Ribs Two Ways...What Started It All -- Follow-up

[Eapples]

I wanted to do them on the WSM.  I wussed out because of the rain; so, I did them on the gas grill.

I compared two methods -- in one method I coated them with olive oil, used Mixon's dry rub, and did them 2-1-1.  In the other, I coated them with mustard and Mixon's rub, and did them for the full four hours unwrapped, and spritzed them with a combo of apple juice and apple cider vinegar once an hour for the last two hours.

I had the front burner on low, which gave me a reading of 240 degrees, not accurate but close enough.  I've used this method in the past and it worked out fine.

I came to the conclusion that 2-1-1, or a variation thereof, is the way to go with ribs.  I didn't lose any bark; the ribs were tender and still had a "tug."  The use of mustard gave them a nice kick.  The ribs can be done on the gas grill; but, charcoal adds another layer of flavor, and it's more of a challenge.  Besides, I really wanted to play with my WSM...maybe next time.

I ran into some problems of my own making.  Apparently, I didn't completely remove the membrane on one rack, and I had trouble cutting the ribs -- I kept hitting the bone instead of the cartilage.  Also, the wood chips never smoldered, even though I soaked them for at least a half hour; therefore, no smoke ring.

[1buckie]

  Good Deal that you went after the dual trial, even on gas.......

Got some insight into what method & flavors you & yours' will like and found some of what to aim for & some of what to avoid...............good testing, all in all !!!!!

When you get a chance with charcoal, maybe try out some Stubb's briquettes with maybe apple chunks.....that would be a good combo for something like these.....Duke will say Stubb's are too smokey, but I think they're just right for BBQ of this type......good for pork butt & brisket too....................
Or.....ask for opinions from the group here & see what combos they like !!!!

As to the troublesome items stated, looks like the usual nowadays.....curvy ribs......most are like that & one way to combat cutting problems is turn them on edge so you can see where they curve.....it's a common deal, I run into that issue also......
Of the two I did the other day, one was kinda straight & the other quite a bit more curved.....
I'll stand them up fairly often, but not if they're heavily sauced....if done well enough (for me)  a bread knife will zip all the way thru to the cutting board.....tenderness indicator.....

For wood chips, I never wet anything except the sawdust shread I use for 'Turds....that's different, a controlled burn thing; but for regular stuff, when you wet the wood it's kinda defeating the purpose of having seasoned wood in the 1st place.....that being said, people do soak & use that with great success, just my perspective.......if, for instance, on a gas grill, or in a good setup on charcoal, you can get the chip to smolder rapidly without catching fire immediately, then I'm all for it.......the thing I try to avoid is a slow, sluggish smolder producing a lot of white or yellowish smoke.....that's where the icky flavors can happen in the food......

[Eapples]

  Good Deal that you went after the dual trial, even on gas.......

Got some insight into what method & flavors you & yours' will like and found some of what to aim for & some of what to avoid...............good testing, all in all !!!!!

When you get a chance with charcoal, maybe try out some Stubb's briquettes with maybe apple chunks.....that would be a good combo for something like these.....Duke will say Stubb's are too smokey, but I think they're just right for BBQ of this type......good for pork butt & brisket too....................
Or.....ask for opinions from the group here & see what combos they like !!!!

As to the troublesome items stated, looks like the usual nowadays.....curvy ribs......most are like that & one way to combat cutting problems is turn them on edge so you can see where they curve.....it's a common deal, I run into that issue also......
Of the two I did the other day, one was kinda straight & the other quite a bit more curved.....
I'll stand them up fairly often, but not if they're heavily sauced....if done well enough (for me)  a bread knife will zip all the way thru to the cutting board.....tenderness indicator.....

For wood chips, I never wet anything except the sawdust shread I use for 'Turds....that's different, a controlled burn thing; but for regular stuff, when you wet the wood it's kinda defeating the purpose of having seasoned wood in the 1st place.....that being said, people do soak & use that with great success, just my perspective.......if, for instance, on a gas grill, or in a good setup on charcoal, you can get the chip to smolder rapidly without catching fire immediately, then I'm all for it.......the thing I try to avoid is a slow, sluggish smolder producing a lot of white or yellowish smoke.....that's where the icky flavors can happen in the food......

File under "measure twice, cut once" -- I just happen to have a bag of Stubbs and apple chunks.  My m.o. is to get some basic experience using KB, progress to Kingsford Competition Briquettes, move on to Stubbs, and then on to lump.  I haven't done it yet; but, my game plan is to do some direct grilling using lump, when the opportunity presents itself.

When trying to smoke on the gas grill I always used wood chips soaked, and they always worked...until recently.  Maybe I should just use the gas grill when necessary, and forget about the smoke.

Every suggestion from the folks on this website just adds to the body of knowledge...keep it comin'.

[MacEggs]

Great looking cook-up! 
Looks like some lid drippings found their way onto those ribs ... just added flavour! 

I echo pretty much everything Ken (1buckie) said. As always, YMMV.

Cooking with charcoal:
You are basically controlling a fire.
Temperature control involves monitoring or keeping an eye on the amount of air that is allowed to "get" to that fire. i.e. the intake vents
It takes a little practice ... or, in my case, a lot of practice. But, that's half the fun. 
Eventually it will become second nature ... and your gasser will be donated or listed on CL. 

[Johnpv]

I'm going to be a 3rd Echo of Buckie.  Definitely check out the Stubbs briquettes, I love them, and they work great for BBQing.  I also never soak my wood any more, I used to do it all the time and just never got much if any smoke.  Hell half the time it would see the wood didn't really do much of anything.  Now adays I use Apple wood that I buy from a local orchard, and I never soak the chunks. 


With regards to cutting, I find it helps to turn the ribs bone side up.