No flap, ribs instead - what to do?

Well, I was going to have a smoked brisket, some flap steak, burgers and brats for our cookout on Sunday. . .but, and impromptu trip to Peoria Packing changed the menu . I bought pork butt for making Italian sausage (which I'll do Saturday), bought some brats just to try them, got the brisket, but somehow a few slabs of spare ribs ended up in a bag and in my cart. With only 15 people coming and my BIL also bringing hamburgers, I can't imagine how I'd need the flap! It'll have to wait.

The problem is that I never cook spare ribs. Well, not never, as I did it once, but close to never!

So, any suggestions on cooking it? I will have access to two grills, so I can do the brisket on one and the ribs on another if I need different temps. I don't have a smoker or charcoal grill, so will have to make do with gas.

I seem to recall something about cutting off that flap of meat above the bones. Is there anything that can be done with that?

Make sure you trim off the membrane on the back. I usually leave that flap, but maybe that isn't the best.

I have done ribs on my mother's gas grill. The rule is still low and slow. If it is a 2 burner grill, light just one burner and put it on low-medium, and place the ribs on the side with the unlit burner. Let them slow-cook for almost 2 1/2 hours. I use G Wiv's method of rinsing the ribs in white vinegar, then coating them with cheap yellow mustard and sprinkling them with ground spices (usually rosemary and thyme). I wrap wood chips (actually twigs pruned off my mother's mesquite trees and dried) in flat foil packages poked with holes. I make 3 or 4 of those and throw one over the lit burner every 30 minutes or so. You may need to sprinkle the chips with a little water to keep them from burning too fast (but don't soak them).

That's basically what I do, too, except I use a dry rub, and I use a log (about 4" diameter) wrapped in foil poked to let the smoke out. I find a log lasts a lot longer than wood chips. And since I hve to trim the trees around here every so often, logs aren't tough to come by (lately, it's been buckthorn).

When I do a brisket, I do very low and slow. I find, however, that nothing happens with the wood chips when the temp is that low. I turn on all burners (I have 4) until my chips smoke, then turn it to two burners on medium and cook the brisket directly above for one to two hours. This creates a nice crust. Then I set it so I have one burner on at medium low and move the brisket over to the side where the burners are off.

But, after that initial smoking, I don't think the wood chips do anything. Maybe the heat it just too low.

Several of you mentioned using the chips (or twigs or limbs) and you are grilling low and slow. Do you find any evidence of the wood smoking at 250-280 degrees?

Hmm, also interested that ChicagoJay leaves on the flap. Does it get dried out? I was wondering if you could grill it separately, but maybe it's too tough or stringy.

My mom's grill is a cheap 2- burner, so maybe it is not as efficient as yours, and the burner is set hotter. I put the foil covered wood packet directly over the lit burner, and the wood definitely burns up (often too fast). I do poke holes in the foil. At first I was putting the wood packet directly on the burner cover, but that was burning way too quick.

As to the skirt, I guess it is a matter of preference. If you use indirect heat, it doesn't dry out too badly. Personally, I remove the skirt and also lop off the tip cartilage and cook that separately. It is more a matter of asthetics for me. I just like the way a trimmed slab looks. You could also cut the skirt and tips off just before serving.

I looked at some info online and decided to cut the deckel off (that flap has a name!) and cut off that top cartilage piece, too. None of the sites I looked at said anything about cooking them, but that's a good idea to cook them separately - I bet they need different timings and heat.

trim the 'deckel' and smoke it alongside the ribs.

if you're doing beans with your que, chop it up and throw in the bean pot.

The costal cartilage (it has a name also) AKA rib tips can be cooked just like the ribs. You will need to chop it into tip sized pieces with a cleaver after it is cooked.

Oh, that's what rib tips are! Funny, I just saw the post about rib tips (but didn't go to the Tribune) and was thinking, "I wonder if that's what rib tips are. . ." and here is my answer.

Do they cook more quickly? I would think so.

Has anyone ever brined spare ribs? I seem to recall brining back ribs once to see what happened (as brining can make things moist) but I can't remember the outcome.

I live in a high rise w/ communal grills on the sundeck and cannot get access to the grills for the hours to cook low and slow. As such, here's how I've done spare ribs:

- score the back membrane in a criss-cross pattern
- rub the slabs with a dry rub (typically Spice House Bronzeville Rib Rub)
- place ribs on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and bake at 325 for about 4 hours.
- finish on the grill for about 30 minutes w/ sauce. I ordered a half case from my favorite rib shack in Atlanta, so I've been using that lately.

