I've tried the hot-and-fast method previously and was never quite happy with the final product; smokiness was diminished and wrapped ribs have never been my jam. So, a bit of tinkering and I decided to give the following a shot.
Two racks of St. Louis-cut spare ribs, trimmed and membrane removed. I slathered them with French's Honey Mustard (ran out of the regular stuff) and applied a homemade rub that's a riff on Meathead's Memphis Dust.
Ribs went into the smoker using CookinPellet's Perfect Mix at 180° for 45 minutes to take on some smoke. I bumped the IT to 275° for another 30 minutes. After a quick spritz with a 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar, I flipped the racks meat-side down and let it run for an hour at 275°, with another spritz at the midpoint.
The ribs were flipped and rotated, and they ran for another 45 minutes at 275° with a spritz after 30 minutes. I then glazed them with a homemade sauce comprised of French's Honey Mustard, molasses, local peach preserves, a healthy dose of the rub, and some Crystal Hot Sauce. They ran at 275° for another 30 minutes to set the glaze.
After a brief rest, I think these turned out quite well. A bit of a smoke ring, plenty juicy, and cooked for the "perfect bite".
A decent bit of a smoke ring, plenty juicy, and cooked for the "perfect bite". Plenty of smoky flavor, much better than what I was able to achieve with a wrap method. I've never been one for fall-off-the-bone ribs ... I think that this will be in my rotation moving forward. 3.5 hours of total cooking time, only a normal bit of smoker and protein management. All in all, a good way to spend a June day in Texas.
