The wife's gone, so I've got an opportunity that I need to take advantage of. A quick trip to Costco for some spares. Here's what I ended up with:
Time to trim (Thanks Tent for the How-To):
Rubbed up, CYM glue, Memphis Rib Rub on the left and Hot and Spicy Cajun Rub on the Right:
On the Traeger, P3 and smoke:
Since it's my first time, I'll try something new. Chop up some jalapenos and stir together with some Red Hot Wing Sauce:
Closeup of the result:
Sauced (I wanted to try with and without sauce, so only half of each rack):
Pulled after 25 minutes:
Ribs cut:
Top Left is Cajun Rub and Wing Sauce, Top Right is Cajun Rub only
Bottom Left is Rib Rub and Grumpy's Black Label, Bottom Right is Rib Rub only
Lessons Learned:
1) Pick a better package of ribs. One rack was thick and meaty while the other was thinner. Obviously, they didn't cook the same. I pulled them at the same time, but I should have pulled the thin ones sooner.
2) Read the labels on your spices. I don't like caraway seeds. The first time I noticed that the Cajun Rub had caraway seeds was my first bite.
3) Chopped jalapenos in wing sauce made a good sauce. Even just 25 minutes on the ribs cooked out most of the heat (which was little disappointing)
4) One of the purposes of this cook was to figure out if I really need foil. The thinner rack was overcooked. Not overly dry, but overcooked. The thicker rack had a few juices dripping out (a rib first for me), but I think was still overcooked. I think foil would have helped here.
5) Even ribs that have lots of room for improvement are far better than any I've had in a restaurant.
Time to trim (Thanks Tent for the How-To):
Rubbed up, CYM glue, Memphis Rib Rub on the left and Hot and Spicy Cajun Rub on the Right:
On the Traeger, P3 and smoke:
Since it's my first time, I'll try something new. Chop up some jalapenos and stir together with some Red Hot Wing Sauce:
Closeup of the result:
Sauced (I wanted to try with and without sauce, so only half of each rack):
Pulled after 25 minutes:
Ribs cut:
Top Left is Cajun Rub and Wing Sauce, Top Right is Cajun Rub only
Bottom Left is Rib Rub and Grumpy's Black Label, Bottom Right is Rib Rub only
Lessons Learned:
1) Pick a better package of ribs. One rack was thick and meaty while the other was thinner. Obviously, they didn't cook the same. I pulled them at the same time, but I should have pulled the thin ones sooner.
2) Read the labels on your spices. I don't like caraway seeds. The first time I noticed that the Cajun Rub had caraway seeds was my first bite.
3) Chopped jalapenos in wing sauce made a good sauce. Even just 25 minutes on the ribs cooked out most of the heat (which was little disappointing)
4) One of the purposes of this cook was to figure out if I really need foil. The thinner rack was overcooked. Not overly dry, but overcooked. The thicker rack had a few juices dripping out (a rib first for me), but I think was still overcooked. I think foil would have helped here.
5) Even ribs that have lots of room for improvement are far better than any I've had in a restaurant.