I posted yesterday without pictures. I have now created a Photobucket account so I thought I'd re-post an edited version with pictures.
Weather: 45 degrees, rainy, breezy (It's April in Seattle!!)
Charcoal: Kingsford Competition (Costco, $17 for 2-18 lb bags). Minion method. Filled ring about 1/2 full and topped it with 5 chunks of hickory. Added about 25 heated coals from the chimney.
Water: None. Used 12" foil-wrapped terra-cotta pot base.
Ribs: Bought Costco 5 pound 3-pack pack of pork back ribs. I vacuum-sealed two and rubbed and smoked the third. The rub was a mixture of brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and paprika (and a pinch of habanero powder for just a little kick) and let the rubbed ribs sit wrapped in plastic for about 2 hours.
Pork Belly: Bought a fresh 5 lb belly from a butcher at the Pike Place Market. I cut it in half and froze the unused portion. I cured the 2.5 lb belly for 6 days using a mixture of kosher salt, nitrite salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried dark brown sugar. I rinsed the cured belly for about 10 minutes in cold water.
Smoking: Fired up the WSM with all vents wide open. Temp (per lid thermometer) reached 225 in about 45 minutes. I then closed the bottom vents to about 20% and left the top vent wide open. I had no problems maintaining about 225 degrees +/- for the entire smoke and never had to add more fuel. I cut the rib rack in half and put the two sections and the belly (skin still on) on the top rack and walked away.
I checked temp about every 20 minutes (I'm a newbie, remember?). At about 2.5 hours, I took out the belly, checked the internal temp (150 degrees), removed the skin, let it cool to room temp and put it in the freezer to harden up for slicing. At the same time the (now) bacon was removed, I added a couple more chunks of hickory to the smoker. An hour later I took out the ribs, foiled them with about 1/4 cup of apple juice and put back on the WSM for another 90 minutes. Finally, I opened the foil, brushed a layer of Sweet Baby Rays on top and smoked for the another hour. After a total of 6 hours on the smoker, the meat was pulling back from the bone and the sauce on top was just beginning to darken and caramelize. YUM!!!
Weather: 45 degrees, rainy, breezy (It's April in Seattle!!)
Charcoal: Kingsford Competition (Costco, $17 for 2-18 lb bags). Minion method. Filled ring about 1/2 full and topped it with 5 chunks of hickory. Added about 25 heated coals from the chimney.
Water: None. Used 12" foil-wrapped terra-cotta pot base.
Ribs: Bought Costco 5 pound 3-pack pack of pork back ribs. I vacuum-sealed two and rubbed and smoked the third. The rub was a mixture of brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and paprika (and a pinch of habanero powder for just a little kick) and let the rubbed ribs sit wrapped in plastic for about 2 hours.
Pork Belly: Bought a fresh 5 lb belly from a butcher at the Pike Place Market. I cut it in half and froze the unused portion. I cured the 2.5 lb belly for 6 days using a mixture of kosher salt, nitrite salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried dark brown sugar. I rinsed the cured belly for about 10 minutes in cold water.
Smoking: Fired up the WSM with all vents wide open. Temp (per lid thermometer) reached 225 in about 45 minutes. I then closed the bottom vents to about 20% and left the top vent wide open. I had no problems maintaining about 225 degrees +/- for the entire smoke and never had to add more fuel. I cut the rib rack in half and put the two sections and the belly (skin still on) on the top rack and walked away.
I checked temp about every 20 minutes (I'm a newbie, remember?). At about 2.5 hours, I took out the belly, checked the internal temp (150 degrees), removed the skin, let it cool to room temp and put it in the freezer to harden up for slicing. At the same time the (now) bacon was removed, I added a couple more chunks of hickory to the smoker. An hour later I took out the ribs, foiled them with about 1/4 cup of apple juice and put back on the WSM for another 90 minutes. Finally, I opened the foil, brushed a layer of Sweet Baby Rays on top and smoked for the another hour. After a total of 6 hours on the smoker, the meat was pulling back from the bone and the sauce on top was just beginning to darken and caramelize. YUM!!!
Last edited:
