3-2-1 method for smoked ribs

[FN Phat]

I tried my hand at spare ribs tonight for some friends, my parents and my in-laws. I did the 3-2-1 method with 3 hours at 225, 2 hours foiled with a bit of apple juice at 275 and 1 hour unfoiled and slathered in sauce back at 225. I wasn't happy with how they turned out. I think I used too much rub and I think I should have went with 2.5-2-1. The ribs fell of the bone with little to no resistance. It didnt help that they stayed wrapped for 30 minutes longer than expected as we waited for my mom. Everyone seemed rather please d with them but I was a bit let down. My FIL claimed he liked them but he was only in town for 15 minutes!!

[Drunk Tank]

"St. Louis" style spare ribs...

I decided to cook some spare ribs for dinner tonight. I generally like to cook baby backs, and do so with good results, but I want to try spares.

Spare ribs are quite a bit larger than baby backs and cook differently than babybacks. Many people cook spares ribs "un-trimmed" or whole and some cut them into "St. Louis" style spare ribs. Tonight, I did the latter.

Why trim them you may ask?

1. They look nicer
2. They cook quicker and more evenly
3. I can get more racks of ribs on the smoker that way
4. I hate eating that end full of knuckles and stuff
5. I like having the trimmed meat for other things
6. They're easier to eat when trimmed


Anyways, here we go....

Start with your everyday cryovac package of spare ribs. These are from Sam's Club.



Wash the spare ribs under cold water and pat dry. Then place them on your cutting board in preperation for trimming.

Here is the meat side of the untrimmed spare rib



Here is the bone side



You will notice they are not really uniform and are much larger in size than your standard rack of babybacks.

To trim, you want to locate the joint between the large bones seperating the ribs and the knuckle and cut in a straight line, seperating the two pieces.



Next we want to trim this flap of meat from the top of the rib.



Now trim the ends so the rack is uniform in size all the way across. The end piece is usually really thin anyways and will over cook. also trim away any large fat deposits on the ribs.





Dont forget to remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs. I use a butter knife to seperate it then grab ahold with a paper towel and peel it away.



This should leave you with a nicely trimmed "St. Louis" style spare rib rack.




You end up with alot of trimmings.




These 3 racks weighed in at just over 14lbs untrimmed and trimmed were little over 8lbs. So I had approx 6 lbs of trimmings. Dont throw them away!!! Use them in beans, grind for sausage, or cook as rib tips, chef samples, etc.... Today I was lazy and pan grilled the tips and then threw them in the crock pot with bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar and more rub. What I dont eat I will take off the bone and vacuum seal to use in beans at a later date.

[Drunk Tank]

Now that they are trimmed, I like to use a mustard slather, just like the pulled pork (helps the rub adhere better), rub with your favorite rub, then wrap in platic wrap and set in the fridge for an hour or so while the smoker comes to temp.

Today I used John Henry's Cherry Chiptle rub on the first rack, John Henry's Pecan rub on the next, and Bad Byron's Butt rub on the third.



Wrapped and ready for the fridge.



When the smoker is ready, I pull the ribs out of the fridge and unwrap. I usually like to add a little more rub right before I put them in the smoker.







I came a cross a post on the bbq brethren website of some spare ribs that looked fantastic and thought I would try his technique instead of my no foil technique.

The ribs went on the smoke at 275° (using royal oak lump charcoal and cherry wood chunks) for 2 hours.



I pulled them off the smoke and put them on a sheet tray. Onto the ribs I poured a mix of margarine, honey and sriracha sauce. I am not sure of the amount. There was no recipe to follow other than an ingredient list, so I mixed until I thought it tasted good. If I had to guess I would say 2 cubes margarine, 3 T honey, and 1-2 t sriracha.







I also added about 2/3 of a cup of apple juice to the pan as well.



I covered the whole thing back with foil and back onto the smoker for 1.5 hours. I still have about 30 minutes until I need to take them off. At that point I will glaze with some bbq sauce and honey, and cook until they are done. I'll post pics of the finished product when they are done.

[FN Phat]

For anyone needing a reminder of who the godfather of BBQ is, see dt posts above.

[Jeff Lebowski]

DT, I very much appreciate the detailed set of pics and instructions. My last foray with spare ribs was disappointing so I would like to try this.

Given that spare ribs are so much cheaper than baby backs, I suspect your St. Louis ribs are probably about the same cost as typical baby backs. I suppose you could also smoke the trimmings prior to throwing them into the crock pot. Should be great in tacos, quesos, sandwiches, etc.

Margarine? That surprises me, although the honey-sriracha combo sounds great. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.

I am doing baby backs today. I am doing baked beans as a mixture between your recipe and my wife's recipe (her bean mixture and your sauce). I thought your beans were perfect, but she prefers a more varied mixture of beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, etc). I am not sure how it will turn out.

[Jeff Lebowski]

For anyone needing a reminder of who the godfather of BBQ is, see dt posts above.

Yes indeed. The rest of us are amateurs.

