Smoked Ribs

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by nykz
Holy shit that looks so good, makes my mouth water... how long did it take for it to cook?

Oh yeah. I put 'em on at 12:00 and took 'em off at 6:30. I tried to keep the temp at around 225-250.

[liquidboi69]

I think I was doing something wrong in the summer, cuz the way I made em, they were fairly tough still =(

But damn did they taste good. It was at a constant 250 Celsius for 4 hours I think.

They smelled so good, and they tasted like... the mesquite flavoured double dutch chips, with the rub I used haha.

[r3ccOs]

Though I'm not a Chef, but defiantely enjoy the cullinary arts...
Throughout the last while, I've been experimenting and recently competiting in the art of Barbecue.

Ribs are not a simple as most people think.. its also not quite as hard.

It really depends on your preference... I like flavorful, and tender ribs with a nice bark texture.
Most people do.

Traditional "texas" BBQ like a dryer product, but by no means does that mean that is a competition standard.

The problem is, most described methods to make ribs are those of KC/Texas's own general rule of thumb... Rub the ribs, let the rub penetrate over night, throw them on a smoker @ 225 until done.
Its just not that simple, but again its not that hard.

Here is some of my advice:

#1 -- Don't buy a El Cheapo Brinkmann Smoker, unless you intend on spending alot of time modding them (yes the brinkmann smoker they sell at Costco & Bass Pro)

#2 -- Don't buy a side mounted smoker... they just don't work well. The heat is far too directional, and too hard to manage.
Vertical Water Smokers are the best, with the exception of the Brinkmann (unless you modd it).
The Weber Smokey Mountain is not only a great consumer grade product, but even a number of pro's and caterers will use them.
You can get them over at Barbecue's Galore
A good number of PROs use the smokey mountain or a home made derriviative.

#3 -- Propane vs Charcoal?
I'm a charcoal guy through and through. For me, its the proper way to cook, and barbecue is not barbecue without Charcoal
Most q'ers like briquettes, I choose to use lump from Royal Oak. I use my Weber Kettle and Smokey Mountain.

Propane is easy maintain heat, but if you're using a "grill" such as a Vermont/Broil King etc... the heat is still directional, even with multiple burners, and they are not seal'd like a smoker, so you never get the convection cooking of indirect when compared to, nor the smoke penetration that you get from a proper charocal smoker.

p.s. most Propane Smokers are garbage... made of cheap thin steel, which will cost you alot more in fuel overall. If you're sticking with Propane/Gas, build one yourself.

I also use wood chunks instead, of which you don't need to soak.. however if you're throwing a foil pack on a burner on a grill, yup... soak em at least half an hour.

I mix the chunks up with the unlit charcoal, this gives me continuious smoke. I use chips to throw on top if I need to add more smoke if the product requires it.

For Pork, I like Hickory mixed with apple, maple, or any sweet wood.

I'll use the same for a Pork Shoulder as well.

I like to get the smoke going while bringing up my charcoal cooker to temp (Weber Smokey Mountain or just a One touch Gold)

I use the "minion" method, and light enough fuel up to pour on top to bring the heat up to temp, of which "ideal" is 225-250

My Rib Method:
I use a method that is simular to the "3-2-1" which has faired very well for me. This is often used in competitions, and I know for fact many many pro-q'ers hav won with this method.
For Spares's add an extra hour of cooking time between the braise and finishing stages.

I take the meat out of the package, remove membrane, and rince.

I then apply the rub. -- No need to let the rub sit overnight.. it doesn't penetrate any more at all, its all BS. The "rub" process already applies tiny tears into the meat for the mixture to sit in.

Competition BBQ requires that the meat is properly handled and not pre-prep'd before the start of the comp. That doesn't leave very much time to pre-rub and sit.

My Rubs include Kosher Salt in it, which helps retain moisture and texture.

You do not need to use Mustard to hold the rub -- a rack properly paper towel dried should hold most sugary/paprika/cumin rubs easily. The only time I've used such a method is when using Mayo on baby backs. Yes Mayo... this added a richness to the flavor and more fats to help the braising process. This isn't the healthy choice, but it works very well with Baby Backs.

I DO NOT wait for the ribs to come up to room temp -- no need.
In fact, meat absorbs more smoke when cool and will form more of a "smoke ring"
So I put the cold rub'd meat onto the grates, while brining up the smoker to 225 with smoke already going.

I cook the ribs @ 225 (usually 2hrs - 2.5hrs) to really penetrate the meat with smoke until it reaches a core temp of 140ish
Why? Because the meat itself will no longer absorb any more smoke. The Ring will be set, and no more smoke will penetrate "into" the meat.

