Today’s cook RIBS!! Ever since the Pinky Incident of 2009 ribs have ben my nemesis and I vowed this year I would conquer this barbeque delicacy.  Besides, how am I going to conquer the world of BBQ if I cannot cook a freaking rib??

1. Prepping the Ribs 8:00 AM

Here’s my spare ribs that I pick up at my local Sam’s.    I prefer spares over baby backs because they are bigger and easier to cook.

I’m cutting off the brisket flap to make them a St. Louis Cut.  Just follow the fat line with a sharp nice to cut away the flap.   Once the flap is remove you will have a nice uniform rack for even cooking.

I’m going to cook the brisket flap for some tasty riblets.

Now for the dreaded membrane removal.  Using my fingers and a butter knife I pulled up the a little flap of membrane to start the pull.  

Now that I’ve got a good piece of membrane to pull I use a paper towel to get a better grip and pull gently.  The membrane is pretty tough and will come off in one piece with constant even pulling.  After removing the membrane, I trimmed off any excess fat.

To season the ribs I start with a base of yellow mustard and apply it to both sides of the ribs. 

Then  I applied a good coating of BBQ Rub to both sides.  Today I’m experimenting with a sweeter rub blend.  

Sweet BBQ Rub

 2 Parts AlbuKirky BBQ Rub

 1 Part Turbinado Sugar

 1 Part Brown Sugar

Along with with the BBQ Ribs I’m also testing some ribs with the Green Chile Rub. The Green Chile ribs were brushed with a habanero olive oil and generously seasoned with Green Chile Rub.

2. Smoking the Ribs 2:00 PM

Once the charcoal was lit I threw on a couple of chunks of apricot wood.  The chunks were really dry, so I soaked them in water for 15 minutes before putting them on the coals.  Soaking the wood will keep it from igniting and burning up and also create a nice even smoke.

I only want a flavor of smoke these ribs will cook un wrapped for 2 hours. Smoke it great but too much smoke will turn these babies bitter and nobody is going to like that.

There is so much meat to cook I had to break out the 3rd tier.  I close the lid and let them cook at 225-250F.  I’m not going to open the lid until the 2 hours of smoking time is done.

3. The Wrap 4:30 PM

The Ribs have smoked for a little over 2 hours. Now it’s time for the wrap.  Using a really big piece of foil I place the ribs bone side down in the middle.  Cup the sides of the foil and then pour in about a quarter cup of of white grape or apple juice.  Today I decided to use the white grape .  Any liquid will work, I’m just trying create some steam to tenderize the ribs, adding a hint of flavor is secondary.

Before wrapping I also sprinkle some more BBQ Rub on the rib.

I wrapped the ribs up really good and placed it back on the smoker for another 2 hours.

*Update: Ribs were a little too tender. Only need 1 1/2 hours in the wrap.

I have tried cooking ribs without the foil wrap but the ribs turn out dry and the end ribs were charred.

4. Finishing up 6:30

After two hours in the foil wrap I took the ribs off the smoker, unwrapped them and returned them to  the grill for about 30 minutes to crust up a before serving.

The ribs have finished cooking and now it’s time to eat.  Here we’ve got green chile ribs with verde sauce and BBQ Ribs.  The ribs were delicious an were the best ribs I have made to date.  The green chile ribs were my favorite.  The spicy sweet flavor or the green chile paired well with the smoke and pork.  The habanero oil added a nice bite to the chile, it was very nice.   The BBQ rice ware also very good, the sweet rub created a nice spicy and sweet bark on the rib, it was similar to the bark on a pork butt.

BBQ & Green Chile Ribs

My only complaint is they were a little too tender and they were falling of the bone.  I wanted them to be a little firmer and stick to the bone.  To get the ribs firm i think they only need 1 1/2 hours in the foil wrap. I guess I’ll just have to cook up another rack or two until I get it right.

I hope you all enjoyed my real time blog.  It was fun and I learned a lot about writing and cooking ribs.  Besides what fun would it be if I my blog and ribs were perfect every time??