Good (not Great) 4th of July Rib Cook

stevez

Did two slabs of spares and two of baby back ribs.  Used Memphis Magic Dust (fairly lightly applied) and targeted 225.  Spares were on about 6 hours, baby back's 4.  Both were good, but not my best effort and clearly not great.  I added two pans of apple juice underneath the grate and had no problem whatsoever maintaining the 225 or so.  The family thought they were good and there were no complaints.  I know I'm my toughest critic but even my wife said "they were good".  She thought they could have been crispier and that was one of my issues too.  The bark wasn't that pronounced.  When I pulled them (sorry no pics) I thought they had that medium mahogany look and I didn't want them to dry out.  They met the bend test nicely and were separating from the bones.  Also, to me, the Memphis Magic dust is simply way too light and non-descript for my tastes.  I have to get back on that horse this weekend because I know I can do better!  Hope everyone had a happy 4th.  Hotter then hell here but a great day with the family and that's what counts. 

gamason

If your looking for advice, I will say this. Ditch the pans full of apple juice, or any other liquid for that matter. The egg holds moisture with out any help. And raise the temp a little. 250 to 275 will not hurt a thing and will save you some cook time. Personally I use to 300 to 325 and have excellent results. Otherwise, they look great.

Wooderson

I've had a lot of success massaging the racks with white vinegar then rubbing with the holy gospel.  Raised direct at 350-375 for about an hour and a half.  Hickory and cherry chunks. But I enjoy my ribs with a tug rather then fall off the bone.  Bark is well established and edges slightly crispy.

Theophan

I agree with @gamason -- lose the liquid.  I also think Big Green Eggs just do better at 250° or above.  I not only see zero benefit to lower temps than that, I just get better smoke flavor and a better overall cook when I'm at 250°-275°.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

milesvdustin

I smoke ribs at 250, egg holds that temp great

stevez

Thanks all and yes I was hoping for some advice.  I kind of gathered that I went too low after the fact.   And the water/apple was my attempt at keeping it lower than 250. But like you all have said, now I don't see the benefit in doing that and will definitely kick the heat up. Thanks for the comments.