First time smoking ribs, some questions

[bbqmuck]

First post here!

I want to smoke a 2 lb. half rack of baby back ribs on my gas grill. I smoked some chicken using some hickory chips in the corner of my grill, recently with great results.

But, after looking around at various places on the net, there are a couple things I'm unsure about.

Most places say the cook time 4-6 hours, at around 230° but would this apply to the smaller amount of meat that I have?

Also, some places say to include a tray of water on the other side of the grill to keep the ribs from drying out. But, given the "wetter" heat of gas is this still necessary or not or is it still a good idea to do it?

 

[bigsteve]

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_...ill_setup.html

Follow the instructions in that link, and you'll get fantastic ribs on a gasser. The page loads slow, give it a chance.

 

[blacklab]

Welcome to the board bbqmuck. Times are probaly close for guidence but thats it. When there done there done. I useually spritz mine with str8 aj. On occassion I might slip a couple onces of old #7 in the spritz bottle

That helps with kepping them moist plus added flavor. As for the tray of water, think of it as chicken soup.

 

[old poi dog]

Welcome, You could also read about the 3-2-1 method for ribs (2-2-1 for pork). Its in the sidebar of SMF. Its a guide to get you started. After that, its developing a feel for when they're done. Fun part is in the practicing....

 

[mikey]

The 3-2-1 method is for spares, and the 2-2-1 is for baby backs.

 

[bbqmuck]

Hey guys thanks for the advice, here's my first attempt:

The flavor was definitely there. They were well done and I was pleased with the spice mixture I used in my dry rub.

The only thing I want to do differently is get them more tender. They weren't tough or overly dry, but they weren't the "fall off the bone" tender I was looking for. They came out more like carnitas than ribs.

Perhaps trying the 3-2-1 method next time will help.

Also, I might try a different cut of meat next time. These ones had like little bones near the top that were separate from the actual rib itself, it was kinda weird, (well to me anyway), and I couldn't find the membrane thing I keep reading about.......

But, either way, it was still tasty, but I definitely need some more practice!

 

[cajunsmoke13]

Nice job BBQmuck. They look great

 

[gnubee]

Welcome to the SFM.

My butcher calls those ( the ones with the little bones in the ends ) Country style ribs. They are cheaper than spares or baby backs but can still be made to taste just as good. I don't really like them because I like to gnaw on the bones but when they are on sale I always buy a pack. There is usually a portion of them with regular looking ribs and then a lot of the boneless tail end. I use the boneless part smoked and chopped up coarsly to put in my baked beans. Yum!

 

[mballi3011]

The 3-2-1 method is really the trick. Then spritzing every hour after the first hour.

 

[bassman]

I've never heard of baby backs having a separate bone. Sounds more like untrimmed spare ribs. They look good not matter which one they are!

 

[irishteabear]

Welcome to SMF. Glad you joined us.

 

[bbqmuck]

Thats exactly what these were! Maybe these just got mislabeled as baby backs or something.

As for spritzing, what do you use, the juices falling of the meat?

 

[tasunkawitko]

good job!

for a mop/spritz, you can use almost anything you want. sometimes the challenge of finding a great flavor combination can be fun and produce unexpected, wonderful results!

one that i found that works really well for pork ribs is 1 cup dr. pepper plus 2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce plus 1/3 cup olive oils. the dr pepper and soy sauce combine to make a great new flavor while the oil puts a great sheen on the pork and also adds to the flavor in ways that i can't explain. give this a try and you won't be disappointed. the best thing about it is that you can take the three basic ingrediebts and mix them up. i've substituted different flavors of pop and/or juices for the dr. pepper and have also subbed teriyaki and other sauces instead of soy sauce. all worked well, esoecially the citrus and tropical flavors, but i always come back to the original now and then!