Help me cook my first ribs please!

[92hatchattack]

Ok guys I'm at your mercy.

My friend is throwing a lil outdoor gathering this comming weekend where he will be grilling some burgers and whatnott. Now everyone want to see this "thing" that ive been building ( my just finished uds



) so i opened up my mouth and said i would bring it over and cook up some ribs. The only issue is, ive never cooked ribs before, hell, the first time ive ever used a smoker was 2 days ago! LOL. Its ok though, these are a few of my closest friends that wont care if the food isnt great, as im sure they would love to tease me about it. None the less id love to impress them.


So, im looking for an A-Z guide for smoking up some baby back ribs in an uds. Cooking times,temps, when to foil, what type of wood ect. I'm thinking for this first one that id like to go with a classic style sauced rib. Sweet and smokey... ya know right? Not looking to get anything to spicy or with heat or anything... just some classic mouth watering ribs.

I dont know if ill be able to order and recomended rubs in time, but im sure there are some nice simple rubs i can make myself that only involve a few ingredience no? I am also going to want to go with an off the shelf bbq sauce for my first time as to not get too far over my head. Any recomendations?

So, can you guys help me out with a nice step by step, or at least point me in the right direction please???

Thanks for you time!

---Joe

[dmike25]

You'll get lotsa help here fer sure 92hatchattack, I always do. I'm about as green as you are, but thanx to all the kind folks on the ring I've been having great success cooking babybacks with the 2-1-1 method and Big Rons rub. I often refer to "CrankyBuzzardBBQWorkbook". It's full of great info. I downloaded it from here on the ring. Sorry, I don't have a link handy. Now I'll step aside and let the experts guide you.....
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Mike

[k.a.m.]

92hatchattack, dmike25 has a solid plan of attack. I never cook baby backs only full spares or the occasional St.Louis cut but dmike25's approach sounds solid and gathering info from Charlies work book is a real plus. Good Luck with your cook and post some pics.
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Always remember slow and steady wins the race.

Hybrid Cooker

[Beertooth]

The few times that I have done baby backs I did not foil them. I just smoked them till they were done. Try some in foil & some not, see what you and the guys like.

As far as rub I have started making my own lately, but a good friend of mine cooked spares for years and people loved his ribs. His rub? He bought two pork rubs at the store and combined them. This one & this one.

Just rub 'em put them on at 225-250ish with a few chunks of wood and count on between 4 & 5 hours.

Here is the link for the workbook http://www.crankybuzzard.com/CrankyBuzzardBBQWorkbook.xls
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22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
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Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn

[BEAN]

I vend back ribs. I dont foil them, just cook them at 275 for 2.5-3 hours. If the cooker is full(the more meat, the more moisture), dont even really need to spritz. But if its not full i just spritz with apple juice occasionally.
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BEAN
BEAN'S BARBECUE
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[Jarhead]

Here is another link for you to browse. It contains mostly what you will find here on the Ring.

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/best_BBQ_ribs_ever.html
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[easye]

92hatchattack, if it were me i'd take all the
valuable info i could get from these experts
here & cook a rack or 2 on friday. just to
give'er a go & see where i stand or lay,
lol. the 1st time i cooked ribs, they were
the worst ribs i ever made. looking back,
this is the way i would have done it. live
& learn. good luck to you. you'll be alright.

[SoEzzy]

I agree practice at least once before you put your head on the chopping block, to give yourself the confidence boost and help reduce the chance of finger pointing and laughter!

Here's my A-Z

1) Arrive 7 hours early with everything including the kitchen sink, you don't need that long, but you'll actually turn up half an hour late and now you're down to 6 1/2 hours all ready!

2) Fill the charcoal basket with briquettes and intersperse 3 or 4 chunks of hardwood throughout the mix, open the bottom vents 100% and the top too.

3) Start 1/2 a chimney starter of briquettes at the 6 hour mark, and add them on top of the charcoal in the basket once they are fully ashed over.

4) Wash your hands!

5) Prepare the ribs, peel off the membrane from the back with the back of a spoon, some kitchen towels and pulling parallel to the bones as low as you can.

6) Slather with mustard, or oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, water, (whatever you want to use to make the rub stick), then rub them down with your favorite rub.

7) Keep your eye on the temperature in the pit, when the temperature gets to 20* below your target cooking temperature start adjusting the bottom vents to control the temperature, close it to 50% then check again in a few moments and creep up to the temperature instead of steaming past and then fighting to get it back down.

Once the temperature in the pit is where you want it and the pit has remained stable at that temperature for 10 minutes, open the lid and add two chunks of smoke wood to the parts of the fire that are burning the most, close the lid and allow another 10 minutes of burn time.

9) Put the meat on the grate, and then take the lid off, put the meat in and the lid back on as quickly as possible, if you have a spare pair of hands helping out, now is a good time to use them to lift the lid and re-lid the pit for you while you do the delicate part by putting the meat in on it's grate.

10) Cook for an hour - a hour and a quarter meat side up.

11) With helping hands on the lid, turn the ribs over, close the lid again.

12) Cook for another 3/4 of an hour, turn again, (MSD - MSU).

13) Cook for another hour - hour and a quarter, turn again.

14) Cook another 1/2 hour meat side down.

15) Your are now in the zone, check the ribs to see how they are doing, if there's lots of doubt, take the thinest rack off, cut off one bone, taste it and check for pull, remember that the nearer the middle the more protected the meat was the longer it needs to cook to get to the same state as the meat at the outside, (ends), of the racks.

