LocknessMobster
Member
Going for my first smoke next week! Webber kettle grill,slow n sear plus,2 rack pork ribs and hickory and apple woods. What cooking method would u guys suggest for the ribs?
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BBQ GAF - Smokin' Your Meat, USA Style
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Oh you grabbed a Slow N Sear too? Nice pickup. I absolutely love mine. It stays in my Weber 24/7 and made it so much better.
Have you done a dry run with it yet? If you've never smoked before I'd suggest at least one test run sans meat.
Did you grab baby backs, spare ribs, or St. Louis cuts? ABC BBQ actually has a rib guide for their Slow N Sear. Meathead's Last Meal Ribs is another good guide that is a bit more in depth.
To start you can either whip up Meathead's Memphis Dust or just buy a prepackaged BBQ Rub. Lately I've been using a Weber brand rub. I start prepping my ribs the night before. I first remove the membrane on the back with paper towels and a butter knife (video). Then I dry brine it with kosher salt sprinkled about 8 inches above the surface on both sides. Then I wait 5 minutes for the salt to start to dissolve. This makes the surface of the meat "tacky" and helps the rub stick to it. Then I apply the rub, wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and throw them in the fridge overnight. The salt tenderized the ribs and helps keep them moist and the rub gets time to adhere.
The morning of use the SNS Lighting instructions and bring it up slowly to 225 according to your ambient probe placed at grate level. Once you're settled there add the wood chunks, and ribs. You can use apple, hickory, or both with the ribs. They're both good choices. I'd probably suggest apple for your first one since the chance of over-smoking your ribs is smaller with the milder wood.
I use the bend test and for some reason they always came out slightly underdone. They were tender and tasty but wouldn't pull clean from the bone. Now I know that when I think they're ready to give them another half hour or so and they're perfect.
If you have any questions before or during the cook just ask. Also remember no peeking. The water reservoir makes for a very humid environment and you don't want to lose that by opening the lid more often than absolutely necessary.
Edit: In Meathead's last meal ribs video he uses a Slow N Sear so it's worth a watch.
LocknessMobster
Member
Thanks for the suggestions! Ill get my SnS early next week and do a dry run first. As for the ribs they are pork back ribs. The no peeking part will be tough! For the rub I have a friend who makes some amazing homemade rub. Ill be using his cherry version. He has a few varieties he does,peach and cherry are the ones Ive tried and loved. Im gonna see if I can get some extra from him. If anyone here wants to try some Ill mail you out some to try out if youd like.
Eye for an Eye
Member
So I'm going to take a stab in the dark on smoking tomatoes. I have a whole bunch of tomatoes, like 50 lbs of romas. I just skinned about 10lbs to make into sauce, but I want to make sun dried tomatoes. I just don't want to heat up the apartment all day. Its hard enough to beat the regular summer heat.
Eye for an Eye
Member
I took these
Quick hint: if you use a corer/juicer it plugs out the center stem of romas extremely easy. I got one from a forever sharp knife demo inside walmart. Stupid little trinket that I keep finding uses for.
And made these
Now I want to turn them into a smokey bbq sauce.
Quick hint: if you use a corer/juicer it plugs out the center stem of romas extremely easy. I got one from a forever sharp knife demo inside walmart. Stupid little trinket that I keep finding uses for.
Mr. Giggles
Member
Damn son, they gonna make a nice sauce.
Btw guys is coldpizza perma banned?
Also, whats the opinion on buying specialty cuts of beef and delivered by mail?
LocknessMobster
Member
Alright guys going for my first smoke tomorrow and then one Saturday as well. This is what Ive got. One question is it possible to make pulled pork out of this half loin I bought? Or should I get another cut of pork to do it,like a butt?
RapidCancel
Member
You could, but it's a lot leaner so I'd say you might have to pull it off earlier. I would just get a pork butt/shoulder.
LocknessMobster
Member
Okay sounds good. Couple of questions I'd like to add do I need to soak my wood chunks and does anyone here a have recommended brine or brine recipe for the pork butt??
