more pork, in rib form.

another one of my favorite porky parts, baby back ribs.

For the first round of ribs just like the two pork shoulders I did some sampling. I tried a variety preparations to get an idea of what I liked and why.

one of the first things I learned about ribs, was that they are expensive! Just to give you an idea of how expensive ribs are, a bone-in pork shoulder averages around 9lb's and costs around $2.50/lb. And keep in mind that you can eat basically the entire thing. Ribs on the other hand average around $7.50/lb and you can eat roughly 50% of what your paying for... were talking 300% more expensive for half as much food... what the fuck.... but enough complaining lets take a look at $48 worth of ribs!

not very impressive is it? I really should have checked the price tag on these guys before I had them wrapped up, but I seem to like learning things the hard way.

Up first on the agenda is remove the membrane, to anyone that has ever cooked ribs at home or seen them properly prepared you already know how crucial this step is. For those that don't, just trust me on this one unless you particularly enjoy the texture of a well weathered rainbow sandal.

Before...

Started

After...

As you could imagine that thing doesn't make for very good eating.

Rubbed and ready to rest, I wrapped them in saran wrap and left them in the refrigerator over night.

3 hours in, at 225* Using Apple and Maple wood

My first fan!

other than this one of course...

Almost ready... Sauced the top two up for the last hour.

Falling off the bone

First rack done

2 and 3...

yum...

This time around temperature control was a breeze, I started out slow and basically had it holding 225* for all 6 hours of cooking.

Next time I will go lighter on the rub, its not that the rub tasted bad, but I would have like to taste the ribs more than the seasoning.

Mustard didn't seem to be as crucial to a good final product like on the pork shoulder. Honestly I couldn't even tell a difference between them. I will say however I wont baste with bbq sauce again I would rather have the option to add it later.

Last but not least I think I will take the ribs off about 30 minutes sooner next time and let them finish up resting in foil opposed to in the smoke.

Time for a nap...