I then wrap the ribs in heavy duty foil... lots of it
I usually use some liquid such as a juice or wine, but lately have found "mayo" to really work, especially on baby backs.
This method causes a "Braise" of which the fats will break down the connectivity tissue better.

I raise the temp up to 300 - 325 and cook till, well... what you desire for a texture. *you can do this, as the tin-foil allows for even cooking and retain the moisture to braise the meat*

Do you want fall off the bone? Well cook for a couple hours and have a look.
If the meat pulls back from the bone by more than an 1 1/2" per side, it'll be ridiculously tender. Tender enough that you can probably just pull the rib bones out of the side.
If you desire more of a competition texture, as the old boys in Texas prefer (which is to be firm, yet should be somewhat tender)
About 1 - 1 1/4 hrs again look to see how much of the meat has pulled back from the bone.

I then unwrap them, and bring the temp down a bit to 250-300 and let a bark form. Sometimes there is plenty of sugar to carmelize from the rub, sometimes I'll use a bit of BBQ sauce to help it form quicker.
You can "add" more smoke at this process to add smokeyness to the barbecue sauce...
This process can take anywhere from half an hour to an hour.

Be warned though -- too much smoke will overpower the delicate flavor of the ribs.

This method is pretty much "fool" proof if you can manage the fire/heat.

This then leaves the far more challenging part, developing a origional championship quality rub and sauce combo

As for ribs -- I like the meatyness of large baby backs/loin backs. Its also less fatty and will cook quicker. Be warned, you should spend your cash on good size'd baby back or loin back ribs, otherwise you're just wasting your cash.
The small racks just don't have enough fat to make a proper product. Costco has the best price on good sized baby backs.

Spares, I like to use for comps. Plenty of fat, works amazing in the braising stage, and lots of flavor.
Its far less healthy, but overall a more consistant product.
They're also cheaper, but make sure you know how to "trim" the ribs. Remove the skirt and other areas such as the plate.

I like to challenage myself with different recipies, including asian inspired char sui/hosin, terriyaki style sauces. This has fair'd alright, but most judges are always looking for "traditional" flavors.

Traditional means, you could literially win using the method I described, with a store bought rub and bulls eye bbq sauce.
This has happened before, I shit you not, as I've won with pretty much that.

Almost forgot -- Perhaps one of the most important rules to cooking in general: don't look
Looking isn't cooking
Be Patient and use thermometers as required

Also, Charcoal is not as inconvenient as people think and the best Charocal BBQ is the Weber Kettle design...
You can sear steak or cook tandori style @ 800deg+ w/ lump charcoal

You put the lid on at medium or high, and it will cook at that heat without any flare ups.

The lid is dome'd and provides a "like convection"
This also makes it the best compromise indirect Barbecue Cooker without having to buy a smoker.

The Smokey Mountain is the best smoker period, but if you're not smoking 45lbs of meat routinely... buy a Kettle

[LongCity]

No offence but that is WAAY too long to read haha

[300rwhp]

yeah but it is full of great info

[Flacker]

Originally posted by liquidboi69
I think I was doing something wrong in the summer, cuz the way I made em, they were fairly tough still =(

But damn did they taste good. It was at a constant 250 Celsius for 4 hours I think.

They smelled so good, and they tasted like... the mesquite flavoured double dutch chips, with the rub I used haha.

Too HOT dude, you should be around 250ish F not C.

At 250C the ribs would be done in under an hour, but tough as hell.

[r3ccOs]

Just placed 2nd in Chicken, 3rd in Pulled Pork (tied), 6th in Ribs and unfortunately 14th in Brisket

not bad outing though

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by r3ccOs
Just placed 2nd in Chicken, 3rd in Pulled Pork (tied), 6th in Ribs and unfortunately 14th in Brisket

not bad outing though

Where was this? Im dying to try a Brisket but a little nervous. I just tried ribs again the other day. Couldn't find the right chips so I used these stupid "pucks"...hardly any smoke, temp all over the map, and I didn't like the rub I used. Ribs turned out horrible. So now I'm nervous to try again.