Eye for an Eye
Member
Wood chunks I don't soak. Wood chips I do soak because they burn up so much faster.
I did a brine once. For pork, I didn't notice too much of a difference in flavor but I think it made it more salty than it needed to be. Pork is way more forgiving than any other meat like chicken or turkey, so you don't need to worry about brining it.
Now dry rubs and sauces at the end can make a big impact on your final flavor. I did my pulled pork with a vinegar finishing sauce. That made it taste awesome with and without bbq sauce.
He could smoke it and take it off earlier, like 145, but then it would slice not pull. To get it to pull he'd need it to hit about 200 and that would ruin that cut.
You never soak chunks. Some soak chips but it's debatable if even that's a good idea. Chunks go on dry and are superior. If you are using an actual pork butt from the shoulder section it needs no brine. Some inject but it's really a waste of time in a non competition setting. Just rub and smoke it.
LocknessMobster
Member
Sweet thanks guys,just got done salting and rubbing the ribs,in the fridge they go. Now to go grab a pork butt from the store. One last question,Ill be placing a drip pan under the meats,do i need to fill it with anything since the SnS already has a water holder? And would any juice collected in the drip pan be used to mix back in the pulled pork? Thanks again.
Keep it empty. Even if you filled it with water, once the grease from the pork drips on to it it'd cover the top and prevent it from evaporating. The SNS water reserve will be plenty. It lasts about 5 hours so I refilled it every 4-4.5 just to be safe.
I mixed the drippings back into my last pulled pork and then threw it all in my stand mixer to pull it. It pulled it into finer pieces than I'd probably like but it all reabsorbed like a sponge and made for really juice rich meat that reheated wonderfully. It's all flavor, so no sense wasting it.
Mr. Giggles
Member
Good. Join us.
LocknessMobster
Member
Got everything set up and meats on the grill however the digital thermometer is reading at 250 degress now,seems to be stuck there,how can i drop it back down to 225? Ive got the bottom vent almost closed and same with the top.
Don't worry about it. Leave it at 250. 250 is a fine temperature to smoke at. Many do ribs at 275. You'll do more harm messing with it.
You'll never keep a 100% stable temperature. I shoot for +/-25*F so a range of 200-250 if I'm going for 225.
As for why it's running hot it could be many things, too much charcoal, hot day outside, winds, leaks, too many lit charcoal to start etc.
Edit: Wait, did you just lay your ambient probe right on the grate? It's hard too see in the picture. If it came with a clip use it. If not pierce a half apple, half potato, or ball of foil to have the probe an inch above the grate. Careful though. If you leave the lid off too long it'll skyrocket your temps.
LocknessMobster
Member
Okay cool thanks for the help!
You're welcome. Did they come out yet? How'd it go?
It's been raining every day for 2 weeks here. I opened my grill to find mushy charcoal cement and mold. I spent over an hour scrubbing and cleaning the grill. Now it looks great and is all ready for my next smoke.
LocknessMobster
Member
Yes ribs came out at about 5 hrs, I think they turned out excellent for my first try. There wasnt a huge smoke ring around the ribs but they tasted good and stayed moist. As for the pork butt it started pouring when they were sitting at about 190 degrees and then the grill temp just straight dropped along with the meat temp accoding to the thermometer. Ugh. I took it off wrapped it in foil and stuck it in a 300 degree oven. They are sitting at 191 degrees so Im just waiting. It should be good to go at 195-200 correct? Then rest it for 20-30 mins? Ill post some pics when everything finishes.
Congrats on the ribs. Looking forward to pictures. 195-203 yes. You might want to rest it closer to an hour if you have the time. That was a pork butt on your grill? I thought it was that half loin you bought.
LocknessMobster
Member
Thanks. I actually scrapped the loin and bought a butt this morning. Finally got the butt up to 200 and then let it rest for 35 mins. Shredded it up and tore into that stuff with the quickness. Turned out tender and juicy. I threw a lil bit of salt,pepper and my rub in as I shredded it too. Thanks on the probe thermometer suggestion,was easy to set up and made made this so easy.
