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goEMAW.com bbq, smoking, grilling, etc. thread!
nicname:
I've decided to embark on what, for me, are uncharted waters. I grill a lot. Steaks, chicken, burgers, sausage, fish, veggies, etc. all the basic stuff. I've recently wanted to try to expand my horizon into the realm of smoking and figured a slab or two of ribs would be a good way to get my feet wet.
I'll be using a Weber performer, which is basically just a 22.5 inch kettle attached to a table with some fancy gadgets thrown in for good measure. I've decided to make everything from scratch, and while pricier than going store-bought, seems more fun and more in the spirit of good bbq.
I started by soaking the ribs in some apple cider for about 2 hours, rotating the ribs as to submerge each portion in the cider for a good amount of time. While that was going on I smoked some salt (for the rub) and made the bbq sauce. I won't cook them until tomorrow.
Both my rub and my sauce are courtesy of Steven Raichlen -- BBQ guru who can be seen all the time on PBS.
The rub consists of
2/3 c - light brown sugar
2/3 c - sugar
1/2 c - paprika
1/4 c - seasoned salt (I used lawry's)
1/4 c - smoked salt (I smoked my own kosher salt using applewood chips which I will also use to smoke the meat)
1/4 c - onion salt
1/4 c - celery salt
2 T - fresh ground black pepper
2 T - chili chowder
2 t - mustard chowder
1 t - poultry seasoning
1 t - ground ginger
1/2 t - cayenne pepper
I followed this recipe pretty much to a T outside of eyeballing a couple of the ingredients.
For the sauce I went with an apple based sauce which Raichlen either copied or cloned from B.B.'s Lawnside in KC. The recipe is as follows.
1 14 oz. bottle of Ketchup
1 c - apple cider (I couldn't find any cider so I used "Simply Apple" apple juice and stirred in some of a cider drink packet to taste)
2 T - worcestershire sauce
1 T - Molasses
1 T - Cider vinegar
1 T - Soy Sauce
1/2 t - Liquid smoke
1 1/2 T - Dark Brown Sugar
1 t - Sugar
1 t - cayenne pepper (I actually used probably 1.5 to 2 t as the recipe didn't have enough kick for my taste)
1/2 t - fresh ground black pepper
1/2 t - celery seed
1/2 t - ground cinnamon
1/8 t - ground cloves
I also threw in some chili chowder to give a bit more of a full-bodied flavor.
So Question 1: Should I rub the ribs tonight or wait until tomorrow morning?
I'm guessing that rubbing them tonight will allow the spices and flavors to permeate the rib meat to a greater extent than waiting until morning. But I question what to do as I definitely don't want to little or too much saturation. My gut tells me to just wait until morning and then wait another couple hours before cooking.
Question 2: Should I go full conversion to a smoker or just grill the ribs indirectly? What are the pros and cons of each?
My thinking is that I want to do the full conversion. This will take 5-6 hours as opposed to grilling indirectly which will only take 2-3. My only qualm is the fear of too much smoke permeating the ribs if I smoke for 5-6 hours. My plan is to fashion one of these http://smokenator.com/Store/c/2/smokenator-1000
out of a 17 x 11 cookie sheet, and smoking the ribs at 210-230 for 5-6 hours. I will use a drip pan and try to keep constant steam in the grill to keep the ribs from drying out. I'll paint some of the bbq sauce on near the end and finish the ribs for 15-20 more minutes.
If I can't get the smokenator thing to work right, or I screw up making it I will use the method outlined here --> http://www.bbqrevolution.com/weber-kettle-cooking-smoked-spare-ribs/
Question 3: Will it be necessary to spray or mop the ribs to keep them from drying out? If it is I just planned on spraying the ribs with some of the cider every so often.
Question 3:
Cire:
1. Night before, will draW out water which helps flavor and bark.
2. I know competition guys that swear all you need is a grill, I've had ribs like that they were some of the best I've had. It its hard to do though and really the number ouof racks you can do. For the money and quality I would seriously consider a Weber smokey mountain, or the do it yourself version. The amount of smoke is related to the amount of wood and type. Meat will only take in smoke for the first 1.5_ 2 hours, it's based on the doneness of the meat. as soon as the meat had developed the first crust make sure to not add any more wood. I always load my fire box with enough wills chunks early on and I don't really add any more. I also have had my smoker for 4 years and know how it is going to burn. Don't eff with chips, get a bag of fist sized chunks. Cherry, hickory, pecan, oak, apple. I like apple and hickory, cherry is also good if you don't over do it. I use three Apple for every hickory.
3. I spray apple juice or if you have an actual brush, mop it with the liquid mixed the rub you used. If your heat is low enough 225 isu, it's hard to dry out spares.
Cire:
Also looking at your rub again and with all that sugar you don't want it near a fire.
scottwildcat:
Listen to Cire
Dr Rick Daris:
i'd probably listen to cire or clams. they both know a lot about smoking. i don't, but i do have a super easy way to make pretty decent ribs every time.
1)go here and buy this
http://www.rudysbbq.com/store/p-15-rudys-rub.aspx
2)peel the back membrane off the ribs the night before. coat lightly with mustard. apply the rub.
3)the next day, set/get smoker to 225. put in wood. i use hickory.
4)put in ribs. set timer for three hours. then take ribs out when timer goes off.
5)wrap ribs in foil with a little bit of apple juice. put back on. set timer for two hours then take ribs out when timer goes off.
6)take ribs out of foil. put back in smoker. set timer for one hour then take ribs out when timer goes off.
7)take ribs out. let sit for ten minutes. cut and eat.
*if you are doing the ribs at home and need to take them somewhere (friends house/fball stadium/etc.) then you can wrap them back up in foil, wrap the foil in some old towels and throw in a cooler. they'll keep just fine for 2-3 hours.
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