1st Smoke Baby Backs...Smoke Complete!
- Thread starter M Beutler
- Start date
Richard Diaz
TVWBB Pro
Very nicely done, your off to a great start!
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Bravo. Good that you enjoyed the cook and the results.
Adding a little to Mark's post: Me, I find commercial back ribs not fatty enough (so I only rarely cook them). As he notes, if you want less fat you can trim up front.
I use 1/4 of the wood you used. I dislike fist-sized chunks. From that size I hatchet them into 5-6 pieces per chunk, then I use about 8 or 9 of those, strewn on top of the unlit. It would total around a chunk and a half. Try much less, try smaller pieces if you wish. You'll find what you like.
For the best shot at a smokering do not allow your ribs to warm on the counter. Remove them from the fridge and rub just before smoking. (What I do is make ALL rubs without salt. Here is an example. I salt the ribs first, separately (or any meat I am doing), then go out to light the coals for a Minion start. Then I make a rub. When that's done, a few minutes later, the salt will have drawn moisture to the surface. I apply the rub over that. Salting separately means I can salt as much or as little as I like, and can rub as much as I like. One does not affect the other.)
Smokerings are indeed a chemical reaction that occurs on the surface and can extend into the meat. It has nothing to do with smoke 'absorption', as one often reads (smoke doesn't really absorb, it sticks to the meat).
I cook at substantially higher heat (325-375). You can try various approaches and see what works for you. I foil half the time, with juice concentrates, usually a blend, sometimes adding a stock reduction. Still, I do not have fall-off-the-bone results, which I would not like. It's all about time in the foil, if foiling. Foiling does not automatically mean mushy texture at all, as one sometimes reads, nor fall-off-the-bone.
Carry on, do some experimenting, and enjoy your cooks.
Adding a little to Mark's post: Me, I find commercial back ribs not fatty enough (so I only rarely cook them). As he notes, if you want less fat you can trim up front.
I use 1/4 of the wood you used. I dislike fist-sized chunks. From that size I hatchet them into 5-6 pieces per chunk, then I use about 8 or 9 of those, strewn on top of the unlit. It would total around a chunk and a half. Try much less, try smaller pieces if you wish. You'll find what you like.
For the best shot at a smokering do not allow your ribs to warm on the counter. Remove them from the fridge and rub just before smoking. (What I do is make ALL rubs without salt. Here is an example. I salt the ribs first, separately (or any meat I am doing), then go out to light the coals for a Minion start. Then I make a rub. When that's done, a few minutes later, the salt will have drawn moisture to the surface. I apply the rub over that. Salting separately means I can salt as much or as little as I like, and can rub as much as I like. One does not affect the other.)
Smokerings are indeed a chemical reaction that occurs on the surface and can extend into the meat. It has nothing to do with smoke 'absorption', as one often reads (smoke doesn't really absorb, it sticks to the meat).
I cook at substantially higher heat (325-375). You can try various approaches and see what works for you. I foil half the time, with juice concentrates, usually a blend, sometimes adding a stock reduction. Still, I do not have fall-off-the-bone results, which I would not like. It's all about time in the foil, if foiling. Foiling does not automatically mean mushy texture at all, as one sometimes reads, nor fall-off-the-bone.
Carry on, do some experimenting, and enjoy your cooks.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rich G:
Put all the data in an excel spreadsheet and start charting it and you can be a bbq geek like me!
Make sure you are having fun with it, too!
R </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That transfer was already in progress. I am definitely a record keeping geek!
Put all the data in an excel spreadsheet and start charting it and you can be a bbq geek like me!
Make sure you are having fun with it, too!
R </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That transfer was already in progress. I am definitely a record keeping geek!
Derek Stapleton
TVWBB Super Fan
Congrats on the first cook! Looks and sounds like a great time. Have fun and enjoy!