Thee racks, three rubs

[PaulyT]

Today's hypothesis: still working out how to cook ribs, and my question right now is, how much difference does the rub make, can I taste the difference in the final product? Wife brought home a pack of three St. Louis pork spare ribs from Costco yesterday, so now I've got the raw materials to perform a proper experiment!

So here we go.

The players: BP Money, Obie-Cue Sweet-n-Heat, and 3-Eyz bbq spice.

I didn't have any plain yellow mustard as a rub binder, so I used a little honey mustard dressing. I figure it's more about the texture of the sauce anyway, since only a tiny bit is used, and this is pretty thick stuff. Membrane removed and all rubbed up!

On the grill @ 275 (yes, as you'll see, I'm ripping off... I mean copying with respect... Sparky's methods. ) Good thing I bought that extra shelf!

 

[PaulyT]

After an hour, getting ready to foil, using butter, brown sugar, and honey; same thing on all three racks, as I want to isolate a single variable - the rub - as much as possible. Yeah I'm a scientist. I'm also curious to see how a saltier rub will last with - or be overpowered by? - the sugar+honey.

After 30 min in the foil, back on the grill, glazed with a mixture of the drippings from the foil and a little bit of the blues hog sauce.

My current favorite every-day beverage while I wait... Sorry Sparky, I'll copy other things, but I'm not a big fan of Fat Tire.

 

[PaulyT]

After about a half an hour, done and resting. I need more cutting boards...

Some money shots of the finished products.

 

[PaulyT]

Verdict: yeah, I can definitely taste the difference between the three. The sweet-n-heat one is clearly more sweet, though IMHO it could use a little more on the heat side. Still good, though. The other two (Money, 3eyz) were more similar, a bit more on the salty side but balanced well with the sweetness of the brown sugar and honey.

I think I liked the 3eyz version the best. But it's partly because that was a thinner slab cooked on the upper rack, I think it cooked more evenly. The others were a little charred on the bottom, which didn't taste bad - I actually kinda like that part - just maybe cooked a little more.

They seem to be mostly cooked okay, decent bark and color/rub/smoke penetration, and very juicy, not at all dry. My only quibble is they aren't the most tender ribs I've ever had; not tough, not that bad, just not exactly fall-off-the-bone. And I'm not quite sure what to adjust to change that. Lower pit temp? Longer or shorter foil time? You pros, what do you think? It's been suggested by a friend that I foiled too early. I'm still trying to figure out how to know when - or even if - to foil. Oh well, building experience here.


Anyway, wife and kids love it, they're definitely the best ribs I've cooked personally. Not that that's saying a whole lot as I'm still very new to this. BUt I'm pleased with the result.

Now some Black Maple Hill bourbon for "dessert," and this makes a wonderful meal.

 

[FLBentRider]

If you want them to fall of the bone, cook them longer, add some liquid to the foil.

 

[PaulyT]

It's in the post above (which I may have been writing when you asked). Yeah, there's certainly a difference, but in this particular case I'd probably be hard-pressed to say which was 3eyz and which Money if handed a bite of each without looking. I didn't use a whole lot of those two, though, because I was worried about it being overly salty. Again... experience lacking here, still feeling my way through this.


Edit: oops, you deleted your question. Thanks, yeah, I'm still working on figuring out when it's ready to foil - or heck, even if foiling is needed at all... I don't necessarily need fall-of-the-bone texture, in fact I like a little more "bite" to it.

 

[FLBentRider]

I do three hours @225F, then 2 hours in foil with wine - 225 or 250F depending on the "flex" when then went in the foil.

 

[FLBentRider]

You answered my question while I was asking it... lol

 

[PaulyT]

Thanks. Yeah, I think I'll definitely try a lower temp and longer cook next time. "Hey honey, want ribs for dinner again tomorrow?"

 

[FLBentRider]

IMHO - rib flex:

They go from raw and floppy to stiff when you put the heat to them.

Then they start to relax.

You need to figure out how relaxed you like.

Totally relaxed is pulled pork with bones.

 

[Deb]

Great job Pauly

good luck with that tomorrow question

 

[Tatonka3A2]

they certainly look good!!

 

[MossyMO]

What a nice, simple rib cook... good work!

 

[ACW3]

Good job!!! Sparky is rubbing off on everyone!! That's a good thing, too.

Art

 

[Moomtaz]

IMHO - rib flex:

They go from raw and floppy to stiff when you put the heat to them.

Then they start to relax.

You need to figure out how relaxed you like.

Totally relaxed is pulled pork with bones.

I kinda like mine pretty relaxed but not "pulled pork with bones". Never heard it referred to that way, but I guess it's accurate, lol... I thought your ribs looked good. And as far as testing them side by side, I had the same problem last weekend. Tried an experiment with two different methods, but I couldn't remember which was which after I got done because they looked the same after cooking them!! I guess I'll have to try again, which isn't so bad. More ribs for me!!

 

[Chili Head]

The ribs look great I think! That blues hog is good stuff too. Something ive been doing that you can try next time with the blues hog is mix 1/3 each of blues hog,apple cider vinegar and water. Cook it a bit and glaze your ribs with that. YUM! The rib quest never ends..

 

[sparky]

2 hours cooked > 1 hour foiled > finish unwrapped until toothpick goes threw easily.

 

[Big Poppa]

spark I think I have that recipe on the gallery.......there are so many ways and many times at home I dont foil. The sauce can be anything and most on the comp circuit blend with other sauces and usually add honey...some add brown sugar...What they are looking for in comp is very sweet with heat coming through. A very very common mix is the two blues hogs....

On the pellet cooker I usually dont foil more than an Hour...sometimes its 3 hrs naked and one in the foil covers....try a bunch and you will find yours recipe!

 

[sparky]

i like cooking ribs 275°. forever and ever i have used that temp. for the last 10 ribs cooks been using 250°. i think bent told me about that temp. i'm beginning to like that temp. more room for error. it a more forgiving temp to cook ribs w/. the timing is off w/ a new temp but i'm figuring it out. it really a science cooking good ribs.

 

[Pappymn]

i like cooking ribs 275°. forever and ever i have used that temp. for the last 10 ribs cooks been using 250°. i think bent told me about that temp. i'm beginning to like that temp. more room for error. it a more forgiving temp to cook ribs w/. the timing is off w/ a new temp but i'm figuring it out. it really a science cooking good ribs.

When you get the 250 dialed in, would love to hear your timing verses 275. Had good results from the old sparky method, always willing to try the new.