Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Baby backs or Spare's?

If you have to ask this question you probably shouldn’t be making ribs for four people on short notice.

Do them right, they are all good.


I do prefer spares.
Buy them as the whole side, cut them with a knife.

My wife actually prefers the boneless, less fat flank pieces.

I usually eat the funky shaped cartilage pieces first. The picky females won't touch it.

We do two whole sides for four.
Supper doesn't need 1.
But, buying them on sale, they are cheap.
And why not load the smoker.

Rib snacks, rib breakfast, rib brunch,
theirs lots a ways you can eat ribs.

Actually I'm just looking for attention, and upping my post count.

Same has you.

I figured.

What happened to this guy, where'd he go?

I don't know, after 5.5 hours of babysitting the grill, I was hoping for better, once again.
3-2-1 method but actually 2.5-2-.5
One full rack no sauce, it was okay, maybe slightly dry.
2nd full rack with sauce somewhat better, very edible, just no wow factor.

I did wrap in Butchers paper this time rather than foil.

Spareribs next....

Wife and kids prefer baby back, I prefer spare ribs.

Wife yesterday bought 16 racks of baby back ribs on sale for 1.89lb. She is a good woman!!! I definitely out kicked my coverage marrying her

I don’t do 3/2/1 method. I let my ribs get good and dry before they hit the smoker. I put the smoke to them for 3 hours. Spraying with Apple cider vinegar or apple juice to keep from getting dried out during the smoke phase. Then tight wrap with foil. Tight wrapping keeps them from steam cooking in all the juices and falling apart on you. I put some brown sugar on them before foil as my rub doesn’t have sugar in it. After that they are done when the meat hits the right consistency and bends but doesn’t break. Typically another 1.5-2 hours. I found early on 3/2/1 ribs are typically overdone.

I prefer ribs that don’t just fall off the bone when you pick them up. I think that is called competition style what I prefer.

I've never foiled a rib that wasn't overcooked. 2 hours in foil? hahahahahahaha

3-2-1 at 225F seams to work on spares. Not so much on babies.

Keep your rub and your sauce a secrete.

I like spares but just about everyone else I know like The Baby Backs.

that 3-2-1 method can turn ribs into a greasy mess. i prefer a longer lower temp smoke that gets the grease out. pork is way well done at 200 degrees so 4-5 hours at 225 is what seems to work for me. and i also let the ribs go to room temp before i put them on. i will wrap a brisket though after 5 or 6 hours.