Okay, first I have to start out by saying that there are SEVERAL really good methods for cooking ribs, whether they be baby back or spare. I have simply set forth below to describe the method I've settled on, which is the method outlined on the Dizzy Pig website . I like this method because it's simple and effective, and it produces on-the-bone tender ribs, which is the way I prefer them.
The first step to cooking ribs correctly is proper preparation. Probably the most important step in rib preparation is to remove the membrane. This is that, well, membraney looking covering on the back side of the ribs. It's pretty much translucent, so if you don't know it's there, you'll probably leave it there. In fact the first time I cooked ribs for myself and my wife I did not remove the membrane. We couldn't figure out why the ribs had this tough, chewy stuff running down one side. That's right, the membrane doesn't "render" - it's there to stay, and it does NOT tenderize. So get it off of there.
This first picture below shows the membrane being removed. If you slip a sharp filet knife under the membrane on one side (you may have to cut through a bit to get it started), then you should be able to pull the whole thing off all the way down the slab.
After removing the membrane, I coated both sides of the ribs with plain yellow mustard, then liberally rubbed down with a 50/50 mixture of Dizzy Dust and turbinado sugar. Lately, I've substituted Dizzy Shakin' the Tree rub for the plain Dizzy Dust and man oh man you're talkin' good stuff!
Set your Egg up with an indirect setup - I used a platesetter - and get her steady at about 225 cooking level (about 250 dome). Sometimes I use a rib rack but if there is room you can just put the ribs flat down on the cooking grid if you like. Throw some smoking chunks of your choice on the fire - I typically use hickory.
After they have been smoking for about an hour, start spritzing the ribs every half hour with a mixture of apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Also, rotate the ribs every hour if you have them in a rack or so otherwise move them around to make sure they are exposed to the heat evenly and equally.
Depending on your setup, and how many racks you're cooking, the ribs should take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to finish, and probably more towards the 6 hour end (at least that has been my experience). But don't go by time - take a toothpick and probe the meat in different places. When the toothpick can be pushed in and then pulled out without any resistance, the ribs are done. Also, the meat should have pulled back from the end of the bone by at least 1/4".
The baby backs in this picture took about 5.5 hours indirect at 250 dome to finish.
Sometimes I serve ribs dry, with sauce on the side. If you want a great no-brainer sauce, just buy some Sweet Baby Rays and use it as-is or customize it as you see fit.
Sometimes I will sauce the ribs while they are still on the Egg (as done on these pictured). If I do this, I bump the Egg up to 350 or so and let the ribs ride for another 20 minutes or so to caramalize the sauce a bit and give the ribs a really nice look.
I think I would be selling you short if I didn't share with you some links to some other good rib methods, so here they are:
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