A weekend of rib experimentation


 
G

Glenn M

TVWBB Member
This is my second weekend with the bullet so I figured I'd try some ribs out.

Saturday I got everything together and proceeded to make my own rub consisting of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne and chili powder. Got the ribs all prepped up and lit the chimney with a full load then added some unlit ones to the grate. Wood was mesquite and cherry soaked overnight.

The WSM ran at a constant 250* with 25% on all three vents. The ribs passed the tear test in 4.5 hours.

Verdict: Too salty which I couldn't overlook so while they are still edible I was looking for something more.

Come Sunday I'm a bit disappointed in myself so I give it another go. The ribs came in a cryo bag with two full racks so it looks like a pork heavy week for our hero.

This time I make the same rub as before only using much less salt for one of the racks and the same rub but with some light brown sugar as well. Wood was the same as before but only soaked for an hour or so.

It was a nice day, about 70* and no wind to speak of but for the life of me I couldn't get the WSM above 225*. This is with full open vents and the same lighting method as the day before. After 6 hours the ribs still weren't at the tear test stage but they were close so I took them off, wrapped in foil, stuck in a cooler for a half hour.

Verdict: While I would have prefered them to come off the bone cleaner the taste was much better than Saturday's attempt. I don't think I used enough sugar to make a huge impact but did notice that I preferred the slight sweetness.

I'm still trying to figure out the temperature bit though. The only difference I can come up with is that I lit the chimney with the same bag of charcoal on day 2 that I used on day 1 but the extra unlit that I added was the new Kingsford. Hmmmm.

Also, although the ashes aren't covering any of the vents I do have some build up from the previous cooks. Does this affect performance and should I empty these out before each session?

Oh yeah, I've now got three racks to eat, whew.
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Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Glenn M:
Got the ribs all prepped up and lit the chimney with a full load then added some unlit ones to the grate. Wood was mesquite and cherry soaked overnight. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Glen,
Hi, and welcome!
On soaking your wood, it's your choice, but here's some useful info.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
It was a nice day, about 70* and no wind to speak of but for the life of me I couldn't get the WSM above 225*.
[snip]
I'm still trying to figure out the temperature bit though.
[snip]
Also, although the ashes aren't covering any of the vents I do have some build up from the previous cooks. Does this affect performance and should I empty these out before each session? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you're talking about the crud that builds up on the inside of the lower section, that shouldn't affect performance unless it's really bad.
If you're saying you didn't empty the ashes from the lower section after your last cook, then that may very well be the cause of your low temps. It has to do with air flow to the charcoal.
Lots of good info here.
Good luck!

--
Charles

You might be a redneck if...
You’ve ever practiced changing tires at a junkyard.
 
As habit I always start with the WSM cleaned out from it's last cook.

I think Charles might be right that you may have choked down the fire if your ash build up was substantial. And chunks really don't need to be soaked either. Like you, I reduce the salt considerably in all my homemade rubs....you kinda get a feel for how much salt you like/don't like.

A lot of rub recipes call for way more than my preference. We like it with bite!
 
Thanks guys,

It seems the consensus may be the ash build-up from not cleaning out the bottom from the last cooking session.

I didn't reuse the coals from the other cooks, what I've been doing is opening up the vents to 100% so that they burn away once I'm done. I guess I was just being lazy in not cleaning it out.

I like the idea that it doesn't take a lot of salt in order to add a lot of flavor. I think I'll add some herbs next time as well.

Thanks again!
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Thyme would be a good addition to your mix, imo, as would a touch of celery seed and, perhaps, the tiniest pinch of sage.

I always make my own rubs and I do not put salt in them at all. I salt the meat separately first, wait several minutes for the meat to moisten on its own (I mix the rub meanwhile, usually, or start the coals) then apply the rub over the salt. This allows me to control the salt level without having to worry about how little or how much rub I apply. Some rubs I make I dust the meat lightly, others significantly more--but the salt level stays the same. You might give that approach a shot.

Good luck on future experiments!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Kevins salt first technique </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

We'll have to call it the Kruger Method.
 
For rubs, I usually find a rub, like the BRITU and tweak to my liking. Someones already done most of the work. I just need to adjust and switch different spices to my liking.

When you do this, most of the rub recipes you find out there are compeditors recipes. They add extra salt to bring out the flavor. They only have a couple bites to impress a judge. A little extra salt isn't really noticed until a few bites into it.

Might have to try the salt first approach.
 
Glenn, you didn't say what proportions you used in your rub, but a general guideline is to use equal parts sugar and salt, perhaps a cup of each. The other spices will be measured in tablespoons or teaspoons, depending on how strong they are and how much you want to accent which flavors.

If you are sensitive to the taste of salt, then by all means use less.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom Hinkle:
Glenn, you didn't say what proportions you used in your rub, but a general guideline is to use equal parts sugar and salt, perhaps a cup of each. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

A Cup???
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I didn't measure (comes from my cooking days where "that looks about right" would suffice) but I can guaranty I wasn't anywhere near a cup on either the salt or sugar. I may have to make one of the recipes around here that call for that much to be used to get an idea of how much that really is.

While I wouldn't call what I put on as heavy I did think it was well coated.

I tried my 'salty' ribs again last night and yep, I was right, they were too salty. Into the trash they went. A moment of silence was observed.

I don't think I'll have another opportunity to smoke anymore before the Superbowl party as

1. I'm about sick of eating ribs every night at this point (I bought a foodsaver and bagged up the leftovers, those things are pretty cool!)
2. Deep-sea fishing next weekend (may have some fish to smoke)
3. Ron White concert the weekend after (the guy's hysterical)

I will make up a recipe of rub so I can get an idea of the true quantity that others are using. I just didn't like the idea of one spice sticking out so much.
 
Experiment and see what you like.

I use no where near that high a percentage of sugar but that's me. For pork the percentage of sugar is most rubs I make is 20-23%, lower if I factor in the salt. Since I apply salt separately I'm not figuring that in.

For beef it depends on the rub and the cut, 0-10% often, more other times--I play a lot with blends. It's a significant part of the pleasure of Q for me.
 
A cup of sugar and salt makes a LOT of rub. You can scale down. I was just making a point about the proportions.

Paul Kirk's guidelines use about a cup of each, and then the rest of the ingredients are much less.

Of course, those are just guidelines, and you have enormous flexibility in your rubs.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Experiment and see what you like.

I use no where near that high a percentage of sugar but that's me. For pork the percentage of sugar is most rubs I make is 20-23%, lower if I factor in the salt. Since I apply salt separately I'm not figuring that in.

For beef it depends on the rub and the cut, 0-10% often, more other times--I play a lot with blends. It's a significant part of the pleasure of Q for me. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm usually inclined to use more sugar on pork, less on beef. I like the pork sweeter, the beef spicier, in general.
 
Glenn, one thing that I didn't see mentioned or asked is are the ribs enhanced? If they are I wouldn't put any salt on them. Actually I will go without when it comes to ribs. I smoked some ribs my brother bought that were enhanced. They were way too salty and I think a lot tougher than untreated ribs.
 
Jeff,

No they weren't enhanced but you make a good point and one I'll look out for in the future. Thanks for adding that.
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