First crack at smoking ribs
I've been an avid griller for about a decade. I'm pretty dang good at grilling anything from steaks to fish. But it's been nagging at me that I don't know how to smoke anything. I think I'm finally this weekend going to make use of the firebox on my grill and try a rack of ribs. I bought a bag of Mesquite logs today, think I may need to cut them down a little to fit my little fire box. Any pitmasters out there have any tips for me? Any tips on building and maintaining a good fire, seasoning, cook time, temp would all be appreciated. Wrap or no? Foil? Butcher paper? Trying to formulate a game plan for my first rack of ribs. I actually have a little work to do on my grill this week to get it ready. It got blown over during a strong thunderstorm last spring and I need to hammer some metal back in to place, maybe even cinch up with some self-tappers to get the seam tight. I might even put a fresh coat of high temp paint on it if I'm feeling good about my work.
Comments
If your having problems keeping steady heat use a fan on your fire box.
Ribs are good too.
All I caught was "crack smoking" and expected a reseller rant
Ribs are good too.
I honestly thought the exact same thing at first glance.
Ribs really are good.
Since mesquite is powerful enough you can grill them and still get a nice smoky flavor, I'd usually I throw a mesquite log in the fire and when the smoke comes I set my meat to cook via indirect grilling while keeping the lid closed, you'll get tons of smoke and since you put in the meat cold the smoke will stick to it nicely, try it if you got the chance.
Originally posted by: bubbapauls
Don't forget to rip off the membrane on your ribs.
You could also score the membrane with a knife and leave it on. Some people like it with, some without.
What type of grill do you got? To do them "low & slow" you'll need a smoker or a grill with a lid that closes tightly because you'll need total control over the air inflow in order to maintain the temperature low enough.
Since mesquite is powerful enough you can grill them and still get a nice smoky flavor, I'd usually I throw a mesquite log in the fire and when the smoke comes I set my meat to cook via indirect grilling while keeping the lid closed, you'll get tons of smoke and since you put in the meat cold the smoke will stick to it nicely, try it if you got the chance.
What I have is a pretty standard off-set I bought from Home Depot. The firebox has a damper as well as a door on the side, large door on top like a typical grill, then the grill part is normal with large door and smoke stack at the end.
You live in Texas, man, the hell are you asking a bunch of Yankees fer'?
Ha ha! Southerners like to talk shit, but I know you guys know how to smoke stuff too.
Check out www.amazingribs.com for advice on smoking, bbq'ing, techniques, recipes, equipment, etc. I stumbled across this site a couple years ago and it is now my go to for literally anything bbq related. The guy who runs it has published a few books and is extremely knowledgeable. He reviews equipment like bbq's, smokers, thermometers, etc. He has awesome recipes on there for meat, rubs, sauces, etc. that give all info needed. I have followed and made his "Last Meal Ribs" recipe a few times and they turn out fantastic. I can't say enough good things about the site. Just remember, if you boil your ribs, the communists win. LOL.
Hey Duke,
Check out www.amazingribs.com... for advice on smoking, bbq'ing, techniques, recipes, equipment, etc. I stumbled across this site a couple years ago and it is now my go to for literally anything bbq related. The guy who runs it has published a few books and is extremely knowledgeable. He reviews equipment like bbq's, smokers, thermometers, etc. He has awesome recipes on there for meat, rubs, sauces, etc. that give all info needed. I have followed and made his "Last Meal Ribs" recipe a few times and they turn out fantastic. I can't say enough good things about the site. Just remember, if you boil your ribs, the communists win. LOL.
Thanks I'm going to bookmark it now.
All I caught was "crack smoking" and expected a reseller rant
Ribs are good too.
This.
It's 4am, I'm sipping coffee, and thought for sure someone on NA had finally been driven to do crack
Good job, OP! Ribs/BBQ rules.
1. Remove the membrane from the back.
2. Slather ribs in Extra Virgin Olive Oil or mustard. I like to put mustard on the bottom of mine.
3. Dry Rub your ribs with a low-sugar rub. Don't actually rub, sprinkle and pat until the rib is entirely covered in rub. Tip, rubs with paprika give the ribs an awesome color like you see at competitions.
4. Smoke for 2 hours at 225-250. To keep ribs moist, spray the ribs with an apple juice mix (I use apple juice, Worcestershire Sause, and some of my rub) every 30 minutes. Use water or juice in your drip pan as well.
5. After 2 hours of smoking, prepare the foil for your wrap. This will be what tenderizes the ribs. Also, this is where you stop smoking the ribs. So, no more wood.
6. In the foil wrap before adding the ribs, I use butter (i like the squeeze bottle Parkay), a nice layer of brown sugar, honey, a little more rub (not a lot), and a little apple juice. Some people will add a pepper sauce here as well, such as Tiger Sauce.
