Ribs 8 Ways

Rip

New member
A buddy of mine from the forum sent me a goodie box with several rubs in it. I decided to cut up four racks of Baby Backs and make ribs 8 ways. To emphasize the flavors, all will be dry rubbed for the taste test.

I spent last week in Florida, had some real nice weather...missed a rare 70 degree Feb day back home while we were gone...got home about 11pm Friday, the snow started around midnight.
The ruler is in to the 9 1/2 inch mark.
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Back to the cook, here's the players. Four are rubs I had, four are new to me.
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Gradassi's EVOO with chili was used for glue on all ribs. The ribs were put on at 225 for about 30 minutes, then bumped to 275 for 90 minutes. They were flipped and also rotated. Here they're about ready to be foiled.
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This 1/2 rack is BPS Desert Gold.
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This one is Roasterie Coffee.
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The snow started up again and continued throughout the cook. I got covered in snow each time I was tending the MAK. The foiled ribs were cooked another hour at 275.
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After foiling, each rack was given another coat of rub and finished unfoiled until done. I normally sauce my ribs, but these look pretty tasty!
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Here's the lineup. From left, Desert Gold, Bone Sucking Sauce, Jamaican Firewalk, Coffee, Swamp Venom, 3EYZ, Yardbird, and Bovine Bold.
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Caveats:
I'm not a rub expert, just giving my opinion. (This was mostly an excuse to try some different rubs and get to eat 8 ribs instead of 5). I'm not going to rank them, just give opinions. I will also post this in the Gallery so folks can add their experiences.

The results:
Listed in the order tested.

BPS Desert Gold. Most of you know this rub. I use it extensively on chicken and veggies, especially on potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked on ribs.

Bone Sucking Sauce. I like the flavors here, just too sweet for me. (Go figure, from someone who uses brown sugar a lot on pork)

Dizzy Pig - Jamaican Firewalk. I like the medley of flavors at work here. Also has a hint of heat. I found it a little too sweet. I think this would be great on chicken kabobs.

Roasterie Coffee. Sampling this rub it shows a strong coffee flavor which is much more subtle after cooking. If doing again I would really layer it on. I can't wait to try it on brisket or tri tips with balsamic coffee for glue!

Dizzy Pig - Swamp Venom. I liked the flavors at work here....just not on pork. I'll be trying it on fish and veggies. I think it would be good in stir fry as well.

3EYZ - Another well known rub. I've used it before on ribs and like it a lot. I usually add some cayenne for extra heat. It was interesting to try it without sauce.

Plowboys Yardbird. Another favorite of mine. It's my go to rub for ribs.

Plowboys Bovine Bold. Another workhorse from my spice drawer. Like Desert Gold, it held up well for ribs...but I prefer it on chicken, beef, and veggies.

This was fun, the kids weren't crazy about not getting my tried and true ribs and they weren't any help on the taste test either. :eek:

Thanks for the rubs buddy!
 

Tatonka3A2

New member
Ribs look amazing!! Really like how you detailed the flavors and thoughts on each.

Hard to believe you have more snow there than we do in North Dakota. We have just a few spots of snow left in the tree rows - that is it!
 

Rip

New member
Hey Sterling, thanks for the heads up re. flipping, this is the first time I tried it during a rib cook (wanted to try Sparky's method). I do sometimes put the meat side down during foiling, depending on what's being added to the foil and how I intend to finish them.

I'm looking forward to trying Money! (the rub formerly known as 8th Wonder)
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Wow that was some undertaking doing 8 different flavors... AND keeping track of them!

Great report on your like/dislikes. I love these kinds of posts where someone took the time to really critique the differences. Very helpful!
 

Rip

New member
Wow that was some undertaking doing 8 different flavors... AND keeping track of them

Haha, you got that right, it was good no one else was around during most the cook. I had a schematic showing two pans (one to match each grate level) each half rack was always in the same spot on the pan or grate. The trickiest part was after foiling when a few took more time to finish than the rest. The family came home to eight numbered paper plates with ribs on them and two bowls of sauced ones. Then I selected one of each for the taste testing. I went through the line up three times, taking a few bites each time.
 
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