, so why fix it? Because of that, mine probably take an hour or more longer than the other guys. You can make make mop out of all kinds of stuff (often has a beer or broth base or a lot of guys use apple juice or cider), but avoid thick sugary stuff, like I said, it can carbonize. I like a mop with some form of roasted and crushed pepper(s) in it, so you get a little slow burn eat or that dusky spice and then bite through into the juicy inside, and you get a slow burn as part of the overall taste. If you want to glaze them you can do it about the last hour so you cook it on, and that might be when you include some sweet, though I personally wouldn't glop on barbecue sauce. If you must use it, I would cut it with some beer or apple cider and do it sparingly in the last hour. Sauce is more like a condiment for the side on the table for those in the family that want it.

By the way, Eggie's ribs above look rockin' good, even if cooked in one of those Egg Cult cookers - LOL.

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Life is too short to drink bad beer.
"This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it..." - The Late, Great Al Cervick

I can teach you the secret handshake of the cult, but you have to get a flower pot first

Better pic of the fold test - notice the one in the back broke during the test Still finger lickin good

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Suppose you were a fisherman, and suppose you exaggerated a lot ..... but I repeat myself

OK, Eggie, here is a secret sign for you Egg Culters....as Jerry Jeff Walker once famously said, "E...is for Eggsssss". Don't recommend you go around doing this in Compton or Brooklyn. But I will also give you the "R" for RIBBBSSSS. Nice lookin' rack...

Uh oh, awkward.

Someone should put that on a T shirt with a silkscreen of some ribs...might be popular with the feminine gender...

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Life is too short to drink bad beer.
"This steak still has marks from where the jockey was hitting it..." - The Late, Great Al Cervick