[ninefourfour]

Originally posted by r3ccOs
Just placed 2nd in Chicken, 3rd in Pulled Pork (tied), 6th in Ribs and unfortunately 14th in Brisket

not bad outing though

Thanks for the absolutely awesome write up. I've been slowly getting more and more into bbq'ing, being east indian, I'm giving the rub a bit of a "indian" touch. I do have to ask you one thing however. I was told never to put Salt on uncooked meat as it pulls moisture from the meat (which actually makes sense) and it can break down the surface of the meat. Yet you placed kosher salt on your uncooked meat. Love to hear your thoughts on that.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Where was this? Im dying to try a Brisket but a little nervous. I just tried ribs again the other day. Couldn't find the right chips so I used these stupid "pucks"...hardly any smoke, temp all over the map, and I didn't like the rub I used. Ribs turned out horrible. So now I'm nervous to try again.

lol don't ask me I placed 14th in brisket

This was in Kelowna's smoke on the water event

Actuality our brisket wasn't bad, but my partner who prepped the box didn't do a great job with the presentation, and cut the meat against the grain. As well I think we overspiced the rub

Now, Brisket isn't hard, but is definatley harder than how the shows, youtube clips or bbq books claim.

As for meat, make sure you get a "packer" brisket, which will include the point & flat (the flat is what you call flank steak).
Make sure its a good size too, anywhere from 8-12 lbs
No need to trim, yes there is tons of fat on it, but it renders off and helps with a "secret" process

The cook... not as hard as people think
Start the cook using a "minion" method for charcoal (as described previous or if you google it, you'll find out what this means)
If you got coal, throw chunks of wood on (or mix moist chips if you didn't buy chunks)
If you got gas, make a few pouches of moist wood chips with aluminium foil and place right on top of the burner.

Take the meat out of the cryo vac - wash it with cold water (or not if you're lazy like me...)

Now you can do a few things... I leave mine alone
Some people will use a meat tenderizer, literially like taking a fork and puncturing it everywhere
Some people inject - using flavor additivies, usually juice, salt and garlic salts etc..
Now, some people who WIN, will not technically cheat but bend the rules and use chemical fats - natural or not (like bacon fat, hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, MSG, Phosphates, Nitrates/Nitrites & xanthan gum

Then you cover it in rub and rub it down gently - its called RUB not pound

@ this point, even if your smoker or your grill :P (booo gas grills)
is not even at that 225-250f temp... do not worry
Make sure you get some smoke going and put the meat on (& by on, indirectly)
Then eventually slowly bring your smoker up to temp
By smoking at less than cooking temp, and putting your meat on "Cold" you allow more smoke to permiate.... pretty simple

Now cook at low & slow until you get enough smoke... do not cook for texture, but rather only for the desired amount of smoke.
For some people that's 3 hrs, & others like 6... Mind you I would not go over 6 hrs with smoke... thats just too much

Now this is the secret nobody tells you... you cook it till its done in Tin Foil
People say it doesn't create bark blah blah blah, its not traditional texan, but ALL great teams use Tin Foil, including the old dude from Smoking Triggers on that show, yes bbq pit masters :P
You take large strips of tin foil, and I like to put a double coat on the meat.
As you did not trim the meat, you don't need to add any liquid as the fat renders and braises the meat, where as other leaner products like back Ribs, you add a bit of liquid (water, juice, or oil)

This process is "braising" the science behind your slow cooker, crock pot or dutch oven.

Being that you have a liquid (fat & collegine) simmering through the tough brisket fibers, it will eventually break down that meat to a delightful tender texture

Also by "braising", cooking temp doesn't matter as much.
@ a comp, because I want sleep at night... I keep the temp low @ 225ish as I'm in no rush

At home, after giving lets say 4hrs of decent smoke, I'll wrap it up, and bring the heat up to 325-350.... this method is called a "high-heat" brisket

& I'll cook for a few hours, but I don't necessarially time... its usually no less than 2-21/2 hrs, but you're not looking for a temp nor are you timing this
You are rather, going to take a fork and you're going to plunge it into the meat (yes through the tinfoil) and see if you can then turn it easily
If you can, really easy with no resistance... like a soft roast beef, you're done. (make sure you do this in a couple spots on the brisket, as the flat usually doesn't tender as much or quickly as the point)

Ideally, the internal temp if you were to, is usually in the 190ishf but it depends on how tough the meat it, and sometimes the internal temp has to be quite hot for the braise to break down the stubborn chest muscle.

Now once done, take it off the smoker/grill, and put it in your Microwave or a Cooler and let it rest for a MINIMUM 45 minutes
Sometimes I'll let it sit in the tinfoil out for 10 minutes to cool a bit, but to ensure that tough muscles absorbs back as much juice (water & fat) as possible... you NEED to rest it with a relatively consistant temp environment... hence a cooler or Microwave

Now, unwrap... slice against the grain and serve with the sauce of your choice of sauce or not

[spikerS]

Originally posted by r3ccOs

*snip*

So what is your team name?

a few friends and I are starting a BBQ team for a few competitions this summer. might be nice to say hi if you are around.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by spikers


So what is your team name?

a few friends and I are starting a BBQ team for a few competitions this summer. might be nice to say hi if you are around.

still got some more secrets in the bag

We change our team name from time to time, as we also compete just for the sake of it, no bragging

have you entered bbq on the bow yet? We're still debating to do it, as my buddy lives over on the Island

[spikerS]

no we have not entered the bow yet, but we are going to do the one in strathmore at the end of july.

our problem is, we have never cooked a brisket before, so it is my job to learn it and be ready for it.

