St Louis Style Ribs Question

Zarcon · September 2014

Hey Guys, talked the wife into some 'additional' grocery shopping yesterday. Picked up a couple racks of St.Louis style ribs and needed some advise. I am only going to cook one of them though.

I searched the forums and of course there are so many different ways to 'cook' them but figured I would post the average of what I found. I do not want to turbo these, so we are going slow and low. Provide your opinions on this playbook:

This is a 3.6 pound rack

- Unpack, wash, remove membrane, and pat dry
- Open beer
- Season with S&P and whatever else the wife wants (she wants them sauced so no rubs)
- Stabilize Egg at 250 and indirect setup
- Open beer
- Put the rack on the egg (bones down)

From what I have gathered, I am looking at 5 hours cook time here approximately. I see where it has been suggested to sauce during the last hour. What are your thoughts to that? What is the best way to tell when these types of ribs are done (temp, bend test, etc.)? What exactly is the bend test? I would assume that ribs would 'bend' even when they are not cooked

.

P.S. We also got the items needed to make our own pizza dough but that's a whole nuther story. I'm going full force this week!

cazzy · September 2014

Your plan seems fine...nice and simple. 5 hour cook is pretty spot on for St. Louis cut.

Look for the meat to pull back as that's a good visual test. After the bend test, another good test is the toothpick test. Find more info here about ways to see if ribs are done:

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/are_they_ready.html

henapple · September 2014

Don't worry about the membrane or time. Bend test will work. The meat will pull back from the bone and the rack will bend, really bend. Toothpick test if you're not sure. Sauce is up to your family's taste.

cazzy · September 2014

I don't sauce my ribs, but here is some St. Louis Ribs I did a lil while back.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1151775/lets-get-er-done/p1

Ladeback69 · September 2014

On the ribs that should work, just remember the pull test on the rib bones and if the probe like butter they are are done. I've done them 2 hours at 250-275 for 2 hours then 2 hours in foil with butter, brown sugar and honey. I don't sauce my ribs, but I think 30-60 minutes at the end it fine. I would still use a rub, you will taste it through the sauce I think.

I've not made pizza yet, but took a cooking class this last Saturday on how to do it. Just watch how much salt you use and a '00' flour makes a nice crust. Good luck.

Zarcon · September 2014

@henapple - Thanks!

@cazzy - Thanks for the links (show -off )

>-

@Ladeback - I will have to try that foil technique sometime. I guess since this is my first shot, I'm gonna stick to the basics for now

SGH · September 2014

@Zarcon‌
I would offer advice but the ones I did yesterday turned out ash and cinders!! So I stand down brother Zar.

Zarcon · September 2014

@SGH - What??? Something you cooked didn't turn out right?
:-O

SGH · September 2014

@Zarcon‌
Yes sir. I was bush hogging and forgot about the ribs.

TigerTony · September 2014

@Zarcon don't forget to use a drip pan or foil on your plate-setter. I know some people just let it drip all over the plate-setter but that makes a mess.

Zarcon · September 2014

@TigerTony - You can bet there will be a drip pan. I use it religiously on everything I can.

Ragtop99 · September 2014

I use a rub even if I will add sauce later. 5 hours of cook time provides the opportunity for some rub flavor to get into the meat.

Zarcon · September 2014

If I know my wife, it will start with S&P, then something else, something else, and will end up being HER version of rub

Ladeback69 · September 2014

@Zarcon, I see you are you in Atlanta or just a fan? If so you should have access to all kinds of good rubs.

Zarcon · September 2014

@Ladeback69‌ The answer is both.

QDude · September 2014

Our go to rub is the Simply Marvelous cherry rub. Great flavor without being overbearing or too spicy. I have noticed that pulling the membrane makes a difference so I do it every time.

I just did three racks of spare ribs and I think that will be my last time doing them. The baby back ribs seem to be less fatty, less work, and have less waste.The price difference between the two doesn't make up the difference to me. Of course, your mileage may vary from mine!

Acn · September 2014

Ragtop99 said:

I use a rub even if I will add sauce later. 5 hours of cook time provides the opportunity for some rub flavor to get into the meat.

I agree with this. Also, I try to balance sweet and spicy; if the sauce I'm using is on the sweet side, I use a spicy rub or vice versa.

msloan · September 2014

i think your playbook looks fine!

Zarcon · September 2014

@Acn - We are definitely not 'sweet' people when it comes to BBQ sauce, so I can imagine we will be learning more towards spicy.

