No foil approach?

[tripleBQ]

" Don't rub the ribs till a short time before smoking"

also you might want to seal the rub with a light coat of brown sugar and then add some more rub on top RIGHT before putting on smoker.

rubs are a different cut of meat and can't be treated like a brisket ..

[northern greenhorn]

Foil or no foil . . . ribs be good eats.

Dave

What he said

[chisoxjim]

Just me, I would skip some of the "Spritzen". If there is no reason to open the smoker and loose temp, why do it. Good seasoning (rub), marination and consistent Temp's render's good ribs far more predictably. I don't "spritz" anything but myself.

yep,


typically I see how many hours I can go without opening up the smoker, Id prefer to open it once to put the ribs in and once after 4-6 hours to take em' out & thats it.

[HawgHeaven]

I wouldn't spritz after only a half hour in... let the rub set up, go for at least an hour +. I'm not a big mustard fan, never found it to be of any real reward on ribs. It never did anything for flavor, and was very messy.

Just my 2 cents...

[Keelaboosa]

Now I'm rethinking this. Sounds like ribs could easily be set and forget!

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I am gonna foil two racks because I've never done that before. Plus I'll get three different flavors to sample.

I think I will pass on the mustard. That's just too big a jump from what we're accustomed to.

Hope to have some pron on Monday - cya!

[Richtee]

I think I will pass on the mustard. That's just too big a jump from what we're accustomed to.

Really-it's not. It's major function is to hold more rub. You will NOT taste mustard in the finished ribs.

[Uncle-Honky]

Just wanted to point something else out. The word "spritzing" may result in bullying. To avoid bullying, replace the word "spritzing" with "spraying". It is commonly referred to as a "spray" bottle
(insert smiley in a tutu with a spritz bottle, prancing towards the smoker)

Just sayin' Either way they will be fantastic ribs!
Smoke on!!

[travcoman45]

Nothin wrong with ribs in cryovac. Round here be nearly the only way ya can get em an there gettin ta the point there all enhanced, so best ta learn how to cook with em.

I bought 100 pounds a enhanced one's, still a very good rib, but had ta adjust my cookin times down some an don't bother ta foil em, with these if ya foiled em, they was to tender.

Practice, yall will find what ya like.

[Keelaboosa]

Okay, reporting in with mixed results.

First off, the grill holds temperature pretty well. The bad news is it is reading higher than it's actually cooking. Took me about two hours to realize I was cooking at about 200° instead of 225° as I'd planned. So, the time before foiling was too cool.

I did end up using mustard, MH, & brown sugar.

Foiled 2 of 3 racks after 2 hours, one in apple juice, one in apple juice and bourbon. Left one alone. Just spriz--- er SPRAYED with apple juice every so often.

De-foiled after two hours, then cooked another two hours at about 250°. Coated 1/2 of the unfoiled rack with Masterpiece with 1/2 hour left.

Made some ABT's with cream cheese, little smokies (cut in half), green onions, and bacon. Standard beginner ABT's, I think. Also threw on some sausage links from T&H meats.

Well - the verdict.

The family preferred the foiled rack over the unfoiled. Not enough sweetness though, as they're used to ribs with sauce cooked on them. I'll change that up next time. My wife still prefers ribs smothered in sauce and cooked on the gasser to my efforts, so I've got a ways to go.

I'm not sure I can tell the difference between the ribs with bourbon and without. I think I'll keep the bourbon for my glass next time!

The ABT's were a giant success. Nobody had ever had these before, and it was a real treat. Many didn't even realize there was a little smokie in it!

The sausages, unfortunately, got way overcooked. They were dry and wrinkly after sitting on a plate for a while. Major disappointment.

Other than that, my wife's beans were spectacular (as always), and the broccoli slaw was good.

I took some photos, but got some weird looks from the family. Seems nobody sees the benefit to photographing your meal. I'll get them on tomorrow, as I forgot to bring the camera to work this morning.

Thanks, all, for chiming in on this over the last week. I'd been massively looking forward to putting this spread on, and your encouragement was what I needed to pull it off. It wasn't complicated, and I didn't quite hit it out of the ballpark, but it was immensely satisfying and I'm looking forward to testing out some alternatives. Made for a great family weekend!

[Keelaboosa]

Okay, pictures as promised.

Three racks, with mustard, MH, & Brown Sugar
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/57eZdA3iI5Ldrqid5XEmF6KJCBpNLCGUW5dOBU63U-8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_YcW4f6mfuZY/TNrWR_GdoAI/AAAAAAAAApQ/EVIOUe-kkgE/s800/P1010534.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/keelaboosa/1162010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD28-ya-bS-IQ&feat=embedwebsite">11-6-2010</a></td></tr></table>

Yours truly trying his hand at ABT's
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/434UULyrc0hz27lIB3Bh8KKJCBpNLCGUW5dOBU63U-8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_YcW4f6mfuZY/TNrWY0DduSI/AAAAAAAAApg/3gpXXw49wek/s800/P1010540.JPG" height="800" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/keelaboosa/1162010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD28-ya-bS-IQ&feat=embedwebsite">11-6-2010</a></td></tr></table>

Plate full of ABT's completely oblivious to their fate (no, I didn't nuke them)
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SSDBzj8rtXJMGY9StLCTXKKJCBpNLCGUW5dOBU63U-8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YcW4f6mfuZY/TNrWctHNvoI/AAAAAAAAApo/w3yLupoNIR8/s800/P1010542.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/keelaboosa/1162010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD28-ya-bS-IQ&feat=embedwebsite">11-6-2010</a></td></tr></table>

The Master of All He Surveys, and his faithful sidekick, Tessa the WonderDog
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZMewASCFozZgNe6AsiAeH6KJCBpNLCGUW5dOBU63U-8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YcW4f6mfuZY/TNrWgT92ziI/AAAAAAAAApw/xDhixSrQOmo/s800/P1010544.JPG" height="800" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/keelaboosa/1162010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD28-ya-bS-IQ&feat=embedwebsite">11-6-2010</a></td></tr></table>

Come and get it!
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4QsGMpJ5xqFiLObHxSqgPqKJCBpNLCGUW5dOBU63U-8?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_YcW4f6mfuZY/TNrWhGYFh4I/AAAAAAAAAp0/4WxdwbbjCVo/s800/P1010545.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/keelaboosa/1162010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMD28-ya-bS-IQ&feat=embedwebsite">11-6-2010</a></td></tr></table>

[northern greenhorn]

Looks mighty fine to me. I made some babybacks yesterday, and I usually foil, but I was out of foil, so went without and they turned out excellent. Good job on your feast

[Richtee]

The family preferred the foiled rack over the unfoiled. Not enough sweetness though, as they're used to ribs with sauce cooked on them. I'll change that up next time. My wife still prefers ribs smothered in sauce and cooked on the gasser to my efforts, so I've got a ways to go.

Yer gonna need to add BS or honey or SOMETHING if you want sweet ribs using the MH rub. In case you have not picked up on it...I'm like the lone (or very rare...) crusader againt candied ribs, and my rub reflects that

[Keelaboosa]

I'll do dry and foiled ribs again. I've never had them Memphis style, and I really liked them dry and didn't miss the sweetness at all. I'm sticking with the MH - 'tis the bomb.

Since my wife is my wife, and it's always good to keep a wife happy, I'll try something sticky sweet that will appeal to her. Just on a separate rack!

I'm jonesin' to do a brisket with some MH. Just building up the knowledge bank a bit.

[northern greenhorn]

[QUOTE=Richtee;153532]Yer gonna need to add BS

???? What's a BBQ without a little BS

[Richtee]

; What's a BBQ without a little BS

Hehe... errr.. brown sugar. Maybe I should add that to the abbreviations post, eh...