Spare rib help

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thebigbutch

Newbie
Original poster
Mar 29, 2014
9
10
I know if I have some time I can find my answer on this forum by sifting thru all these threads but lets face it ... I have 2 kids under 3 ... I don't have time to do anything

I smoked some spare ribs today and planned on doing 3-2-1 method @ 225 degrees.
A couple time I went out to my MES and it was up to 275 so I cut the first 3 hours down to 2...

The foiled it with butter, brown sugar, and honey for 2 hours...

Then removed the foil and smoked it for the last hour

They came out very flavorful with a rub I purchased and BBQ sauce I coated it with for the last hour but they were way to fall off the bone for me

What could I do next time to have a little more pull to the ribs ...

From the research I did on the 3-2-1 method ... I would assume maybe cut the foiling down to maybe about an hour instead of 2 would give me a little more tug.... And if that's the case do I add that hour to the front end or back end of the smoke....... This as my first attempt at spare ribs

Thanks in advance

 
Last edited:
They look good next time try 3-1.5-1 at 225

You really just need to play with the numbers till you get what you want. The foiled stage is where they tend to get too fall off the bone
 
I personally don't foil, however there are many who do & the longer ya foil the more fall off the bone they are.... I would suggest if ya wanna foil to cut the foiling time down & IMHO would put that time on the back end.... Ya can use the bend test, toothpick test or a lot of the time I just watch the meat on the ends by the bones as when ribs smoke.... the meat will pull back or shrink inward to expose the ends of the bones... Hope this helps ! BTW, to each their own but as stated above, I don't foil & have always had tender & juicy ribs !
 
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Just an FYI . . .I don't foil anything and as for ribs , they come out like this :

picked up with tongs, they crack and bend easily. I place them in a preheated 225*F Smoker and leave them UN-OPENED for 5 of the 3-2-1-preiod ,then check .

For a glaze , I use only use Raw Sugar (Turbinato).Rub a good handful over the meat side and let them set in the Smoker for appox.30min.


Butts I place in a pre-heated Smoker for enough time to hit 200*F , then wrap and cooler them . . .notice the nice Mahogany color . The flavor is excellent and an addition of some a good Finishing Sauce makes it Delicious.

Have fun and . . .
 
I am also in the school of no foil and start checking at about 5 hours if the smoker temp is 225 or so. I have only been smoking since October but have already done ribs about 15 times (I'm an addict haha) but something this site and my experience has taught me is that each piece of meat is different whether in weight, shape, or disposition. Time can be used as a ball park for planning but not for doneness. The bend test or toothpick test are the way to go. Another thing I have learned is not to stress out about cooking temp fluctuating a little bit. If you're smoker is running hotter, just check your meat sooner than you normally would. In with you that fall off the bone ribs are not my preference but they are a damn tasty mistake.
 
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