Thanks everyone for their comments. I see that my new Woo2 has shipped and will be here just in time for these ribs

gdenby · September 2014

A few late notes.

The membrane can be left on, but may still be stringy unless cooked briefly at a high temp, like 400F. Also, rub won't get into the meat if the membrane is there.

Good meat doesn't really need anything other than S & P, but most pork rubs have some or a lot of sugar. I'm not big on too much sweetness, but the sugar helps w. Maillard reactions, and all the flavors they produce.

Saucing is done towards the end because most sauces have sugar in them, and if they get too hot, they become bitter. I don't know that I've ever had ribs from a commercial establishment that, if they did sauce them, it wasn't done right before plating, and the sauce was steaming hot. My take on it is that if the ribs are going to be pre-sauced, do it just 15 min. before serving.

I would not pre-sauce if going turbo, unless the sauce is mostly oil and vinegar. Burnt sugar is not nice at all, IMO.

The bend test is good because at just the right point, the rack will fold almost in half. Uncooked, a circle arc. Unlike a butt, which becomes gelatinous, a rack of ribs starts to collapse under its own weight. The bone end do not always stick out a lot. I've had racks that were fine where the bones were only showing about 1/4". But when the rack was done, pulling up on those little nubbins caused the meat around them to tear.

MJH · September 2014

I'm still trying to get my head around the rubless ribs concept. Makes no sense, sauce or no sauce. Sweet, savory or spicy. Any will do, but don't skip this step. And please do pull the membrane. I can't believe someone here said not to worry abt that. Time and temp are abt right and you could add another beer or two.

Zarcon · September 2014

@MJH - and to others, when I was referring to 'no rubs' I was specifically talking about using an actual 'rub' brand. Since there will be S&P and maybe another spice or 2 (haven't decided yet), I guess you can 'technically' say that is going to be my 'rub'

There are so many that say pull the membrane while others say don;t worry about it. Since I have 2 of these racks, I am going with no membrane on this one and see if there is a huge difference. That will determine what I do when it's time to cook the 2nd one.

Zmokin · September 2014

Zarcon said:

- Season with S&P and whatever else the wife wants (she wants them sauced so no rubs)

I rub mine all the time and then sauce them later

Ladeback69 · September 2014

Zarcon said:
@MJH - and to others, when I was referring to 'no rubs' I was specifically talking about using an actual 'rub' brand. Since there will be S&P and maybe another spice or 2 (haven't decided yet), I guess you can 'technically' say that is going to be my 'rub'

There are so many that say pull the membrane while others say don;t worry about it. Since I have 2 of these racks, I am going with no membrane on this one and see if there is a huge difference. That will determine what I do when it's time to cook the 2nd one.

By not pull the membrane your rub won't get through and it won't be as flavorful. It would be a waste to put any on the back side. It's not hard to take off.

Ragtop99 · September 2014

I sauce at the end. A couple light coats about every 5 minutes so that it bakes on without burning. No sugar in my rub since I use suaces that have sugar in it.

Maccool · September 2014

TigerTony said:

@Zarcon don't forget to use a drip pan or foil on your plate-setter. I know some people just let it drip all over the plate-setter but that makes a mess.

Boy is that true. I'm not normally someone who is a big believer in a clean burn, but after this most recent set of sauced baby backs without a drip pan, my BGE really reeked the next day. I burned it off by scraping the dome lightly, flipping the plate setter, then torching the remaining lump with the vents wide open and letting it burn out. Turned everything nice and white.

As to removing the membrane....I don't know. The last rack I bought (Costco) had that membrane removed by the butcher, apparently.

Only thing I would have done differently is run the temps higher at the end while saucing so that the sauce come out nice and carmelized rather than just wet.

Zarcon · September 2014

I have decided to switch things up a bit and try pizza first before doing the ribs. As of right now, the ribs will be this weekend.

Question: Should I have any worries with leaving the house for a another party while these cook?

Ragtop99 · September 2014

Zarcon said:

I have decided to switch things up a bit and try pizza first before doing the ribs. As of right now, the ribs will be this weekend.

Question: Should I have any worries with leaving the house for a another party while these cook?

As long you have the egg dialed in before you leave, it will be ok. I wouldn't leave in the first hour, but for a couple hours in the middle, I don't see an issue.

Some people will start the egg an hour in advance of the food going on to get it locked in. I don't, so I need to be around that first hour to check on it. I also find I can lock in my XL more easily than my medium. More years of low and slow practice on it combined with its mass make it much more set and forget.

St Louis Style Ribs Question

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