I'm getting closer to my goal of BBQ Billy's worthy competition ribs on the weber smokey mountain. Last weekend I fired up the smoker and barbecued two slabs of spares and one baby back with slight modifications to rubs and a new sauce variation. Full analysis follows! The key preparation points: 

• Slabs were from The Meathook (wikid fun place to get meat in Brooklyn) and included:
  • Spare, 1.5 lbs - coated with shake (white sugar and BBQB rub)
  • Spare, 2.1 lbs - coated with BBQB rub
  • Babyback, 1.5 lbs - coated with shake (white sugar and BBQB rub)
• I went with Malis hardwood charcoal this time around, and 4 chunks apple wood
• Smoked on the Weber Smokey Mountain
• Water pan filled with 1 quart cider, 1 quart water
• Temp range was 180-250, average at 220. 
• 4 hrs bones down, untouched
• Flipped, continued on smoker for 30 minutes
• Sauced, flipped, sauced, continued for 15 minutes
• Pulled after 4:45 hrs, internal temp was 175-185
• Wrapped in plastic, placed in cooler (warmer) for 3 hrs
• For the sauce I went with another variation on the 17th street sauce... significantly different though:
  • 1 cup hunts ketchup
  • 1 & 1/3 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp molasses
  • 2 tsp yellow mustard
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 2 Tbsp worcestershire
  • 3/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/3 cup ground bacon bits 

My thoughts on the final ribs:

• Smoke level was perfect
• Malis was good charcoal, but died unexpectedly quickly at one point
• The shake with sugar produced better bark and better flavor
• The spice-heat was great in the shake/sauce combo
• Sauce was nice and thin, but bacon bits never fully disintegrated and were distracting
• Sauce could be a touch sweeter, maybe brown sugar would be a good addition
• Spares were not tender enough... I probably pulled them too early. Meat pulled off the bone, and it was still chewy. Kind of the worst possible thing: tough meat, but pulls off the bone! 
• Babybacks were much more tender and meat stayed on the bone nicely. 

What I've learned and will adjust next weekend:

• I'm sticking with babybacks... i just like 'em more
• Malis charcoal was good, but I want to give Royal Oak and Stubbs bricks a shot
• 4:45 seemed right for babybacks... thinking maybe they were on the higher end of the 175-185 range but I dont' have it recorded specifically... need to check slabs individually next time
• 4 chunks apple is spot on
• The shake will be my rub, but next time I'll try a 50/50 mix granulated brown sugar / white sugar
• When I sauce during the final 15 minutes, I'll also add a dusting of shake
• Sauce still needs tweaking:
  • Kill bacon bits entirely
  • Cook 4 strips bacon super crisp, and grind
  • Remove onion powder and cook 1/2 cup white onion in bacon fat (will require final sauce to be blended fully)
  • Add 2 Tbsp brown sugar for more sweetness