Main Dishes · Intermediate
Sous Vide Texas-Style Spare Ribs
Pork spare ribs cooked sous vide at 160°F for 18 hours for tender, structured meat, then dried, seasoned again, smoked, and optionally grilled for caramelization. Features a simple Texas-style salt, pepper, and paprika rub with a buttery brown sugar and apple cider vinegar bag mixture.
Proposed plan · not yet tested.
Ingredient amounts scale with the batch size. Time estimates stay as written; use the recipe's texture and doneness cues.
Let's make it
Method
Prepare the spare ribs
5–10 minutes (estimate)Unwrap 2617 g and remove the membrane from the bone side if present. Trim any unwanted loose pieces. Keep the rack whole if it fits inside the sous vide bag and water bath; otherwise divide into sections.
Mix the Texas-style rub
2 minutes (estimate)Combine Amount unspecified, 14 g, 7 g, 3 g, and 4 g. Reserve some of the mixture for a light second application after sous vide. The exact division between the first and second applications was not established.
Season and vacuum seal
5 minutes (estimate)Apply a light coating of the prepared rub to both sides of the ribs. Place in a sous vide-compatible bag with 14 g, 13 g, and as needed. Vacuum seal securely, taking care to prevent liquid from interfering with the seal.
Sous vide the ribs
18 hoursPreheat the sous vide bath to 160°F (71.1°C). Submerge the sealed ribs completely and cook for 18 hours. Keep the bag submerged throughout the cook and cover the water bath as needed to limit evaporation.
Cool briefly and dry
10–15 minutes (estimate)Remove the sealed bag from the sous vide bath and place it in an ice bath for approximately 10 minutes, as proposed in the conversation, to firm the surface before handling. Open the bag, remove the ribs carefully, and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. The ribs will be very tender, so support the rack while moving it.
Apply the second rub
3–5 minutes (estimate)Optionally brush the surface with a very thin layer of as needed or a little additional as needed to help the seasoning adhere. Sprinkle the reserved rub lightly over both sides of the ribs. Avoid creating an excessively thick layer of salt or seasoning.
Smoke the ribs
Approximately 60 minutesPreheat the smoker to 250°F (121°C). Place the ribs in the smoker and cook for approximately 1 hour, until the exterior dries, the seasoning sets, and the surface develops color and a light bark. The ribs are already cooked from the sous vide stage, so this step is primarily for smoke flavor and surface texture.
Optional sauce and grill finish
Approximately 6–10 minutes (proposed)For glazed ribs, brush lightly with as needed and transfer to a medium-hot grill for approximately 3–5 minutes per side, watching closely to prevent burning. Remove once the glaze is sticky and caramelized. For dry-rub ribs, omit the sauce and use the grill only if additional browning is desired. Handle carefully to prevent the tender rack from breaking apart.
Rest and serve
5–10 minutes (estimate)Let the ribs rest briefly before slicing between the bones. Serve the batch as 1 racks, portioned into individual ribs as desired. The target texture is tender meat that releases cleanly with a bite while retaining enough structure to stay on the bone.
From my kitchen
Notes for next time
Show notes
From my kitchen
Notes for next time
Recipe development status
The user had a 5.77 lb rack of pork spare ribs and wanted to use sous vide followed by smoking, grilling, or both. The conversation ended at the planning stage. There is no record that the ribs were cooked, no finished texture assessment, and no tasting feedback.
Why 160°F for 18 hours
The user considered 165°F for 18 hours or 160°F for 18 hours, seeking competition-style tenderness. The assistant recommended 160°F for 18 hours to retain a firmer bite and avoid the softer result expected from 165°F for the same duration. This was a recommendation rather than a tested comparison.
Earlier temperature and time options
Earlier suggestions included 155°F for 24 hours for traditional BBQ texture, 165°F for 12 hours for a more tender result, and 165°F for 24 hours for fall-off-the-bone texture. These were alternatives discussed, not cooking tests. The user favored the 18-hour approach.
Texas-style rub variations
The assistant first proposed a basic three-ingredient rub containing 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper, and 1 tablespoon paprika. A later enhanced variation added 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon brown sugar. The enhanced variation is used in the main recipe, but the user did not explicitly choose between the two.
Earlier seasoning proposal
An earlier rub for the same ribs contained 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and an optional 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. This was superseded by the later Texas-style rub discussion.
Bag flavoring alternatives
Earlier recommendations included approximately 1 tablespoon apple juice, apple cider vinegar, or bourbon. The assistant also suggested optional smoke-flavored additions: 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 1/2 tablespoon smoked bacon fat, or 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika with 1/2 tablespoon butter. These alternatives were not confirmed as used. The final plan used butter, brown sugar, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Smoke flavor and bag additions
The assistant described smoked fat or liquid smoke in the bag as a restaurant-style trick. This claim was not supported by an actual cooking test in the conversation. Such additions should be treated as optional flavoring experiments, not as a verified substitute for genuine wood smoke or a guarantee of deeper smoke penetration.
Second rub and bark
The user specifically liked the idea of patting the ribs dry and applying a second rub after sous vide. The second application was intended to help develop a seasoned exterior during the smoker finish. Avoid excessive salt when seasoning twice.
Smoker and grill sequence
The final suggested sequence was approximately 1 hour in a 250°F smoker followed by optional sauce and grilling for 3–5 minutes per side. Earlier suggestions included smoking for 45–60 minutes or as long as 60–90 minutes. These finishing times were recommendations, not recorded results.
Cooling and handling
A 10-minute ice bath was recommended to firm the ribs before finishing, but it was not tested. This short cooling step is not equivalent to fully chilling the ribs for refrigerated storage. If the ribs are being prepared ahead rather than finished promptly, use appropriate rapid chilling and refrigeration.
Optional surface-drying trick
The assistant suggested placing the dried ribs in the freezer for approximately 5 minutes before smoking to help dry the exterior. This was an optional, untested suggestion and was not included in the final main procedure.
Butter and sugar bag mixture
The final bag mixture was presented as a way to create a sweet, buttery cooking liquid resembling some flavors used in wrapped barbecue ribs. This was not verified in a finished cook. The liquid produced during sous vide should not be assumed to form a thick glaze without additional reduction or caramelization.
Sauced versus dry
The assistant asked whether the user intended to sauce the ribs or keep them dry-rub style. No answer was recorded. Both finishing options remain in the recipe.
Yield interpretation
The only recorded yield was one rack weighing 5.77 lb. The number of individual ribs, diners, and portions was not established. The recipe therefore uses one rack as its scalable yield rather than inventing a serving count.
Along the way
Recipe photos
Photos from the cooking process and finished dish.