7. Put the ribs in the foil Meat-side down so that the meat lays in the wonderful mix you just made.
8. At this point, I add another layer of mustard to the bone side and a small dash of some rub.
9. Wrap foil tightly so that no juices spill out. Some people will double wrap. Put the ribs back on the grill with the meat side down for 2 more hours at 225-250.
10. Around the 2 hour mark, check your ribs for doneness. The bones should now be sticking out at least 1/4" and when you tug on a bone, it should almost pull out. If it slides out super easy, you have gone too far. If the bones aren't out, you need to put them back on for 5-10 minutes. This is a trick spot as you have a short window to get the ribs out of the wrap.
11. At the point, the ribs are technically done. But, they will be a bit mushy, so you need to firm them up and work on building a crust.
12. At 225-250, take the ribs out of the foil and put them back on the grill bone side down for about an hour. No Smoke, just cooking at this point.
13. No, this is where you get to experiment a bit. People differ a lot when if comes to Saucing the ribs. I like to put a small layer on at the 30 minute mark and do that 2 more times every 10 minutes. Others will wait until about 5 minutes to add sauce. Others add sauce right when they pull the ribs out of the foil and then sauce again at the end. Everyone has their own "trick", but its up to you to find that nice balance of saucing that pairs well with your rub.
That's it, that will get you pretty decent rack of ribs that should be a hit. From here, you will constantly research and experiment at different points in the process to achieve a taste that you love. For example, when I make Carolina ribs, I use some vinegar in different parts and no to little sugars. KC BBQ ribs, I use a bit more brown sugar in the wrap and a nice thick layer of BBQ sauce at the end to make them nice and messy. Just have fun and experiment! Good luck, cooking ribs is one of my favorite meats! Although, after grilling a Turkey for the first time this year for Thanksgiving, that was a close second.
First rack ribs turned out well. I'd give myself a C+. They were tender but didn't fall off the bone. I think I didn't keep my fire hot enough. It was mostly 250 but there were times when it dropped to about 220. I think I've got keeping a good fire mostly figured out now. In spite of the help I got here I never took the time to come up with a plan for a rub. Ribs were sold out yesterday at 2 stores when I went to buy them and could only find frozen when I went to the store around noon today. So I put them in warm water to defrost and got a fire started. The ribs defrosted really quickly, less than 30 min., so I got in a rush and got the fire rolling and realized I didn't have a clue what I was going to use as a rub. In a rush I used some pork rub, salt, pepper, and sugar and put that on the ribs and got them in the smoker. I used more of the rub in some beer to use to mop the ribs. Smoked them from about 1:30 to 6:30. Everybody liked them. I learned a lot and now I think I can improve quite a bit.
You over-smoked them and dried them out. Only smoke for the first 2 hours. Check out my advice in the above post. That is pretty much the blue print to all professional rib cookers. I just do my best not to screw it up. For the record, I use a 22 inch Weber Kettle grill. I put my coals on one side and a drip pan on the other side and grill over the pan on indirect heat.
Also, avoid sugary rubs at the start as sugar will char and give your ribs a slight burnt taste.
Hey Duke,
Check out www.amazingribs.com... for advice on smoking, bbq'ing, techniques, recipes, equipment, etc. I stumbled across this site a couple years ago and it is now my go to for literally anything bbq related. The guy who runs it has published a few books and is extremely knowledgeable. He reviews equipment like bbq's, smokers, thermometers, etc. He has awesome recipes on there for meat, rubs, sauces, etc. that give all info needed. I have followed and made his "Last Meal Ribs" recipe a few times and they turn out fantastic. I can't say enough good things about the site. Just remember, if you boil your ribs, the communists win. LOL.
I'm going to have to second that, Amazingribs.com is the bible for anything grilling/barbecueing. Meathead Goldwyn, the guy running the site, just published a book last Summer, check it out on Amazon. I've improved my backyard cooking so much with this website that I am always disappointed when I go out for a steak or ribs.
I smoke on a Kamado Joe so I cannot give you much advice on the process using your smoker, however, for pork ribs I would strongly recommend that you get something lighter than mesquite. Try with hickory or apple wood. Don't overcook the ribs, they shouldn't "fall off the bone" they should stick in one piece but detach from the bone. Don't rub barbecue sauce until the very end, I actually do it once I remove the ribs from the grill and put them in foil for 15-20 minutes, I still get a decent glaze.
Smokers will make a big difference on how long it will take, as well as the cut of meat. Back ribs are my favourite and are done in 4-5 hours on my Kamado grill; spare ribs took 12 hours on my old propane vertical smoker... so do some tests wiht your equipment before you throw a party.
Now for my rub I do something very simple and I always get very positive comments. I get dry mustard powder, add some salt (not too much) and pepper, and a bit of cayenne. That's it, nothing else. For the sauce I've tried making my own but now I stick to a brand called Diana's, using their chicken & ribs sauce (sweet and tomato-based, I guess it would be "Kansas-style" sauce), but I add dijon mustard. I use the same sauce for my chicken wings.