First cook BRITU: some changes to try next time

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I did an adaptation of BRITU. Followed the recipe except omitetd onion powder (didn't have any) and added a bit more garlic in it's place, used apple wood instead of cherry, used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey sauce instead of KC sauce + honey.

Pretty darn good although after having "perfected" ribs on the gas grill my standards are high already.

A few things I'll experiment with in following rounds either one at a time or in combinations:
- sear on hot grill first then smoke slow and low on WSM, possibly a lower and longer smoking
- rub raw ribs with fresh crushed garlic first
- bit less salt
- add mustard powder to rub
- more smoke
- add hickory, or maybe all hickory
- less rub
- brush sauce before last 15-30 minutes of cook and let it just barely start to carmelize

I think some sort of combination of the above as a variation of BRITU would be really great. However, now that I have the first smoke under my belt I'll eventually do BRITU 100% by the book to be fair. All in all I'm very pleased with the WSM, thing runs like it's on auto pilot.
 
Jason,

Yep, BRITU are pretty darn good, aren't they. I've been cooking eight racks every Saturday for the past 10 weeks. My brother-out-law is crazy about them so I cook enough for his and my family.

Like you, I've adapted the recipe and method slightly, depending on ingredients on hand. I substitute the 4 tsp chili powder with 2 of chili powder and 2 of Hungarian smoked paprika. I find this makes for less heat, which means the kids can enjoy them. I omit the MSG altogether.

I've also used applewood chips when I've been out of hickory but find hickory does give the best result. The range of smoke wood in Australia is extremely difficult, and importing them from US is prohibitively expensive.

I've also found the ribs are best when they've been on for around 7 hours. I discovered this by accident when I left a couple of racks in smokey while we ate dinner. After, I pulled them off, to save for the following day, but tasted one rib and found the outside was caramelised and hard, protecting melt-in-your-mouth pink smokey meat inside. I couldn' help myself and polished off a whole rack! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Jack
 
Jason-

Just a thought on your changes for next time - I have read that once the outside of the meat reaches a certain temperature, the meat will no longer be able to absorb smoke. Therefore, it seems like if you sear the ribs first, they would lose their ability to absorb the smoky flavors. Just a thought...

Rick
 
Rick....

That is not quite correct. Meat will absorb smoke for as long as you apply smoke. Many misinterpret this.

What stops at around 120? - 140? is the formation of the smoke ring. A completely different thing. It is a chemical reaction that has a start and an end.

Just wanted to clarify as I see this posted all over the 'net.
 
Jason,

Just a tip based on my own experience....

Give the ribs a "dusting" of rub. Leave the rub on for 2 hours or less.

As I learned, doing otherwise will tend to yield the ham-on-the-stick phenomena. Where, the salt in the rub begins to cure the meat.

Good luck Jason.

-Albert
 
After cooking many racks in the gas grill over 5 years I've found family and friends agree they turn out the best when seared first. I don't bean a hardcore sear like you'd do with a steak, but at least some searing that makes the surface a bit crispy. Not sure why, maybe it's just the visual, maybe it helps hold in juices better, maybe it's the light crunch on the outside. Regardless I'll give it a shot on WSM.

I had a thought last night before bed which was to put the ribs on almost immediately after assembling the WSM and before letting it come down in tempertature. This would have 2 benefits: first it would shorten the process by about an hour, also it's a way to give the ribs a blast of heat before they smoke. I'll definitely be trying this the next batch.

Someone said a light dusting of rub only? Agreed, mine were too heavily dusted and even though only allowed to cure 1 hour they were a bit hammy. Definitely will change that next time, also a bit more brown sugar.
 
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