There are a few layers to this story...
To begin with, prior to the super bowl, I took advantage of the SRF half-off sale...a splurge im not likely to often make, but one I also do not regret.
Then very early in this past week my mini-me caught a nasty stomach bug that had her laid up for 3 days...only to really recover her appetite late in the week...when she did, she specifically requested I make ribs today b/c she was really hungry, but thought she'd need to wait, specifically, for Sunday to be ready to handle ribs....I was quite flattered by this request, but thats a dad story for another venue. my thought was that a slab of the SRF StL spare's would be perfect for this occasion. so I dry-brined them and applied some Memphis-dust to them this morning to prepare for the cook.
But.... more than a month ago, some coworkers and I had purchased and scheduled a tasting and tour of a local (very) micro-distillery here in town to celebrate the end of our "busy season"...that tour was scheduled for today, however, the timing I did not think would impact the aforementioned rib cook/request.
well - you know how it goes...the tasting was great, the distiller was very interesting and I learned a lot, but then I sat down with the boys and one thing led to another (no actual fun story...just shooting the breeze)....and the cook was looking at a later start than planned...a lot later. 100% my fault and 100% careless on my part. but I didnt go into this totally blind. I had done an earlier single-slab rib cook on my PBC and remember it finishing WAY faster than planned. so while I was conscious of the late start...I had a strategy...
I babysat the PBC more than I normally would, and between the vent and the lid I kept the temps at a steady(ish) 300. some fastidious checks of tenderness eventually led a perfectly cooked slab of ribs in only 2.5 hours!! All parties are happy! I dont know how much of this was the SRF slab, or my babysitting, or the PBC being awesome, or the knowledge I gained here...likely all of the above came together (luckily!) perfectly...
Im not sure I'd recommend, or repeat this cook - but for this time anyway...it worked out.
To begin with, prior to the super bowl, I took advantage of the SRF half-off sale...a splurge im not likely to often make, but one I also do not regret.
Then very early in this past week my mini-me caught a nasty stomach bug that had her laid up for 3 days...only to really recover her appetite late in the week...when she did, she specifically requested I make ribs today b/c she was really hungry, but thought she'd need to wait, specifically, for Sunday to be ready to handle ribs....I was quite flattered by this request, but thats a dad story for another venue. my thought was that a slab of the SRF StL spare's would be perfect for this occasion. so I dry-brined them and applied some Memphis-dust to them this morning to prepare for the cook.
But.... more than a month ago, some coworkers and I had purchased and scheduled a tasting and tour of a local (very) micro-distillery here in town to celebrate the end of our "busy season"...that tour was scheduled for today, however, the timing I did not think would impact the aforementioned rib cook/request.
well - you know how it goes...the tasting was great, the distiller was very interesting and I learned a lot, but then I sat down with the boys and one thing led to another (no actual fun story...just shooting the breeze)....and the cook was looking at a later start than planned...a lot later. 100% my fault and 100% careless on my part. but I didnt go into this totally blind. I had done an earlier single-slab rib cook on my PBC and remember it finishing WAY faster than planned. so while I was conscious of the late start...I had a strategy...
I babysat the PBC more than I normally would, and between the vent and the lid I kept the temps at a steady(ish) 300. some fastidious checks of tenderness eventually led a perfectly cooked slab of ribs in only 2.5 hours!! All parties are happy! I dont know how much of this was the SRF slab, or my babysitting, or the PBC being awesome, or the knowledge I gained here...likely all of the above came together (luckily!) perfectly...
Im not sure I'd recommend, or repeat this cook - but for this time anyway...it worked out.
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