Salt and Sauce (or saucey salt?)


 
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Jackomo

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Hi All,

I was debating on what to do for my first WSM adventure, BRITU or Mr. Brown...and have decided on BRITU, mainly because my family (not so much myself) all love ribs, and they are on sale at my favorite grocery store (back ribs $13.78/kg or $6.29/lb for all you imperialists out there) /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Thats in Canadian funds of course....which is about 40 cents a pound American I think....

Anyway...I have a couple of questions for you guys:

1. Is non-iodized salt the same as pickling salt? My choices are Kosher salt or pickling salt, which do I go with? (as everything else seems to be iodized).

2. I cannot get my hands on KC BBQ sauce. Any suggestions for a suitable replacement? Anyone ever use Diana Rib sauce instead? How'd it turn out? I know there has been a lot of discussion on "better" sauces for BRITU, but I want to stick close to the recipe for the first try..

3. Based on Chirs' posted 1/4 batch recipe, how salty are the ribs? My family all like things pretty salty, so I was thinking or using a little more rub than he shows in his picture. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being a salt lick) how salty are the ribs with the "dusting" that the recipe describes.

Anxiously awaiting a your thoughts...
 
1. Get the Kosher salt. Non-iodized salt is NOT the same as pickling salt. Pickling salt contains other things such as anti-caking agents, etc.

2. Try to find a "Kansas City style" sauce if you want. Frankly, I'm not that wild about KC Masterpiece sauce so I try different sauces. Use whatever sauce you like and can find.

3. I usually don't use the full measurement of salt called for (I cut it by a 1/4th) Its better to have to add more salt later before serving, than to have it too salty to begin with. That said, "saltiness" is a matter of taste. If your family likes salt then use the recommended amount. Also, dust your ribs with rub rather than cake your ribs with rub.
 
Thanks for the link Mike!
I picked up some pickling salt that says it is "pure, no additives, non-iodized". It is definitely coarser than regular salt. Is kosher salt of the same texture as table salt? From looking at the picture of BRITU, it seems to be, but its hard to tell.

Anyway, I'm off to pick up some back ribs for my first smoke today! I'm a little worried about the temp though, -2 deg.C and light freezing rain (which should be ending soon. Hoping for a good result....
 
I am not wild about KC Masterpiece sauce and found the BRITU to be OK (IMO). We all prefered the Sugarless Texas Sprinkle rub found on this web page on spareribs which are cheaper than back ribs (about $1.79/lb at Costco). We then have the ribs with "Bour-B-Q" sauce. The recipe can be found in The Smoke and Spice Cookbook by the Jamisons. This is what we are having tomorrow. I am also going to try cooking with a sand and water combination for the first time as well.
 
The BRITU worked out great, with the coarse no-additive pickling salt, and the Diana sauce.

One thing I noticed, it seemed that the racks with the most meat tasted hammy-er (sp?) than those that were a little smaller. Any suggestions on why this might be? WHat exactly is it about the BRITU recipie that makes it hammy? I wasn't real fond of the hammy slab I ate, but the rest were great.

Thanks for all the help. BRITU was a big hit with the family
 
Jackomo,

From everything I've read on the boards here it is the amount of salt in BRITU that causes the "hammy" taste. Several people have suggested using less salt, or a lighter dusting of rub. Also, don't apply the rub until one or two hours before putting the ribs in the smoker.

Bob
 
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