I did buy a smoker box and hickory chips recently... had anybody ever attempted to use them in the oven (under foil to contain the smoke)? Otherwise I guess I'll have to head out to my parents in the 'burbs to finally have access to a grill for the hours to try my hand at smoking.

Cook's Illustrated recently posted about smoking in the oven. . .using tea leaves. Can't remember which kind - Lapchang Souchong seems right, though. They used a pizza stone on the bottom. I didn't read it all, but they didn't mention using the wood chips. . .

I guess I am a little luckier in that I do have my own deck (with a grill) in addition to the party deck with the grill. But, low and slow is still hard on a gas grill and the smoky flavor is minimal. I've room (just) for a bullet style smoker. But, I can't use charcoal, so would have to buy an electric or a propane one. I was all charged and ready to get one and now I'm ambivalent - which one, do they really work, will I really get a smoke ring (or at least smoky flavor!), etc.

ViewsAskew wrote:I guess I am a little luckier in that I do have my own deck (with a grill) in addition to the party deck with the grill. But, low and slow is still hard on a gas grill and the smoky flavor is minimal. I've room (just) for a bullet style smoker. But, I can't use charcoal, so would have to buy an electric or a propane one. I was all charged and ready to get one and now I'm ambivalent - which one, do they really work, will I really get a smoke ring (or at least smoky flavor!), etc.

I have an Brinkmann electric smoker, and with wood chips or chunks added, you do indeed get the smokey flavor you're looking for. Be careful using foil packages; the heating element get hot enough to burn the foil and you'll get aluminum soot on your food.

The best way to go about smoking is to keep the meat refridgerated until you're ready to cook. It's the delta between the heat and the meat temps that help form the smoke ring. The cooler the meat, the more smoke ring you get. For spares, there's a cooking method called 3-2-1 that has had much success with flavor and "bite": smoke for 3 hours, place in foil or a pan tightly covered and cook for 2 hours (no wood, just heat), and place back directly on the grill uncovered for 1. During the second step, place apple or pineapple juice in the pan for some added zing. I've used apple with much success, I'll be trying pineapple next time. The temp for all three phases is 225-275, 250 being your ideal (IMO). Obviously a gas or electric makes it easier to maintain that range, but it can be done with charcoal or wood...

Thanks for the info!

The refrigeration part was fascinating. . .so all of those people who say to leave the brisket or whatever on the counter for awhile to get to room temp BEFORE putting on the smoker are reducing their smoke ring????

ViewsAskew wrote:The refrigeration part was fascinating. . .so all of those people who say to leave the brisket or whatever on the counter for awhile to get to room temp BEFORE putting on the smoker are reducing their smoke ring????

Views,

Smoke ring stops forming when the meat hits 140°. I've known people who rest the meat in the freezer for 45-minutes prior to placing on the smoker to enhance the smoke ring effect.

Smoke ring and smoke flavor are not the same thing. You can, and some contest cooks do, achieve a hell of a smoke ring simply by applying a light coat of Tender Quick, let it sit for 20-minutes then rinse it off.

Far as the 3-2-1 method, sometimes referred to as the Texas Crutch, that is not a method I'd recommend. The two hours in the foil steams the meat giving it a, at least to me, unpleasant mealy mouthfeel. The last hour out of the foil is supposed to tighten up the meat, but I've found it simply toughens up the outside leaving an odd dry/tough/mush layering effect.

Enjoy,
Gary

Yeah, I've encountered that mealiness at times, too, but not always. . .I did a brisket last summer that I cooked on the gas grill - very low and with wood chips - but took it off after about 3 hours. I did it in the oven for the next, oh, 8 hours. Then, back to the grill for an hour. (Maybe 3-8-1, lol). It was terrific. I did it again two weeks ago and got mealiness.

So, now, I have a smoker. . .tomorrow morning, smoking here I come.

The 3-2-1 method is for spareribs only. Babybacks and country-styles can usually go with 2-1-1 (they're more tender cuts to begin with). Rib tips are great with 1-1, with no third step. The mushiness mentioned is caused by too long or too low temp on the middle step (too much collagen breakdown is what's happened). It takes some practice to get it right, and "right" is 1000% subjective. Some turn the heat up to 300 during the last step. The bark that is produced is actually one of the judging criteria in many rib competitions...

Mealiness is different than mushiness to my tongue - of course, that's just my tongue.

Mushiness is a highly subjective trait is terms of desirability, as jsimonson has so wisely noted. Soft vs tender vs chewy. But the mealiness? That is this weird texture thing related to feeling like tapioca pearls (tiny ones). Uck. The brisket can still be tough and be mealy. Worse, I think, is when it's soft and mealy. . .oooooo, I just got the shivers!