Report: First rib cook ever!
There is enough MAK content in here that I'm posting to this thread rather than to the main board.
You all gave me great advice before this cook. Robb's comments about trying new things and mixing it up really hit home. They reminded me of when I was learning to snowboard. I couldn't figure it out, so I took a lesson. I would ask my instructor questions, and he answered most of them with, "You just gotta feeeel it, maaaaaan." Ultimately, he was right. After a while, I figured it out.
I decided to stop being intimidated by this process (mostly because of past, ruined cooks with other cookers that cost a lot of money and time and resulted in disappointed family and sometimes guests) and just go for it.
Three racks of Swift minimally-processed St. Louis ribs from Costco. One with just S&P, two rubbed with Oakridge Competition Beef & Pork rub. Two hours dry brining. Next time, I'll use more rub and also brine them overnight.
Cookin' Pellets Perfect Mix. One hour on Smoke, then about five hours at 220 and 30 minutes at 250. Spritzed once an hour in the middle of the cook with 1/2 ACV, 1/2 water. Sauced one of the Oakridge racks with MAK Rum Grilling Sauce 30 minutes before taking them off.
Results were mixed (but read on). The salt-and-pepper rack was not good, probably because I didn't cook it for nearly long enough. I couldn't cut the ribs apart in a certain part of the rack. The sauced, rubbed rack was very meaty and tender, not falling off the bone, but rather a perfect chew. Mild smoke flavor, lots of meat flavor. But just very good, not excellent. It was so easy to cook this, so I should be satisfied with very good, right?
Then we get to the third rack. I put this in the upper rack at the back (red arrow in photos). It was the thinnest of the three racks. And it was awesome! Plenty of delicious smoke, meat, and rub flavor. There is NO WAY I should be able to cook a rack of ribs like this and have it come out this good for being this easy!!!
Now the only trick will be to repeat it so all my ribs come out like this rack. I'm pretty sure one or two racks were not cooked long enough. Maybe I need to pull the ones that are done first and continue the cook? Or cook them all on the upper racks, using the very top rack slot and the one beneath it?
Just put them on:
Sauced rack came out looking amazing, but it wasn't the most flavorful one:
Way too many ribs for two people! (Our daughter won't eat ribs because of the bones):
As served, with Guatemalan black beans and rice. No vegetable tonight because we're running out: