[NOVYQUE]

I did up a bunch of ribs for a going away lunch today at the office.  I prepared 3 racks of baby backs (which I have done several times before) and 2 racks of spare ribs (first time for me).  I decided to prepare the spare ribs "St. Louis" style.  You all can look at the pictures and see how I cut them and let me know if I did it correctly or if I could improve on something.

I did all the prep work last night and then placed the ribs in apple juice 'til this morning.  When I got up (4am), I got the ribs out and applied a dry rub on all of them.  Then I got the smoker ready to put them on.  By 5:15am, the ribs were on and cooking.  I pulled them off shortly before noon and took them into  the office.  We ate around 12:30pm.  Sorry, I did not get any pictures of the end product and there was no leftovers for me to try to sneak one in.  I guess the fact that all 5 racks are gone is a good sign (everyone loved them).


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[Crash]

They look pretty good for your first try.  Did you get the membranes off the back?

[Mark]

Nicely done and well photographed.
Dibs on the rib tips!

[brandon]

Double Dibs on the Rib Ends, my favorite part. 

[millie]

Look to me that you did a good job on the cut.
Keep up the good work.
Tripple dibs on the trimmimgs.

[NOVYQUE]

Crash, I am pretty sure that the membrane was removed.  I bought the pre-package (Swift) from Costo.  According to the package, you just put your rub on and go.  Yes, I am still a rookie in this area :-)  I know that is how they are with their baby backs.  On the other package of spares that they had there (ones they actually package themselves - wrapped in cellophane), you could definitely see the membrane.

As for the rib tips guys...sorry, the cook got to them before they went to far.  I actually left the tip wrapped for the entire second half of the cooking time (ribs and tips both got about 3 hours of smoke time before being wrapped).  As I added liquid items to the ribs, I would also add them to the tips.  Only difference was I did not leave the ribs wrapped the entire second half.  I only had them wrapped for a couple of hours and then back on the smoker for the last hour or so unwrapped..  I didn't want the meat falling off the bones to badly.  However for the tips, I didn't think that would be an issue.  They just melted in your mouth.

[Mark]

They are never removed on any ribs I've ever bought. And from the photo of the unseasoned ribs, it looks like the membrane stayed. To remove it, get a small knife (some use a screwdriver; I use an oyster shucking blade)Slide it underneath the membrane around the middle of the rack, grab it with a paper towel and pull it away. The seasoning will get to the meat much better and you won't have that cellophane-like tough skin in your final product. Hope this helps!

[Gizzy's Smokin Crew]

Looks awesome to me. Great Pics

[Atlas]

Looks like you did a great job cutting them up.  Did your rub stick well?  I always slather them up with prepared mustard before putting on the rub.  Also don't see the skirt meat.  That has become my favorite part of the spare rib, cooks up a lot faster so it gives me something to nibble on when foiling.