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My first attempt at St. Louis style spare ribs

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JerkChicken
JerkChicken Posts: 551
edited November 2012 in EggHead Forum
I've always done Baby Backs but my wife complains about globs of fat in them (or glue balls) as she refers to it. So Publix had slabs of St. Louis on sale so I gave it a shot.

Wife said it was the best ribs I'd ever made. They were terrific. My only complaint was that the sugar in the rubs got a little too charred but it was very good nonetheless. Not sure how I can adjust that next time.

The slab on the left I tried Simply Marvelous Cherry rub for the first time, the slab on the right I used Biron's Butt Rub for the first time. Both lightly coated with mustard adhesive.

My family and I liked the Cherry rub best. Cooked them around 260 for 6 hours, used cherry wood chunks and RO lump. Finished them off with Bone Suckin' Sauce for the last 45 minutes. I'll be doing these again, meat was fall-off-the-bone but had a nice chew as well. Also achieved a nice smoke ring.
LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
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Comments

  • Optiontrader
    Optiontrader Posts: 174
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    Good looking ribs.  Good smoke, and the crust looks good.  I, personally, prefer St. Louis style ribs to Baby Backs.
    Brighton, IL (North East of St. Louis, MO)
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  • Z_Eggineer
    Z_Eggineer Posts: 576
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    Looks very good!  Are you sure it wasn't the sauce that charred?  The first picture has no excessive "char".

    If you are sure, could do a saltier rub first and a sweeter rub halfway through.  Just an idea.

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  • JerkChicken
    JerkChicken Posts: 551
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    Optiontrader said:
    Good looking ribs.  Good smoke, and the crust looks good.  I, personally, prefer St. Louis style ribs to Baby Backs.

    Thanks. Yea, I was surprised to find I just might like the St. Louis better than the baby's too. The fact they're cheaper doesn't hurt either :)
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
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  • JerkChicken
    JerkChicken Posts: 551
    edited November 2012
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    Z_Eggineer said:

    Looks very good!  Are you sure it wasn't the sauce that charred?  The first picture has no excessive "char".

    If you are sure, could do a saltier rub first and a sweeter rub halfway through.  Just an idea.


    Yea, I didn't get a pic of it but they looked similar before I even applied the sauce. The Cherry rub was so sugary that it started to liquefy on the raw ribs while the egg was heating up! Maybe I'll do a lighter coat next time, or as you suggest, start with a salty and add a sweet halfway through or something.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
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    How do you get your ribs to stay on the egg when it's laid on its side? Hehe. I'm going to try sl style next time. They look great.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    The smoke ring color is great. Might not do anything for the taste, but the eye appeal is great.

    The slabs do look rather dark, as if the sugar got too hot, but its hard to tell from the pics. Did you check towards the end to see if they looked dry? I try to keep the surface from becoming dessicated by brushing or misting very lightly about an hour before I estimate the rack might be done. That helps the meat keep from being dry, and keeps the rub from getting too hot.

    I think BBs are easier for good results, but the slightly thicker meat always reminds me of eating pork chops. Not a bad thing, but not the texture I expect from ribs.

    And the $$ advantage is nice too. Several of the local markets sell spares untrimmed, and those are usually about half the price of BBs.
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  • JerkChicken
    JerkChicken Posts: 551
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    henapple said:
    How do you get your ribs to stay on the egg when it's laid on its side? Hehe. I'm going to try sl style next time. They look great.

    Hey, I'm just happy I can post pics from my iPhone now, so if they come out a little sideways, ah well :)
    gdenby said:
    The smoke ring color is great. Might not do anything for the taste, but the eye appeal is great.

    The slabs do look rather dark, as if the sugar got too hot, but its hard to tell from the pics. Did you check towards the end to see if they looked dry? I try to keep the surface from becoming dessicated by brushing or misting very lightly about an hour before I estimate the rack might be done. That helps the meat keep from being dry, and keeps the rub from getting too hot..

    I didn't even lift the lid until the 5th hour (was mowing the lawn and other husband crap) so I didn't notice the color until then. I think you're right, maybe the rub got too hot or perhaps too high in the dome. I think less rub, lower grid, and more attention will help in the future.
    LBGE, Weber OTG w/ Rotisserie, Weber Genesis S-330, Chargriller Duo, AR-15, AK-47
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