Today's Dinner

[bballbaby]

Ok, here's few pics of today's smoked rib dinner. 3 racks of baby back ribs, rubbed and smoked for 4 hours at 'bout 275 deg F. Pretty darn good, however, i used some store bought rubs this time to see how they stack up. After my own taste test plus my wife's, who is slowly being able to discern different flavors, we both came to the conclusion that my own rubs are better...or at least WE think so.

Anyhow, here's the pics.

That pan of water is my blend of beer, appleton rum, cider vinegar, water, a little molasses, a few shakes of paprika based rub and a whole dried jalapeno. Keeps the moisture up some the ribs don't dry out.

And them bones, well, they look like they just got in from a stay in the desert...bleached and picked clean.

 

[unfairtoast]

Wow those look amazingly tasty

 

[bballbaby]

I'm about 2 maybe 3 more tries away from Championship Quality Ribs...that would win competitions.

 

[Hendy]

Hey man, how do you mop your ribs? Do you have a "mop"? If so, where can I scare one up?

 

[Greg]

Nice looking ribs man!

 

[joshua]

Man I am stuck at work and won't be home for another 2 hours and that made me hungry.

 

[Boppa-Wasch]

I'll take 6 lbs..........

 

[jmatkins]

That is a lot better than the food I had at the airport.



:crytears::crytears::crytears::sadpace::sadpace::disappoin:disappoin:disappoin

 

[Volusianator]

Top row 4th & 5th pics to the right look absolutely freakin' amazing. OMG, I'm soooo hungry right now.

 

[oldglory]

:drool:........damn those look good

 

[WhiteLightning]

Nice looking ribs Gale. They look mighty tasty.

 

[bballbaby]

Hey man, how do you mop your ribs? Do you have a "mop"? If so, where can I scare one up?

These particular ribs didn't get mopped, (i revisited one of my first recipes to see how it stacked up) but when i use my normal recipe, which consists of my own rub and ZERO BBQ sauce, i mop. My mop sauce is this...

1 bottle of beer - I usually use a heavy hoppy beer (Sam Adams, pales ales, etc.)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 canola oil
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 TBSN worchestershire sauce
1 TBSN paprika based dry rub
1 tspn red pepper flakes - like they use at pizza joints

Method: Heat til steaming, allow to cool to room temp and use.


I usually let my ribs go for about 2 hours then i start mopping every 1/2 hour for the remaining 2-3 hours. Total cook time depends on size. 4-5 hours at about 225 if i can keep it there, or until the meat starts shrinking away from the bone. The last thing i do is mop on a generous portion of this sauce and then wrap the ribs racks individaully in foil and the mop flavor really soaks in, whcih i like because i love vinegar.

I also use this mop on beef brisket. Killer.

If i'm in a hurry (which is kind of an oxymoron when talking about smoking), i'll just take 1/2 cup ciger vinegar, 1 TBSPN brown sugar, 1 TBSPN red pepper flakes, 1/2 tspn black pepper and heat it up then mop. Not nearly as good, but effective. ANother trick to help keep the top of the ribs moist without a mop sauce is to rub them with mustard and then put on your dry rub. You never taste the mustard in the end, but it keep the ribs super moist. I've only done this once because i like the mop sauce flavor. Plus having to put it on every 1/2 hour means you gotta keep opening up that smoker and seeing and smelling those ribs. Whets your whistle.

When it comes to hunks of meat, i always wrap them in foil for about an hour after they're done. Beef brisket then goes into an empty cooler for about 3 hours.

OH, i could go on and on about my "secrets" to good smoked BBQ. Feel free to ask me anything. I've been doing enough of this stuff to get pretty decent at it.

 

[sogon]

DUDE! your killin me, those look way too good, I need to get a smoker.

 

[bballbaby]

it'll change your life...

 

[smokinghole]

Ever heard of the Big Green Egg? I have a friend with one back in PA and he swears by it.

 

[bballbaby]

Ever heard of the Big Green Egg? I have a friend with one back in PA and he swears by it.

Yeah, i've heard of it. Thought about buying one for about 2 seconds, then realized i couldn't bring myself to show it to anyone. j/k actually, good bbq is more about technique than it is what you cook it in. if you nkow how to use your smoker, then that's what's going to count in the long run. I doubt if i could go use someone else's or a different kind of smoker with the same results i get from mine.

I use a gas fired smoker, where the heat is genertated from a gas flame, the smoke comes from wood chips that are put in a cast iron vessel and the necessary moisture comes from a water pan. I doubt very seriously that i could jump right over to a "real" wood fired smoker and get the same results. With mnie, i know without looking when the wood chips need replaced. I know how mnay times i can put new chips in before the meat gets too much smoke and becomes acrid. i know how much water i need in my pan and i know the difference of how long it will take for three racks of ribs as opposed to 6 racks, a brisket and pork shoulder, whcih is about as much as i can do at once. And i know the difference of how my smoker acts in the winter vs the summer.

I wouldn't know all that stuff with another kind of smoker. It'd take some experimenting and starting all over, whcih i'm about to do...a friend is helping me recondition a traditional wood-fired smoker. I'll post pics when it's done.