rookie question on pork


 
C

ChrisZ

New member
the plan was to start a pork butt overnight, next day add the baby ribs and pig out for dinner

i was going to start the butt on the top rack and move it to the bottom rack when i add the ribs on the top rack

also should i use a rib rack? any pro's or cons for results?

lastly whats the ideal grate temp for ribs?

any tips would be greatly appreciated
 
Hey Chris, You could start out with Butt on the bottom rack,there is not much of a difference between bottom and top rack when doing low and slow cooking, in my opinion. Then when you put the ribs on you won't have to worry about moving the Pork Butt at all. How many racks of ribs are you cooking? more than 3? is so yes, if not you don't have to, you can if you want, it wouldn't hurt. I wouldn't be too concerned with grate temp, I would go by the lid temp and try to keep it around 230-250. Hope every thing works out well.
 
thanks bill, red sox fan as well here, actually dragging my smoker down to NJ from Boston to cook at a buddies house, a bit nervous that things wont cook right

i was planning on 3 racks of ribs, but......i also have spare ribs.....so if the wives aren't looking i might load the thing up so the racks might be needed

i have done the butt once, came out good but not great

ribs have not done well, they almost got like a tough burnt skin on them......too much seasoning as well, not good at all

sounds like the bottom and top racks cook the same?

i was going to get an oven therm to monitor rack temp, just to see the difference
 
1. Rib rack pros and cons?
2. Ideal temp at grate for ribs?

1. A rib rack will give you more capacity. Rolling will also give you more capacity. Rolling changes presentation if you want to display them whole. After they are cut, they look the same.

2. Ideal temperature is in the eye of the beholder. It also depends on if the ribs are spares or baby backs.

Following the advice on this site is the best way to start, then fine tune your style after a few cooks.
 
From a fellow rookie, I've been doing the baby backs using the BRITU rub (easy does it) with apple & maple wood. Only use a couple of medium pieces of wood each and be sure to get them in there just before the ribs go on.

Keep the temps between 225-250 and start the tear test at 4.5 hours. I'm convinced that temperature control is a big part of it.

I've also been rolling them and using two bamboo skewers per rack making sure the ends don't touch. The other thing is to let them rest a few minutes (covered) goes a long way toward tenderness.

Russ
 
Chris,
I did the same kind of cook a couple weeks ago and here is what I did that worked fairly well.

Started the butt the night before estimating about 1.5-2hrs per pound. I kept the temps about 225 off the lid (didn't have my et73 at the time)
At about 9am the butt was at 185 so I pulled it and wrapped in HD foil and tossed it in a pre-warmed cooler with towels to rest) As I pulled off the butt I replenished the coals and tossed on the 4 spare racks with a rib rack on top) About an hour before the ribs were finished I pulled the butt which was about 165 internal if I remember correct and kept it wrapped in HD foil. The BBQ ws at 2 and all in all the food finished at a good time.

Lessons learned from how I did it:
1) I would have started the ribs on the bottom rack while the butt finished its last hour because I don't think I gave the ribs enough time to be perfect (they were still pretty good) Starting them earlier woudl have let them finish at the same time, but with more time in the smoker. I would have started them on the bottom rack just to make it easier taking the butt off and then moved them to the top after taking the butt off.

2) After/while pulling the butt, SAVE THE JUICE that ran off while it was resting. I wasn't thinking and did not save it. It would have been nice to pour some of the juice over top the pork after pulled and mix it back in.

3) Carlonia red sauce was a hit for the pulled pork but I added extra ketchup, a bunch of brown sugar, and a bit of Worcester sauce to tone down the vinegar taste just a little.

Oh and with the extra coal after the ribs I tossed on 3 fatty's which were also a huge hit.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ChrisZ:
thanks bill, red sox fan as well here,
i was going to get an oven therm to monitor rack temp, just to see the difference </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Chris, all I use for them, is a weber temp probe through the top vent hole, I believe the difference in temp between both racks and lid is only about 10-20 degrees. I am not absolutely positive though. For the ribs I usually cook for about 3 hours @ 250 and foil for about 1-1.5 hours, I take the juice from the foil and baste for about a half hour, they come perfect every time. I am sure you will do a great job. GO SOX!!!!!!
 
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