[Drunk Tank]

For anyone needing a reminder of who the godfather of BBQ is, see dt posts above.

Thanks! I wish though. I love to BBQ and it is a hobby, but godfather? I am a long ways off, but I appreciate it.

DT, I very much appreciate the detailed set of pics and instructions. My last foray with spare ribs was disappointing so I would like to try this.

Given that spare ribs are so much cheaper than baby backs, I suspect your St. Louis ribs are probably about the same cost as typical baby backs. I suppose you could also smoke the trimmings prior to throwing them into the crock pot. Should be great in tacos, quesos, sandwiches, etc.

Margarine? That surprises me, although the honey-sriracha combo sounds great. Can't wait to hear how it turns out.

I am doing baby backs today. I am doing baked beans as a mixture between your recipe and my wife's recipe (her bean mixture and your sauce). I thought your beans were perfect, but she prefers a more varied mixture of beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, etc). I am not sure how it will turn out.

I bet they will taste delish.


I pulled my ribs off and unfoiled them. I can already tell they are going to be over done. Theya re already falling off the bone in some spots. I didnt notice, but the last time I opened the egg, the temp spiked to about 320 and too about 45 min. to drop back to 275. So, basically, I probabbly should have pulled them out of the foil after an hour. Hopefully they will still taste good.

[Drunk Tank]

Well, they were over-cooked as I thought. They fall right off the bone with no effort. Some people prefer falling off the bone, but I try to aim for off the bone with just a little pull to it. The taste is fantastic though. I really like the rack with the butt rub. The honey/sriracha is subtle, but there, in the background. I'll try to tweak this a bit as I really like the flavor profile. Just need to get my temps and cooking times dialed in better.

Here are the pics. Problem with fall off the bone ribs, is they are a pain to cut. They dont want to cut, they tear.

















Oh, and I am really begining to miss my Traeger. Dont get me wrong, I love the egg, but if you let the temp get away from you, you are hosed. Also, my hinge assembly is broken somehow and it is very hard to get the lid on the egg open.

Traegers are so stupid simple and easy to use and operate. I R dum for getting rid of mine...

[Shaka]

I just took a nap after eating a boatload of pulled pork. This has made me hungry again.

[TripletDaddy]

boo-hoo! drunk tank is unhappy with his ribs. poor him. let's all have a pity party for the poor souls that have to endure eating those spare ribs.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Looks great, DT.

Hey, I notice a slicer in the background on one of your photos. I have been thinking it would be nice to have one in the kitchen. Are you happy with the one you have? What kind is it?

[Drunk Tank]

boo-hoo! drunk tank is unhappy with his ribs. poor him. let's all have a pity party for the poor souls that have to endure eating those spare ribs.

Look, I have to hold myself to a higher standard...

Looks great, DT.

Hey, I notice a slicer in the background on one of your photos. I have been thinking it would be nice to have one in the kitchen. Are you happy with the one you have? What kind is it?

I like it. It is made by Uniworld. Not sure of the model, but it is a 1/5 hp 9" commercial slicer. It is not rated for cheese or frozen meats, but good enough for home use. I've used it to cut salami, tri-tip, prime rib, deli cheeses, and veggies. I picked it up off of Craigslist for $120 I think. New they retail around $350-$400. I was trying to hold out for a Hobart 10"-12" slicer, but couldnt find a good deal. They run between 350-900 used, but will slice anything you throw at it.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I am doing baked beans as a mixture between your recipe and my wife's recipe (her bean mixture and your sauce). I thought your beans were perfect, but she prefers a more varied mixture of beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, etc). I am not sure how it will turn out.

Boo!

The original DT recipe uses mainly Bush beans that have sauce in the can. We used mainly beans that are packed in water and we drained them. So when I mixed them together there was not enough liquid so I did some improvising to extend it and messed it up. Came out bland and runny. Gag.

I am going back to the original.

[kccougar]

Boo!

The original DT recipe uses mainly Bush beans that have sauce in the can. We used mainly beans that are packed in water and we drained them. So when I mixed them together there was not enough liquid so I did some improvising to extend it and messed it up. Came out bland and runny. Gag.

I am going back to the original.

I also experimented today - see the baked beans thread. I'm anxious to try again.

[mtnbiker]

I like it. It is made by Uniworld. Not sure of the model, but it is a 1/5 hp 9" commercial slicer. It is not rated for cheese or frozen meats, but good enough for home use. I've used it to cut salami, tri-tip, prime rib, deli cheeses, and veggies. I picked it up off of Craigslist for $120 I think. New they retail around $350-$400. I was trying to hold out for a Hobart 10"-12" slicer, but couldnt find a good deal. They run between 350-900 used, but will slice anything you throw at it.

That's a nice looking slicer. My wife got me a Waring Pro 7.5" slicer for Christmas a couple of years ago. Not as nice as yours, but it's fine for what I need. I only use it once in a while to slice my sukiyaki meat. I could never get a butcher to do it the way I like, both in thickness and in trimming the fat, so I do it myself.