OK thanks that makes sense. Now how exactly do I make rib tips and cook those??
It depends. Do you like rib tips as much as ribs?
If yes, then season and cook them just like you would the ribs. I usually cook my SLC ribs for five hours-ish, which I have usually found is too much for rib tips. I will either put the tips in 90 minutes after I put in the ribs, so that I can serve them at the same time. Or, I'll put them in at the same time, and pull them out 90 minutes early and serve them as an appetizer.
If you are like me and like ribs better than rib tips, you can turn them into something different altogether. This is what I like to do. It's a bit unorthodox, but hey, so am I.
1. Chop the rib tips into 1-rib sections. Cover them with rub.
2. Put a bit of oil in a cast iron pot. Sear the rib tips, either on the stove, or above the coals on your smoker.
3. Throw in whatever spices you want in with the rib tips; I prefer to have them as naked as possible.
4. Submerge the rib tips in liquid. I use a mix of vinegar, water and hot pepper.
5. Bring the liquid to a boil, then place it underneath the ribs that you have cooking. Don't cover the pot!
6. Close the smoker and grab a beer.
At first, the liquid will braise the rib tips. Eventually when the liquid evaporates, the smoke will seep in and start to dry cook them. Finally, the combination of the rendered fat from the tips and the dripping fat from the ribs will begin to fry the rib tips.
After about 3 hours, they're ready to go. You can either pull the meat off the bones and have mini-carnitas. Or, you can serve them as is: deep-fried, smoke-kissed, tender little nuggets of deliciousness.
