Pork Spare Ribs

[Steve]

I don't know how many people here like to BBQ, but I really like to cook in general, and love cooking outside. I picked up a Kamado style ceramic grill last week and cooked my first set of ribs on it. This thing works differently from any other grill/smoker that I've ever had, but from what I've read and heard, it works great for low temp smoking as well as very high temp cooking.


I was going to try and smoke a brisket in the Kamado yesterday, but after spending all day Saturday at a jiu jitsu tournament and then a late night watching Pacific Rim with my family, I slept in. So, I went and bought three racks of spare ribs at Costco.


I used three large chunks of hickory and lump charcoal, and because my heat deflector hasn't arrived in the mail yet, I put the pizza stone on the bottom grill rack. Apple juice in the drip tray and the ribs were in a rib rack. I cooked them at 250F for about 4 hours before they were done, no foil and no spray. The only thing I did was to check on them a couple times and add more juice to the drip tray about 2 hours in. So, what you see is just the rub and the ribs. No sauce, no glaze or anything.


The grill performed very well and the ribs turned out great. My wife thought I was crazy for taking pictures of my food. She thinks that's the funniest thing ever.

 

[MJS]

My mouth is watering!! LOL! We primarily just do the usual dogs and burgers on the grill, but after seeing this, I might have to add ribs to the menu.

 

[crushing]

I should have known better than to open this thread after skipping lunch! Mmmmmm.

 

[Steve]

My mouth is watering!! LOL! We primarily just do the usual dogs and burgers on the grill, but after seeing this, I might have to add ribs to the menu.

Nothing wrong with burgers and dogs! Once you get into low and slow barbecue, though, you'll wonder why it took so long. And it's a great excuse to sit on the back porch, drink a beer or two and catch up on your reading. "Sorry honey. I can't go to the mall with you. I have to stay here and keep an eye on the brisket!"

 

[arnisador]

I like BBQ beef ribs--but they're hard to find.

 

[Steve]

I eat quite a bit of beef, but I don't think I've ever had beef ribsother than off a rib roast.
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[arnisador]

Similar idea but much bigger, of course--and I like 'em. But it's very hard to find a place that serves them.

 

[frank raud]

Good looking ribs! That's pretty much how I do them in my WSM. Served with sauce on the side for those that want it.

 

[Steve]

Good looking ribs! That's pretty much how I do them in my WSM. Served with sauce on the side for those that want it.

Exactly. And I love my 18.5 inch WSM too.
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[Brian R. VanCise]

Yummy!!!

 

[Grenadier]

Nicely done, Steve! How long did you soak the hickory chunks before using them?

I like BBQ beef ribs--but they're hard to find.

Ask your local grocer or butcher for beef short ribs. If you're going to grill them, get them flank cut. If you're going to smoke them, then get lengthwise cut. They certainly make for good eating, and these are what Koreans use for their barbecue beef ribs.

 

[Steve]

If you use chunks, soaking them isn't really necessary. With the chips, it's critical. I tend to use a variation of the "minion method" for setting up the coals when smoking, particularly for longer cooks (like for brisket). I put a couple inches of unlit coal down, then start to add chunks of wood with the unlit coals around them. Then use a chimney to start a load. That goes on top to start the fire.

This works really well for the Weber Smokey Mountan. I picked up a kamado grill a few weeks back from Costco and this method really works well for the ceramic grills, as well. With the ceramic grills, if you let it get too hot, too fast, you're screwed. The ceramic retains the heat and is so efficient that if too much coal is lit, it can be very challenging to get the temp back down for low and slow. I've been doing a lot of cooking on the kamado, experimenting with it, and it seems like keeping the fire bowl full, but limiting the amount of lit coals is really the key to controlling the temp.