Rodney Scott’s Spare Ribs
These sure are a pretty pair
I prefer St.Louis Style ribs to baby back ribs, so I expect something good from these
Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Difficultly: 1/5
Ingredient Availability: 5/5
I’ve already made a few recipes from Rodney Scott’s cookbook, which makes this recipe even simpler than it is. Once you have his rub and sauce made, most of the cooking is just waiting. I feel like baby back ribs are the more popular style of ribs, but I prefer St. Louis style ribs because they tend to still have a nice bite after being cooked thoroughly. I frequently find that baby backs are too soft and tender when cooked by most. According to Rodney Scott, the spare ribs and St.Louis style ribs are essentially the same cut, with the latter being cut down a little more, so the cooking is about the same.
Key Ingredients and Omissions:
As noted above, if you have Rodney Scott’s rub and sauce already made, all you need to bring to the party are the ribs. I wouldn’t say any ingredients in particular is key, as this is one where you pretty much need everything in it since it’s so simple. Nothing was omitted, but I used St.Louis style ribs instead of Spare Ribs.
Tools:
Grill
Cooking Review:
After seasoning the ribs with Rodney’s rub, I got to work getting the grill ready. I used a Kamado Big Joe this time, so getting the coals and grill up to temp took between half an hour and one hour. Once the grill was between 225 and 250, I added the ribs and let them cook for about half an hour before basting them with sauce and flipping them, basting the second side as well. I repeated this multiple time for the remaining 3-4 hours until they were loose, making a “U” shape when held in the middle by tongs and the internal temperature approached 180. At this point, I removed them from the grill and let them rest before eating.
Analysis:
The flavors here, while good, were surprisingly mild. I was surprised given how much I put in the rub and sauce, but I just didn’t get any intense flavors. Perhaps if I had added some wood to smoke the ribs the flavors would be better, but I doubt the difference would have been that substantial. There was a slight sweetness and spice that came through and there was a general savoriness. There wasn’t anything that I could really put a finger on that stood out here. The texture of the ribs were good, retaining the nice bite where you can clearly see your teeth marks. Most parts remained juicy and tender as well. With this being said, I’ll give these ribs a 7/10. If the flavors were more interesting and bold these would be very good overall. As mine came out, they were just average.
