Cooking For Engineers

[stimmy7]

I see others asked you about temp 1-2yrs ago- have you gotten a thermometer you can trust for the grill yet? The Maverick 2-probe one is excellent- one sensor near the rack for grill temp, one insertion probe for the meat. Also, you mentioned a gas (ugh!) grill not a smoker, have you remedied that? I have both a Char Broil wagon style coal bbq (CB960) and a Bar B Chef offset smoker- no gas here., never have... never will.
Occasionally I still grill ribs over direct or indirect heat, but prefer to smoke cook them low and slow. Sometimes I'll pop them in the smoker for 30 mins and let the smoke "season them", then finish them up with direct heat on the grill. On the grill, I give the racks 15-20 mins. meat side down, then cook them the balance of the way 40-45 mins. bone side down.
I typically try to keep my smoker at 210-230 degrees and ribs take about 3.5-4.5 hours to cook to the point I prefer them at (170-180 internal). Not much difference in time for spareribs or baby back.
You mentioned rub and foil wrap- I prefer plastic cling wrap (the restaurant variety you can get at Smart and Final) then place them in a large plastic bag and refrigerate or place in a cooler with a bag of ice overnight. I've had trouble with the spices reacting with the foil and transferring a metallic taste.
Also noticed you don't add any liquid pre-rub... I use a mixture of tequila and Worcestershire sauce and brush a light coat on, then rub... and my rub is nearly salt free. I also have a sprayer and every 45mins to hour apply a light mist of apple cider to the ribs- and I don't sauce until the last 15-20mins, and only a light coat. If people want sauce, they can add it at the table- ribs are about the meat!
Generally, when I pull the ribs, I place them in a roasting pan and wrap it with foil, then let them sit for 20-30 minutes before cutting them apart. Nice thing about this is it gives me time to grill corn or par-boiled seasoned potato wedges to serve nice and hot... or even half-hearts of romaine for a grilled salad topped with bleu cheese and bacon.
Thanks for putting together an informative and entertaining site!

[metalman245]

Food for thought I do St Lewis ribs with charcoal and apple wood chips and spray with apple cider every two hours and I cook at 175 to 225 for 12 to 13 hours falling off the bone good