Edit pics:
All in all it went well for my first smoke. I think tomorrow Ill add a bit more wood for more flavor.
Wow. Looks great man. Great looking bark and it all looks cooked perfectly. Amazing for a first try. Did your friend's rub make for a tasty bark? Also did you just use apple wood? Hickory is stronger so you could try hickory instead tomorrow. I saw you used 3 chunks as recommended. I use cherry wood which is mild like apple and also find it often tastes a little under-smoked so I'll probably add more wood next time. Still under is way better than over. Over will ruin the meal, under just means there's room for improvement.
LocknessMobster
Member
Thanks! Yes his rub did its job well,I think I could use a bit more next smoke tho. Even tho I used a good amount it wasn't overpowering at all,just shined through on both the ribs and butt. I ended up just using apple wood today but tomorrow I'll try throwing some hickory in there too. One thing to note I ended up filling the sns with water every two hours and only had to throw a handful of extra charcoal to finish the cook,that SnS is efficient! I've got to get a refill of my friends rub soon,I could send you some to try out if you'd like,free of charge for my fellow Gaffers.
Yeah it's very efficient. Every two hours seems often for the water though. Was it getting low in that amount of time? I've gotten a 10 hour smoke at 225 with no refill on charcoal and one refill on water before with it. I'm hopeful it's efficiency means I can smoke this winter.
That'd be great actually thanks. I'll PM you my address. Let me know how much you want for shipping.
LocknessMobster
Member
I had to refill it twice in the 7hrs. I checked the meat 2 1/2 hrs in and the water was completely gone and then checked again 4 1/2 hrs in and it was completely gone again. Maybe because it was pretty hot outside and my grill is in direct sunlight,I'm not sure...I did only fill it 3/4th the way full each time, around 2 1/2 cups water.
Eye for an Eye
Member
I'll trade you some of my smokey bbq sauce I made from my smoked tomatoes for some rub. It's got a good bit of kick to me, but I'm sure it'll mild out when it's mixed with some meat. I got about 3 pint jars worth of sauce with my first batch. I still have a second baggie of tomatoes to make into sauce. I just wish I had a sieve or food mill to make it smooth.
LocknessMobster
Member
Sounds good,I'll PM ya when I get some more.
LocknessMobster
Member
Pics of todays smoke,3lb turkey breast and two racks pork ribs.
Nice. I've never done Turkey but that picture is making me want to. I see you got a smoke ring on the ribs this time. I can't tell since it's cut off from the image but is your half potato set like this?
I feel I wasn't very descriptive. You want the probe's tip end fully exposed.
This is the Clip I own. You might want to pick a clip up at some point. Mine is always on my grate.
I feel I wasn't very descriptive. You want the probe's tip end fully exposed.
This is the Clip I own. You might want to pick a clip up at some point. Mine is always on my grate.
LocknessMobster
Member
Nice. I've never done Turkey but that picture is making me want to. I see you got a smoke ring on the ribs this time. I can't tell since it's cut off from the image but is your half potato set like this?
I feel I wasn't very descriptive. You want the probe's tip end fully exposed.
This is the Clip I own. You might want to pick a clip up at some point. Mine is always on my grate.
Ahh so that's what those clips are for that came with the thermometer. I just cut a potato flat on both sides and laid the probe on top. Turkey was pretty simple and took about 4hrs. We go though a good amount of those 3lb turkey breasts always done in the oven though. I think I still prefer them that way honestly,smoke was a lil too much for my tastes but was probably due to the hickory. I used a big hunk of it and 3 pieces of apple. The hickory did set the ribs off right tho. Just an assumption but I put the largest piece of wood up front at the lit charcoal end thinking maybe the food would absorb that flavor more and produce a better smoke ring right off the bat. Then the rest of the wood I continued big to small pieces across the SnS. I definitely tasted the wood this time but not sure if it was because of the hickory or the method I used.
Eye for an Eye
Member
I wanna know what were you doing in this picture?? Cheese over ice? Is that your picture or did you find it on the internet?Nice. I've never done Turkey but that picture is making me want to. I see you got a smoke ring on the ribs this time. I can't tell since it's cut off from the image but is your half potato set like this?
I feel I wasn't very descriptive. You want the probe's tip end fully exposed.
Anycase, I made a pork loin tonight. I didn't really pay attention to how many hours I had it on, I just went by my meat thermometer. The end pieces were kind of meh, but the center of it was perfect.
I found it online. It seems they were cold smoking the cheese.
So would a smaller cut cook more evenly?
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
If it's grass fed then it might.
Eye for an Eye
Member
Well the cut was fairly even, but slightly tapered at that end. It all managed to disappear in matter of minutes between five of us.
I'm thinking of biting the bullet and getting a food mill. My sauce was good, but kind of chunky and didn't slather on quite as nicely as I wanted it to.
It definitely can. But it's not guaranteed. Is there not a place locally you can get prime? If I were gonna order from online I would go whole hog and get a wagu* brisket.
*no idea how to spell it.
Probably not in Buffalo. The only thing I can source are giant chicken wings, lol
Do you have an immersion blender, regular blender, food processor, or a fine mesh strainer and a wooden spoon? You might already have a tool that could do that job, not that food mills aren't great.
Rust Belt BBQ representing.
Also quit getting banned.
Yah, will avoid hot topic threads probably from on, hah. Good to be back. I saw your pastrami. Looked ace. Is any to do this soon
Eye for an Eye
Member
Wooden spoon and a strainer?!?!? Work?? Effort?? What are these things you speak of?
I probably could've done it that way. I put it through my little food processor, but it didn't make it smooth. I put the smoked tomatoes through it and then I put the finished product through it and it didn't really work. I have a blender, but it's sitting in our storage unit right now. I have way too many kitchen gadgets and not enough room for them all. But slowly working on it. I just haven't needed a blender in a while. I usually only use it to make fresh pumpkin pies with in the fall.
I'm also canning huge batches of tomatoes right now and I really want to get a good sauce with the fresh tomatoes. I came home with another 30lbs of tomatoes this weekend. I did one batch of orange heirloom tomatoes as whole and got two quart jars filled.
I got a Bed Bath and Beyond brand food mill for $20 with 20% off. I'll run the bbq sauce through it tomorrow and see how it turns out. I wanna make mashed potatoes now too.
Update: Here's my sauce after running it through the food mill. It turned out amazing and tastes much better this way. I used a jar quart and a pint and the end result yielded me a quart of creamy sauce. I smoked some pork ribs to perfection and coated some on at the end. Tasted amazing.
I opened up the corned beef to start the soak. In the bag it was about half flat, half point and it was only connected on one end ans I didn't think it'd cook evenly. I separated the muscles and they're soaking now. Hopefully it'll still turn out well. I was thinking of smoking it overnight since I was concerned about finishing it in time for dinner. My son has a doctor appointment tomorrow at 8:00 so I won't be able to start even lighting the coals until about 10:00. Maybe separating it to two 2lb cuts will mean I can have it done in time.
The Lamonster
Member
What kind of spicy BBQ sauce do you guys recommend? I'm looking for something with a bit of a kick.
My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!
My favorite sweet sauce is Blues Hog. I'd like to find something of that caliber, but with some heat!
ErnieMcCracken
Member
I know a lot of people like to mix the Blues Hog Tennessee Red w/ the regular Blues Hog to kick it up. Give it a shot.
Trader Joe's sriracha BBQ sauce is amazing and cheap
Turbowaffles
Member
I want to venture into smoking meats, particularly pork ribs and beef brisket. I'm a total noob, where do I start?
Love all the pics and advice you guys post btw. My mouth is watering right now lol
Love all the pics and advice you guys post btw. My mouth is watering right now lol
Eye for an Eye
Member
Whatcha gonna put it in?
Turbowaffles
Member
... I don't know, lol. What's a good beginner smoker? Got about $200 I cen spend on one.
I literally have no equipment.
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