What's in your smoker?

[ucla695]

Originally Posted by Mr B

After the Rub of Love.






Just before F.T.C.

[tupacboy]

rib recipe question... i've been to places where the ribs aren't sticky at all but still juicy... how do they do it?

[Fordman4ever]

Here's what i'm working on right now, been about 3 hours. only 5 more to go.

[OLS]

ribs are served "Wet" or "Dry", the sticky you described being the wet. When ribs are properly cooked, i.e.
like Brad does it, , they are tender no matter what the exterior looks like. Granted, there can be some
tough bark on the outside, depending on the grain of the meat and the length of the strands, but underneath
it should be super tender, due to the low and slow method of cooking them. And whether it is dry and
crystally and oily (dry-rub), or sticky and shiny wet (sauce), that outer layer of meat is the same.
But to call it tough is likely a bad choice of words on my part. The BBQ sauce making it wet doesn't make
it tender, that's all in the cooking no matter what's on the outer layer.
----------
Recipes??/ We ain't got no stinkin' Recipes! I take a rack of ribs, peel the back membrane off with the aid
of a dry paper towel, shake on my 'rub' mixture, and place all my coals on the right-hand third of my grill
and the ribs on the left 2/3s and cook em at 225 with smoke for 2 hours and then another hour and a half
with just low 225 degree heat and they are done. I just throw a few thick bits of oak or pecan on top of
the coals and close the lid. That makes smoke and eventually turns into coals, after about an hour I
replace the wood chunks then let it go on for the rest of the time like that, providing I hold my heat
properly. And what I have found funny is I was ALWAYS a dry rub guy, I can dip it in sauce later if I want.
But since I got some of that Sweet Baby Rays, I am all wet now. Same enjoyment.

[Mr B]

Lookin Good Earl!

[OLS]

ah-drewl-ah !

[Fordman4ever]

6.5 hours in the smoker.......................getting closer!!

[Mr B]

Nice lookin' bark Earl.

[Fordman4ever]

Just pulled the Butt off the smoker, once it has had time to rest I will post more pictures.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by tupacboy

rib recipe question... i've been to places where the ribs aren't sticky at all but still juicy... how do they do it?

Probably dry rub. Not bbq sauce. If commercial joints, unless they have a pit, it's probable they "bake" the ribs in an electric smoker, maybe even start them enclosed in foil first, then expose to smoke after they are mostly done. That's a method used more than might be expected, especially when you get ribs from multiple cuisine regional and national chains.

I'm not saying that is bad, or produces poor food. I have tried it myself at home, and know for a fact that you can get perfectly tender, moist ribs with full smoke flavor, when the ribs actually spend only the last 30 minutes or so on the smoker! The ribs I cooked this way probably actually turned out twice as juicy as the ones I smoke on the cooker for hours!

You can look up the "Good Eats" episode where Alton Brown uses this method on ribs to get ideas. Not being anti-smoker, just presenting some alternatives. And, since these are smoked for 30-45 minutes at the end, they are still (kinda) smoker food!

[Fordman4ever]

Done, going into the crock pot till the morning.

[OLS]

Oh it is so on. I got the grill fever last weekend, smoking meat on Friday night
and Sunday afternoon. I guess in Memphis it just got nicer sooner, and for sure,
we were about the only region of the country that didn't really get it's a$$ kicked
this winter. We had 10 days of bitter cold and ice and snow, and other than that
it has just been cool and nice. Most other parts of the country got no less than
3 major storms with long lasting effects on the ground. But for lunch today I am
going to hit all the stores trolling for some good reduced meat, and I know either
pork butts or spares will be onsale at one of em. I just like being outside with a
beer and a cigar and watching the blue smoke rise.

Come to think of it, I basically smoked all winter. I remember one day there was
3 inches of snow on the ground, and I was smoking baby backs, haha.

[Domer]

Might have to fire up my smoker on Sunday. I could go for some pulled pork.

[OLS]

Calling for rain tonight and tomorrow here. I might have to hit Piggly Wiggly Sat night.
In a related story, we are losing our Piggly Wiggly, now going to be some kind of Cost
Plus 10% store. Kissing character goodbye, one icon at a time. What I see is the
economy has shoplifting so high, stores with traditionally low margins just can't survive.
It killed almost every major store and a whole mall on the side of town I work on over
the last ten years.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by OLS

Calling for rain tonight and tomorrow here. I might have to hit Piggly Wiggly Sat night.
In a related story, we are losing our Piggly Wiggly, now going to be some kind of Cost
Plus 10% store. Kissing character goodbye, one icon at a time. What I see is the
economy has shoplifting so high, stores with traditionally low margins just can't survive.
It killed almost every major store and a whole mall on the side of town I work on over
the last ten years.

I heard it was because some meddlesome do-gooder pointed out that they were overcharging on the ribs last week and made them re-tag thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Had they gotten those extra illicit profits, they might still be around.

[OLS]

Originally Posted by T.G

I heard it was because some meddlesome do-gooder pointed out that they were overcharging on the ribs last week and made them re-tag thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Had they gotten those extra illicit profits, they might still be around.

Das wass der Kroegers.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by OLS

Das wass der Kroegers.

Oops.

[OLS]

i ACTUALL...CRAP....I actually am quite popular at P.W. I made a 2 meat commercials for them about 4 years ago,
used the camera crane and everything. I have told this story before, I went to the store on a Friday early
afternoon and picked up $250-350 worth of meat and a couple bags of charcoal, some taco kits, spaghetti,
sauce, BBQ sauce, just a ton of stuff and walked out without paying a dime. Spent the weekend cooking out
and the next week editing and eating leftovers. They came out looking nice, I should post em up. I think
the only record of it I can still access is a VHS I made for my landlady whose grandson was in it eating a burger.
Everytime I go to the meat department, somebody yells, the TV man!

[T.G]

Nice.

"The TV Man!"

lol.

[Fordman4ever]

I'm glad I got the smoker out yesterday, I woke up this morning and everything was covered in about 3 inches of snow. This pork will make for a good "keep me warm" meal later today.