Rib Smoking Experiment


 
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Pat Trammell

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It's a little late here to get started, but.... I have been wondering what ribs might taste like smoked au natural, that is without rub, mop, sauses, marinade, etc. Does anyone have any experience with this? My feeling is that if I can determine the basic smoked flavor, I can do a better job of adding flavors for "the perfect ribs." Anyway, my curiousity has gotten the best of me and I have a charge of Minion Briquettes ready to go. I'm interested in what others might think of this, and if they have ever experienced anything similar. Thanks!
 
Well, that was a dumb idea. A noble side of slabs put on at 7:30 CST, smoked consistently at 230* up until 11:45, a nice red/pink hue, bone twisted easily, nice aroma, tastes like .......
.....cardboard. Nothing learned there, except add on those flavors, in every manner possible, quick!
 
Pat, were these spares or baby backs? Did you use salt and pepper or were they completely nekkid? Are you sure they weren't simply undercooked? Spares take me a minimum of 6 hours to get them right.

Steve
 
Hi Pat!

I too wonder if the ribs were done. My spares take 8-9 hours at 225? and my BB's take 6.

As to your experiment, I did this at a very early stage....only added salt and pepper. That gave me my baseline flavor. From there, I could appreciate the flavor imparted by a rub.

Ribs are especially impacted by a rub.....because of their thinness. Next step is to try various rubs WITHOUT saucing, then you can start to narrow in on your favorite spice combination.

To give you more bones to test, simply cut your slabs in half or even thirds...you can do this by simply adding different rubs to a full slab(making sure to mark the areas clearly), or actually cutting them into smaller peices.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm pretty sure they were done, maybe not to perfection but done. It was a small slab (1.43 lbs.) of spares, and the meat twisted off the bone well and was tender. Stogie, you are probably right, I should have salted and peppered it. In reality, it wasn't horrible, just very bland, even more so than a parboiled rib. I've saved them in the refridgerator and am going to throw them back on for about thirty minutes this afternoon, heat them up, add some sauce to see what happens. While it wasn't exactly what I hoped for, it's a learning experience and the WSM performed great. Thanks again for your feedback, and happy smoking!!!!
 
Pat....

I see your spares are MUCH smaller than the ones I normally cook....mine are usually upwards of 3 pounds per slab. Matter of fact, I have never seen a slab of spares that small. My BB's are also much bigger, weighing in at 2 1/4 lbs. per slab.

So, in light of that, I would agree they were done.

Too often I take into account MY cooking weights and meats not realizing every butcher is slightly different in how they sell ribs.
 
Pat,
I really don't know what happened but can guarantee you that ribs properly cooked 'au natural' over charcoal or wood are wonderful. I prefer the natural taste of smoked meat to that which has been smothered with rubs and sauces. If all I wanted to taste was rubs and sauces, why spend the money and effort on the meat? /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif Might be, too, that you got some ribs from Denmark that were not very good. We got 3 boxes of them that had to be given away, just couldn't make them taste and/or smell right. Give it another try, with some good quality ribs and let us know how they turn out. Good luck!
 
As a follow up, I did take the ribs the next day and smoked them for about half an hour with a light coating of sauce. They worked out very well and were some good eats. Ray, you may have been right about the quality of the ribs. After cooking 'Au natural' they seemed somewhat dry, and truth told, weren't very meaty to begin with. I will try again later, and thanks for letting me know I'm not totally off track.
 
Even the most expensive cut of steak requires salt and pepper before cooking. I wouldn't put anything in the smoker without at least these two.

Have fun experimenting,
Chris
 
Hiya Pat,

My brother and I competed against one another for years, trying to cook the "better ribs." At the time, neither of us knew anything about rubs, bastes, etc., and we turned out lots and lots of sensational ribs. We always used salt and pepper, and the occasional garlic powder. Even with the sparse seasonings, we had varied results (I guess) based on temperature, charcoal, wood, etc. That said, I think it is a good idea, once in a while, for a person to cook unenhanced meat just to see what the base product tastes like.

Also, I have never been able to predict when a slab will be done based on time alone. Seems like they have a mind of their own, and some slabs finishe early, and some take forever. My advice is to keep your eye on them.

But that's just me,

George
 
It has been a couple of years since I have cooked ribs with a mop or sauce. We found that we enjoy our meat au natural with a semi-basic dry rub. I have found that the dry rub does not change the basic flavor of smoked meat. When cooking ~8lb. of country style ribs this weekend I was thinking that it has been long enough and am considering smothering the next batch in sauce. The rub I use is mostly seasoned salt and additional spices as fits my mood.

My best experience for ribs (in sauce) is to partially cook the ribs (about 70% done) and than finish them in a crock pot, covered in sauce. The ribs are done when they fall apart. You got to love the sauce you cook them in or this will not work.

As a side note I use the cheaper ?country style? ribs. At +$4/lb I do not see a lot of spares or baby back ribs in my immediate future. Especially since they are mostly bones. The country style ribs I purchased and cooked Sunday cost ~ $1.70/lb.
 
Up to now I've always cooked my ribs "dry", i.e. without any sauce, just a dry rub. I decided to try something new (for me) this weekend, and slathered some sauce and honey on my spare ribs about a half an hour before they were done. The honey made for a beautiful shiny coat. They tasted great too. I think I'll be making more "wet" ribs in the future.
 
As a matter of personal preference I've always liked my ribs dry or with sauce on the side, but I couldn't imagine doing them without rub. IMHO, it's what you do with your rub that personalizes your 'Q' and makes it your own. Everyone's is a little different, and therein lies the fun.

That said, maybe using no rub can also be a statement of individuality.
 
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