St. Louis Ribs — Unwrapped Test

Prep

• Remove membrane.
• Trim flap/cartilage.
• Thin obvious fat pockets.
• Meat Church Texas Sugar base.
• Light Holy Gospel over top.
• Season approximately 30-60 minutes before cooking.

Cook

• 250°F.
• Bone side down for the entire cook.
• First spritz at approximately 90 minutes.
• Spritz mixture: apple cider vinegar + distilled water.
• Do not constantly spritz.
• Only spritz dry/hard areas if needed.
• Approximately 5-6 hour target cook.
• Increased to 275°F toward the end when rendering/tenderness lagged.

Doneness

• Do not rely solely on internal temperature.
• Look for:
  • Bone pullback
  • Bend
  • Surface cracking
  • Probe tenderness between bones

Results

• Thick side was very good.
• Smaller ribs were somewhat tough.
• Skin/bark slightly tough.
• Meat itself may have contributed significantly to the poor result.