We are bringing 5 or 6 smokers out for that one.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by spikers
no we have not entered the bow yet, but we are going to do the one in strathmore at the end of july.

our problem is, we have never cooked a brisket before, so it is my job to learn it and be ready for it.

We are bringing 5 or 6 smokers out for that one.

all you need is in fact 1 and a kettle

but 2 smokers is all we use... remember smoke is smoke, and judges prefer hickory, as that's the flavor profile everyone wants

[spikerS]

Originally posted by r3ccOs


all you need is in fact 1 and a kettle

but 2 smokers is all we use... remember smoke is smoke, and judges prefer hickory, as that's the flavor profile everyone wants

well, we are going all out, and putting in for every event: ribs, chicken, pork butt, brisket and anything butt.

We are not using any fancy equipment, at least not yet. We are bringing out 3 char-grillers with offset boxes and 2 ECBs that will probably get us laughed out, but whatever, we want to have some fun, meet new people and see what to expect in competitions.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by spikers


well, we are going all out, and putting in for every event: ribs, chicken, pork butt, brisket and anything butt.

We are not using any fancy equipment, at least not yet. We are bringing out 3 char-grillers with offset boxes and 2 ECBs that will probably get us laughed out, but whatever, we want to have some fun, meet new people and see what to expect in competitions.

If you have 2 ECBers, look at the mods out there and do it... spend the $40 it will take to get your two ECB's performing within reason

They will never be a WSM, let alone a Primo or Egg, butt anything is better than those Char-Grillers

You might as well throw those in the garbage right now

We had a neighbor with a side box smoker, I can't remember the brand, but he claimed it to be worth $700
First off the smoke escaped everywhere, and is directional heat compared to a vertical smoker
2nd... its very ineffecient, burns tons of coal and you have to look at the temp every 20 minutes to make adjustments... you'll be neurotically up all night

Our neighbor went to bed, stocked it full... the box burned so hot that we used it as our radiatiant "heater" at night and then burned out in the middle of the cook...
Poor team ended up tied for 19th out of 21

[spikerS]

Originally posted by r3ccOs


If you have 2 ECBers, look at the mods out there and do it... spend the $40 it will take to get your two ECB's performing within reason

They will never be a WSM, let alone a Primo or Egg, butt anything is better than those Char-Grillers

You might as well throw those in the garbage right now

We had a neighbor with a side box smoker, I can't remember the brand, but he claimed it to be worth $700
First off the smoke escaped everywhere, and is directional heat compared to a vertical smoker
2nd... its very ineffecient, burns tons of coal and you have to look at the temp every 20 minutes to make adjustments... you'll be neurotically up all night

Our neighbor went to bed, stocked it full... the box burned so hot that we used it as our radiatiant "heater" at night and then burned out in the middle of the cook...
Poor team ended up tied for 19th out of 21

Lol, i know you have a hate on for the offset smokers, but I tried a few out, and had no problems keeping a steady temp, if anything it was a bit high, but i closed the damper a bit, and it settled to 275 and stayed there without touching it for almost 5 hours, so I went and bought one for myself, and have had no issues with heat. only thing i have to do is make sure i rotate the meat a bit more often.

The ECBs seem to do ok. I would still like to make a few mods to them, but lack the tools atm.

[Kloubek]

Well gee... thanks a lot Dave. It's only 11:00, and I'm starving for ribs.

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by spikers


Lol, i know you have a hate on for the offset smokers, but I tried a few out, and had no problems keeping a steady temp, if anything it was a bit high, but i closed the damper a bit, and it settled to 275 and stayed there without touching it for almost 5 hours, so I went and bought one for myself, and have had no issues with heat. only thing i have to do is make sure i rotate the meat a bit more often.

The ECBs seem to do ok. I would still like to make a few mods to them, but lack the tools atm.

Well you seem to have better luck than anyone else I know

High temp felt gasket materials are the best to seal it up, and fire bricks in the firebox helps tremendously to add to the efficiency...

But @ the end of the day, nothing better than those WSMs or Ceramic cookers

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Well gee... thanks a lot Dave. It's only 11:00, and I'm starving for ribs.

lol Go to Montana's and go for their All you can eat back ribs.. You won't want anymore for the rest of the week after leaving.