Spare Ribs Sous-vide
I’ve been experimenting a lot with mixing and matching smoking and sous-vide. My most recent experiment has been with ribs. I was already doing short ribs per Thomas Keller using several days in the cooker but for some reason started with comparatively short times (24 hours ) for my spare ribs and finishing them in the oven (seem my 2006 post for my results). Then I happened to hear Nathan Myhrvold mention 48 hours on The Daily Show and gave it a try (of course given the 48-72 hour time for short ribs this makes a lot of sense!). I also smoked them a little first and finished them on the grill at the end. The results have been stunning.
My preparation is basically as follows:
* Pull the membrane off the back (same as for any smoker recipe)
* Rub the night before & wrap in plastic (I use some mustard to help hold the rub and have the vinegar break down the tissue a little)
* Smoke for 1-2 hours with whatever wood you like
* Seal & cook for 48 hours (148 seems to work pretty well for pork spare ribs, I’ve used some lower temps for beef ribs)
* Mop with BBQ sauce or Grilling Sauce
* Grill just enough to get some “bite” on the outside
* Serve “dry” or “wet” as you desire.
Enjoy and as always I’d love to hear your ideas, comments & recipes.–David
Sous-Vide & Cooking 