Hey guys! let me start by thanking everyone for all of the great information in this forum. I got my #2 last week and did my first smoke ever on some baby back ribs. Most of them came out really good, but there were some 'dry' looking spots on the thicker part of the slab. I figured I would chronicle my preparation here to get some more experienced eyes on it so I can improve for the next smoke.
After reading over
https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-ribs-recipes/last-meal-ribs and
https://www.smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=4412.0 I decided to mix suggestions from the two. I started out by removing the membrane from the ribs and salting them with kosher salt for the dry brine. After they sat in the fridge for a couple hours, I pulled them out and started adding the Memphis dust until I realized that I had forgotten to splash them with a little bit of water. I paused the rub application and sprinkled a small amount of water on both sides and rubbed it around a bit. Then I resumed applying the rub at 2 tablespoons per side as is suggested by Meathead.
I then prepped the smoker with foil, cut 2.3oz of hickory that came with the smoker (fancy wood hadn't arrived yet), and filled a mini loaf pan with apple juice a little over half way. The ribs had to be cut in 'half' as the whole slab would not fit on a single rack. Before I started the smoke I set up my TP-20 and attached a probe to the rack so I could watch the smoker temp as I was curious to see what the temperature would look like while cooking. With the temp set to 235 I went back into the house with my fancy temp receiver set to 235.
During the smoke the internal temperature of the smoker was rarely 235. It lived between ~233 and ~280 which had my monitor beeping at me every 20 minutes or so from the temp swings. I didn't really think much of it because I had read that the temp swings were normal. I guess it's just kind of futile to try and monitor the temp of the box except to make sure nothing extreme is happening.
After letting the box run for 4.5 hours with no peeking, I opened the door and did some toothpick testing. The smaller piece of the rack was near perfection, but the larger piece was a little bit tougher. However, to my novice eyes, I didn't think the larger piece would improve by leaving them in any longer so I went ahead and pulled both. The photo attached is what came out, we ate them and they were delicious! Although, I do agree with an assessment I read on here that the Memphis dust is good, but not very bold in flavor.
Anyway, does anyone have any ideas of why the larger side is missing bark/moisture? And any pro tips to get it consistent on both the thin and thick ends? Thanks!
