OK, so this was my best rib cook ever, for a few reasons. 1) Temps were dialed in and didn't budge - best temp control I've had on the Performer yet by far. And this was the first time that I didn't over smoke or over cook (well, just a little).
So, the "traditional" rack was just rubbed w/ some Chris Lily Championship rub, as I had it laying around. It was not sauced.
As mentioned previously, I rubbed the other rack with a mix of sesame oil, minced garlic, Chinese Five spice, dried ginger and red pepper flakes. I sauced with a combo of honey, hoisin sauce and this:
Here's what she looked like before a 45 minute soak in the fridge:
Temps started a little low, but after about 20 minutes, I had the Performer dialed in at 350 and it stayed there for the entire cook. Ribs took just over two hours - a personal record for spares. I used the charcoal baskets in the Performer with about 8 lit in each basket and a little cold water in the drip pan. One chunk of hickory and one chunk of black cherry.
Here we are, just before I took the trimmings off the grill:
So, the traditional ribs were pulled, at which time I took the rib rack out and laid the other rack of ribs flat to sauce. Here's the first rack:
As I mentioned, at this point, I sauced the other rack with the honey/hoisin/Ponzu combo. I sauced twice over about a 25 minute period. Here are the results:
All in all, I really enjoyed both ribs, but the asian style was really good (and for some reason, paired pretty nicely with a dark and stormy). I do wish that I had thought about that paste this morning or even last night. The flavors were all there, but were a little subdued. Didn't cook them quite perfectly, but I was pretty darn close to my definition of perfection. I'll definitely do this style again, but will soak a little longer before cooking.
