Spareribs

Posted in : Uncategorized on by : Udo Fluck

Spareribs

Easy, tender, moist, delicious, finger-licking delicious and fall-off-the-bone tasty, smoked pork ribs.
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 8 hrs
Total Time 8 hrs 30 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Equipment

  • Smoker

Notes

Remove Membrane:
For the best results when preparing pork ribs, remove the tough membrane, also known as silverskin.  You can buy ribs without the membrane at retailers like Costco, or ask your local butcher to take it off for you, or you can take it off yourself.
Turn the rack of ribs, place it in front of you, meat-side down, membrane side up.  On one end of the rib rack, use a knife and slide it under the silverskin and pull. It should peel off in one piece and if it doesn’t, repeat procedure until all of the silverskin is removed. 
Leaving the membrane attached to your ribs will make it difficult for the smoke to penetrate the meat. This will result in less-flavorful ribs and a tougher texture. The membrane does not soften when it’s smoked.
Pork Spare Ribs vs. Baby Back Ribs 
Barbecue ribs can be cut from the back of the pig near its spine.  These are called baby back ribs or loin ribs, since they are cut from the back.  Ribs are also cut from areas along the sides and belly of the pig.  These are called spare ribs.  Two racks of baby backs and two racks of spare ribs can be cut from each pig.
Baby back ribs are fairly small and curved, are leaner and more delicate in flavor.  Spare ribs are larger and flatter and contain a lot more fat, which carries flavor.
Preparing the Ribs – Temperature and Seasoning
Take ribs out of the refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature, before seasoning.
Lightly coat ribs with Dijon mustard, before seasoning. The mustard will act as a binder and will hold your seasoning in place. Preheat smoker to 180 degrees F in 40 to 80 degree weather. If outside temperature is below freezing, adjust smoker temperature by 10 to 20 degrees.
Season your ribs about 30 minutes before your they go on the smoker.
Smoking Time and Doneness
Smoking time is 7 hours at 180 degrees. The idea is “low’ and “slow”.
Smoke ribs until they reach around 190°F to 200°F internal temperature. It is critical that the ribs reach this temperature, so the collagen inside your ribs can turn into gelatin.
There are a three different ways to determine when the ribs are done:
1.) When the meat shrinks to about 1 inch from the bone.
2.) When you can rotate a rib bone slightly, then the connective tissue has broken down sufficiently and the meat is tender.
3.) The internal temperature of the meat should be 190 to 200 degrees F.

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