16) Take a bottle of KCM or Sweet Baby Rays brush over the meat side of the ribs cook another 10 minutes, give a second coat of the sauce.

17) Take the ribs off the pit and allow them 10 minutes rest under a tent of foil. Cut and serve.

1 Shut down the bottom vents 100%, wait 5 minutes then shut down the top vents 100%.

19) Take a bow as your friends heap you with praises, then scratch your head while wondering how two whole racks disappeared, while you only got the one bone that was to taste them!
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Here's a change Robert.

I still work here!

[92hatchattack]

Thanks so far guys. One thing I am going to take it easy onus the smoke. I smoked my first food on the uds last weekend and ended up having gross smoke burps all night. For the ribs I am going to pick up some apple chunks and maybe even use as little as just one chunk this first time. I learned this weekend that I'd rather have food with too little smoke rather than too much smoke.

Now all I need to do is decide if want to foil or not. I'm thinking I may just to make sure they are somewhat tender as I'm sure they will not be pperfect on the first try.

Testing on Friday would be smart but not really possible. I live in an apartment where I can't use anything like a uds. Could you imagine all the people walking past saying "what the he'll is that?". The smoker is currently in my living room (this makes the wife unhappy) but will be moving to some cabins on a small river that my familly owns. This will be her permanent home. Ahhhh can't wait to be smokin ribs on the river bank!

[Jarhead]

[huginn]

Hatchback.

Cool looking smoker, I like the home made jobs myself.

Heres my 2cents.

Babybacks cook a little different than spare ribs and they just cook a little faster.

You need to fill your charcoal and be prepared for about 5 hrs of smoking.

Apple wood will be fine, you can do it one of two ways with the wood, soak just one or two chunks in water for a an hour or so and put em in about halfway through your cooking. Soaking the wood will also help your ribs stay moist.
Or you can put a few dry chunks in right as you place the food in your smoker and that will work too, if you do this it would not hurt to baste it one about 2 hrs in. Fruit juice such as pineapple or apple works well for pork. in my opinion.

Smoke at about 250 for 3.5 hrs basting once or twice, then you can lightly baste and foil them for 40 to 60 more munits at 225 to 250, or instead of foil, just bast and keep it at 250 for another 30-45 munits.

For a nice simple rub I will mix some Onion powder and pepper along with some light seasoning salt and olive oil, Maybe a pinch of ceyenne pepper depending on who your cooking for. But just enough oil to be able to spoon out the rub. The olive oil really helps the rub sink into the meat, so mild seasoning will be fine.

Total smoke time for baby backs should be no longer than 3.5 to 4 hrs no more than 4.5 even if you use foil.

Foil 3.5 hrs in though and you can pretty much cover up any mistakes you may have made and still wind up with some tender meat.

Good luck, here was my spare ribs last saturday, They were hard to cut the kept falling apart.

Remeber every crowd is different, my family likes the meat to melt in your mouth, but I have a few freinds that prefer it a little firmer, so I have to adjust accordingly.

Foil will be more tender, but basting and smoking longer will be firmer and smokier, depends on what your crowd likes.

Have Fun!!!

[92hatchattack]

Wow, lots of good info but i do see alot of variations in cooking time, when to foil, ect. I guess its what works for the individual.

Looking for more simple rub recipies with under 8 or so ingredients. Maybe i should post in the rubs section heh? lol

[SCBbqFan]

I think you need one more thermometer on that smoker before you can start making the ribs

I use a VERY simple rub of Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder/Cayenne. I don't put anything on the ribs to get the rub to stick, I just gently pat it on and it seems to stay where it is. Start my smoker with the minion method - about 3 chunks of hickory. Throw the ribs on immediately and smoke for 4-5 hours till they're done. I start them bone side up, then flip about 2 hours in. I don't foil. I like a firmer rib, not one that falls off the bone.

I don't sauce, but prefer to put it on the side. I like the taste of the smoked meat to be the star, not drowned in sauce.

Just my .02.

[92hatchattack]

What are the proportions of the indgredience? Sorry, I have never made my own rub. What's the taste like?

[SCBbqFan]

[GAUG3]

This is my favorite rub:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/meatheads_magic_dust.html

My wife likes this sauce:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/kansas_city_classic_BBQ_sauce.html

This my favorite: I LOVE VINEGAR!

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/east_carolina_BBQ_sauce.html

[92hatchattack]

^^^ that rub sounds like something I may like to try and seems easy enough. I think I'll try it out. Thanks!

[day_trippr]

[92hatchattack]

I definatly want to be mixing up my own sauce, but all in due time. Im gonna take one step at a time.

Usually i just grab a bottle oif bulls eye off the shelf... I dont really know how this stuff stacks up to the other commercial sauces available though. I need to start trying more out.

BUT for this rib cook i thought id give myself a little treat so i headed over to this locaql bbq joint called Big Ed's. Now, ive never ever had any competition ribs, so i dont know how they compare, but this place has the best ribs ive had to date. Its their specialty and def. better than regual restraunt ribs.

Anyway they bottle their own sauce and sell it at the joint,so i picked up a bottle today. Im betting its better than the most of the stuff off the shelf. Its definatly got more of a bite than the bulls eye and a much more smokey flavor.

[Rojellio Es Caliente]