M Craw
TVWBB Super Fan
It's bound to happen to us all... Right? In my nearly 20 years of BBQ'ing ribs, I've never really messed up ribs like I did last weekend.
The ribs were a brand I had never bought before, but they looked amazingly good! No much fat... trimmed up... silver skin came off nicely... etc, etc...
I typically rub the ribs with plain ol' yellow mustard before putting some rub on them, but this time I tried this (kinda) sweet mustard from SBR's (it's GOOD!!!), which in hindsight might have been one of the mistakes I made that day.
Next was the rub I've been using over the past year or two of smoking ribs. It's a bit sweet, but again, I've been using this rub and I'm familiar with it.
Now we get to the 5th pic, and, um, my, uh, charcoal chimney, um, the one I had had for nearly 15 years, got a lil' hot while firing up the coals...
Needed another one of those anyway. Ok... Moving right along...
The set-up. Man, it was a beautiful day! Maybe a bit breezy, but I wasn't complaining.
Here are the ribs after about five hours of smoking. They looked great! Like mouth-watering great! I couldn't wait to slice 'em up.
And here they are after I took them off the WSM, and before covering them with foil to rest. STILL lookin' good.
So...again, I don't know what it was... This was my 2nd time in a row doing ribs without the crutch. The first time was a few weeks ago and they were some of the best ribs I've ever done (see pic)...
...but these ribs weren't tender at all, and the bottom bone-sides of the racks weren't much darker than normal - so I didn't think I over cooked them(?). Was it the sweet mustard? Was it my mop sauce this time (ACV and root beer), and a finishing baste / sauce I had never used before? Was it the breezy conditions? Was it the off-brand meat that I had never bought before? The WSM was running a bit hotter than normal, too, but nothing I thought I should be concerned with. Maybe it just wasn't my day to be the man behind the 'que? (see melted charcoal chimney pic again)
In saying all this, I ate maybe three ribs off one of the racks, and so did my daughter. She didn't think they were as bad as I was carrying on about, so maybe I'm overly critical. I wrapped the 2nd rack in foil and thought "Why am I doing this? I don't want to save these! I don't know if I want to even give these to anyone! Not even the rib hound mother-in-law" But I did wrap 'em, and I gave them to the neighbors, albeit reluctantly. They were extremely thankful as they've had my ribs numerous times, and they said they had great flavor, but were just a little too done.
So there you have it. My first "fail" rib smoke, and my first "fail" post here on the forums. I hope it was somewhat enjoyable to read, and I hope it helps someone down the road on what *not* to do.
Next up: Redemption Ribs (6/13/20)! Stay tuned.
The ribs were a brand I had never bought before, but they looked amazingly good! No much fat... trimmed up... silver skin came off nicely... etc, etc...
I typically rub the ribs with plain ol' yellow mustard before putting some rub on them, but this time I tried this (kinda) sweet mustard from SBR's (it's GOOD!!!), which in hindsight might have been one of the mistakes I made that day.
Next was the rub I've been using over the past year or two of smoking ribs. It's a bit sweet, but again, I've been using this rub and I'm familiar with it.
Now we get to the 5th pic, and, um, my, uh, charcoal chimney, um, the one I had had for nearly 15 years, got a lil' hot while firing up the coals...
Needed another one of those anyway. Ok... Moving right along...The set-up. Man, it was a beautiful day! Maybe a bit breezy, but I wasn't complaining.
Here are the ribs after about five hours of smoking. They looked great! Like mouth-watering great! I couldn't wait to slice 'em up.
And here they are after I took them off the WSM, and before covering them with foil to rest. STILL lookin' good.
So...again, I don't know what it was... This was my 2nd time in a row doing ribs without the crutch. The first time was a few weeks ago and they were some of the best ribs I've ever done (see pic)...
...but these ribs weren't tender at all, and the bottom bone-sides of the racks weren't much darker than normal - so I didn't think I over cooked them(?). Was it the sweet mustard? Was it my mop sauce this time (ACV and root beer), and a finishing baste / sauce I had never used before? Was it the breezy conditions? Was it the off-brand meat that I had never bought before? The WSM was running a bit hotter than normal, too, but nothing I thought I should be concerned with. Maybe it just wasn't my day to be the man behind the 'que? (see melted charcoal chimney pic again)
In saying all this, I ate maybe three ribs off one of the racks, and so did my daughter. She didn't think they were as bad as I was carrying on about, so maybe I'm overly critical. I wrapped the 2nd rack in foil and thought "Why am I doing this? I don't want to save these! I don't know if I want to even give these to anyone! Not even the rib hound mother-in-law" But I did wrap 'em, and I gave them to the neighbors, albeit reluctantly. They were extremely thankful as they've had my ribs numerous times, and they said they had great flavor, but were just a little too done.
So there you have it. My first "fail" rib smoke, and my first "fail" post here on the forums. I hope it was somewhat enjoyable to read, and I hope it helps someone down the road on what *not* to do.
Next up: Redemption Ribs (6/13/20)! Stay tuned.
