Brian Johnson
TVWBB Pro
After much debate, I finally decided to try my hand at a rack of pork this past year. So at the last minute went to Costco and picked up a 7 lb. rack (side note, I must have been really motivated if I dragged 3 kids across town to go to Costco, on a Saturday). The cook was dead simple and was a total success. Definitely something I'll have to do again. Maybe it'll become our go-to Easter meal... who knows?
So I did a little trimming of excess fat and silver skin then rubbed the rack down with a little olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic and chili powder (though I could have either skipped or gone heavier with the chili powder as it didn't really provide and distinctive addition to the flavor profile. I set up my 22" OTG for an indirect cook, and once it got to about 380 °F (I was aiming for 300 °F but over shot it cause I got a little too excited using my torch to light my fire...lol), I put the meat on and added a chunk of apple wood. After snapping a few pics and adjusting my grate level temperature probe, I buttoned it up and let the magic happen. Knowing how forgiving pork can be I didn't stress too much about the pit temp once the meat got on, just made sure there was adequate air flow so as not to over smoke anything. For what it's worth, the pit temp did stabilize around 320 - 340 °F though.
Like I said, it was a dead simple cook. Once the internal temp reached 90 °F, I opened all the vents wide until removing the meat at 140 °F internal. Well, that was my goal, but was a little distracted when my alarm alerted me, then after opening the pit and taking pictures by the time I got the roast off it had reached 145 °F. I let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes while getting the rest of the meal finished and the table was set. Then we all sat down to eat a glorious meal.
Enough talk, I know what you're really here for. . .
So I did a little trimming of excess fat and silver skin then rubbed the rack down with a little olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic and chili powder (though I could have either skipped or gone heavier with the chili powder as it didn't really provide and distinctive addition to the flavor profile. I set up my 22" OTG for an indirect cook, and once it got to about 380 °F (I was aiming for 300 °F but over shot it cause I got a little too excited using my torch to light my fire...lol), I put the meat on and added a chunk of apple wood. After snapping a few pics and adjusting my grate level temperature probe, I buttoned it up and let the magic happen. Knowing how forgiving pork can be I didn't stress too much about the pit temp once the meat got on, just made sure there was adequate air flow so as not to over smoke anything. For what it's worth, the pit temp did stabilize around 320 - 340 °F though.
Like I said, it was a dead simple cook. Once the internal temp reached 90 °F, I opened all the vents wide until removing the meat at 140 °F internal. Well, that was my goal, but was a little distracted when my alarm alerted me, then after opening the pit and taking pictures by the time I got the roast off it had reached 145 °F. I let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes while getting the rest of the meal finished and the table was set. Then we all sat down to eat a glorious meal.
Enough talk, I know what you're really here for. . .
