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Spareribs super fatty and gross

Yesterday I had the day off so I though I'd take the day and grill.  First for lunch I made myself a ribeye and some chicken for the baby.  Then I brought the egg down to 250 (which took foooorever) and threw a rack on for dinner.  Spare ribs rubbed with Famous Daves Rib Rub.  After about 4.5 hours they were cooked maybe a little over cooked.  They never really pulled back on the bone and they were still super fatty.  Do spare ribs just suck? Is that kinda what I'm to expect for $12? Ribeye also sucked was in the clearance bin at the super market poor cut of meat I suppose.
Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
Orange, CA

Comments

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Sorry about the cook, great GIF.

    This is the exact reason my wife hates on spareribs. She always says that they are fatty and greasy. Babyback's FTW in my house.
  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    LOL my wife refused them aswell.  At salad and grilled veggies instead.
    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Cut into St Louis style... Trim the fat off the back... I'll never do bbr again.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    I wanted to but i'm just too cheap to chop off and throw away all that extra meat(ish). I guess I gotta just bite the bullet and do it huh.

    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    The longer you cook them the more fat will render. I usually trim excess fat. Did some beef ribs on the weekend that looked horrible after four hours but were great after seven.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    Thats kinda what I was thinking that they should have been lower and slower.
    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    ill take spares over babybacks any day, 4.5 hours at 250 doesnt sound long enough, undercooked ribs can be chewy and dry as well.

    image

    imageimageimage
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    They were well cooked.  I temped them because I didn't see any pull back and they temped at 205 so I pulled them off and they practically fell apart on the cutting board.

    Yours look great BTW
    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    BREWnQ said:
    They were well cooked.  I temped them because I didn't see any pull back and they temped at 205 so I pulled them off and they practically fell apart on the cutting board.

    Yours look great BTW
    might want to check the dome gage in boiling water cause it still seems quick to me. dont give up on the spares yet, ive had more bb cooks go bad than spares
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    That and they won't get a whole lot higher IT cause you are close to the grid temp

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Most of the spares I buy are standard super market mass produced. I often need to trim away at least a handful of fat. Sometimes more. I save that for lard. Just a dab of rendered pork fat in the skillet makes a grilled cheese wonderful.

    Trimmed, they usually take at least 5, and, more often, 6 hours, when cooked at a dome temp of 250F.

    Don't know why your's turned out as described. I've had many racks of ribs that don't show the bones, but those are unusual. I've also cooked ribs from "boutique" producers. Some of those have ended up truly dry because the slab was both lighter and less fatty than usual.


  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Count me in the "glad I woke up and went back to spare ribs group!" I trim them St Louis style plus trim the excess fat. Then I turbo them at 350. Perhaps that is why mine are not greasy and fat...but full of flavor! You BB devotees can have all of mine!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • BOWHUNR
    BOWHUNR Posts: 1,487
    I'm a spares fan and agree with the other posters.  My spares always take 5.5 - 6.5 hours @ 250.  Did they pass the bend test?

    Mike

    I'm ashamed what I did for a Klondike Bar!!

    Omaha, NE
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    RRP said:
    Count me in the "glad I woke up and went back to spare ribs group!" I trim them St Louis style plus trim the excess fat. Then I turbo them at 350. Perhaps that is why mine are not greasy and fat...but full of flavor! You BB devotees can have all of mine!
    even when i low and slow them i like to give them more heat at the end of the cook, i think it helps with them, i like the last 15 or so minutes above 350 and done direct with some flareups to carmelize and even char the sauce a little
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    BREWnQ said:
    I wanted to but i'm just too cheap to chop off and throw away all that extra meat(ish). I guess I gotta just bite the bullet and do it huh.
     
    When I cut the brisket portion off, I toss into a pot of water and cook for 2 hours, the broth is great for Vietnamese pho soup and the meat is perfect for beans or chili.

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    @BrewnQ... Save the trimmings for stew, beans, etc.... I trim the last few ribs of the end. I think it's good to have all the slab around the same thickness and length.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    Thanks everyone for the encouraging words of wisdom. I will St. Louis my next rack.
    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Just another suggestion- you can buy ribs already cut St. Louis style. Costco always has them and I have seen them at my grocery stores in my area as well.  They are a little more per lb than full spares, but less than baby backs.  You don't have to trim them or worry about the "extra" meat. 


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167

    I always buy SRs trimmed to St Louis by the market.  True, I cost a tiny bit more, but I'm not trimming off and tossing anything.

    I'll take a rack of SRs on BGE at 250 for 5-6 hours, until they pass the bend and/or toothpick test over BBs any time! 

    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
  • Mine always fall apart when I try to bend. Even if the meat is not falling off the bone. At least 5 hours at 250 dome, plate setter legs up. St Louis trim also. Today St Louis and baby backs are the same price at Publix. Bought St Louis anyway.
    Hope everyone has a great grilling Labor Day.

    Bob
    Cookin' on the coast
    Shellman Bluff, GA
    Medium BGE

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Like Centex posting on the forum?
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    That's just wrong....
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • revolver1
    revolver1 Posts: 372
    My grocery sells them at spares and includes the trimmings to make the St. Louis style. Great to munch on.  Never been disappointed.  My guess is under cooked regardless of temp.  I use the bend test, bone exposure and toothpick. 
    Dan, Columbia,Mo.
  • BREWnQ
    BREWnQ Posts: 219
    They felt over cooled.  They went beyond the bend and would separated vs bent.
    Brewer, BBQer, Softballer, RCer, Father, HomeTheaterer, and trouble maker.
    Orange, CA
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Trimming spares into  STL is very easy. I buy whole spares and sometimes trim the rib tips off, sometimes I don't. If I trim them off, I save them for another day. I guess I tend to trim them into STL cut if I have guests over. The flap of meat on the membrane side gets trimmed and frozen, for later use in stir-fries, etc. Not wastin' nuttin'!

    I bought the STL cut ribs from Costco once - they were horribly cut. A blind man could have cut them better, so I don't buy those anymore.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • henapple said:
    Like Centex posting on the forum?
    you should have seen me before I started working out.


    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    For kicks and giggles some folks like the bend test and some the toothpick test, but I prefer the Thermapen test between the bones. Typically 200 to 205 tell me my spares are done plus the eyeball test tells when they are getting too crusty for my tastes!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.