When it comes to ribs, have been a long time subscriber to the low (210°F) and slow (18 hrs) - 4 hrs of smoke and then remainder of time of just temperature. Every other hour a spritz of apple juice during the non-smoke time on the ribs. Afterwards FTC for 1-2 hrs. Have consistently had great results and family loves them. Thank you to this forum for sharing that method.
Have recently tried something new... Sous Vide and Hot Smoke. Sous Vide at 160°F for 16 hrs and Hot smoke (210°F) for 4 hrs. Baste on BBQ sauce and hit with a torch. Family raved about these ribs. Was watching an awesome YouTube Channel (Sous Vide Everything) and they covered this topic too and even did a test on smoke 1st, sous vide 2nd and vice versa sous vide 1st and smoke 2nd. They are fall off the bone tender (kids have braces so they are currently enjoying softer foods).
Am planning to try all three methods side by side to see if there is a noticeable taste difference. Has anyone else tried this? I have seen cold smoke with Sous Vide mentioned but not with ribs.
Please share thoughts, opinions, ideas, and experiences - THANK YOU
Sounds interesting. I've never tried making Sous Vide ribs. Let us know your results. I'm very interested in the texture. It seems like these would be easy to freeze, and finish them whenever you want some.
I have applied smoke to various meats then sous vided then, and have been successful.
I do sous vide cooking as well, but I haven't tried ribs yet.
Why for 16 hours? What do you get from an extremely long time like that which you wouldn't get from a more modest time of 3-4 hours?
Would they still get much smoke flavour as I thought that the smoke doesn't penetrate well when the temp of the meat gets above 150?
For tough cuts of meat you need to cook for a long period of time to get the collagen to break down and turn into gelatin. That break down makes the meat tender and the gelatin provides the moisture. I've never sous vide ribs, but I've seen some sous vide rib recipes that state 12 hours.
There is smoke penetration, and there is smoke adhesion. There is a point at which smoke will not penetrate. Most sources say when the surface of the meat hits 140°F, but I've seen other sources that state as high as 175°F. I tend to go with 140°F. Though smoke will continue adhere to the surface of the meat at any temperature, as long as the surface is moist. Ribs are so thin that just the adhesion of smoke will be enough to give you a good smoke flavor.
I've been doing sous vide for about a year now. The tougher the cut of meat, the longer you want to cook it. As an example, I do pork steaks for 24 hours sous vide at 145* F and then sear for 1 minute per side in butter in a MED HOT fry pan. They are melt in your mouth tender and the best we have ever eaten. And yes, they are safe to eat at 145* F when held at that temp for more than 90 minutes. Same with chicken at that temp - but you only need to cook chicken the 90 minutes at 145* F to be table ready.
I haven't done any ribs sous vide yet, but will try them soon. I wouldn't be too concerned about the time length for the sous vide cook as long as it gets the meat tender. I did a pork steak for 48 hours once and it was as good as the 24 hour cook I normally do. I think I would experiment with the time and try a cook at 145* F as well as 160* F. I think maybe do a split rack of 2 ribs per bag and try some at 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 hour time lengths. I would then smoke all for 4 hours at 140* F. After determining the best time length to get the ribs tender, do a whole rack for that length of time and then smoke them 4 hours at 160* F. That should establish a good process to turn out perfect ribs with a precise finish time to coincide with quest arrival or family chow time. :)
I do thick centre cut pork loin chops at 143 all the time but I only do them for about 1.5-2 hours or so, just like steak, and then I sear them on a cast iron frying pan.
There are several websites that talk about this if you do a Google search for something like "sous vide smoke ribs".
Here's one of them: Rib Taste Test Comparison. The Sous Vide VS The Smoker (https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/ribs-sous-vide-vs-smoker/)
Here's a video: Baby Back Ribs Smoked BEFORE or AFTER Sous Vide, Which is BEST? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfOO7L2h4ig)
Quote from: TedEbear on September 05, 2020, 02:36:36 AM
There are several websites that talk about this if you do a Google search for something like "sous vide smoke ribs".
Here's one of them: Rib Taste Test Comparison. The Sous Vide VS The Smoker (https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/ribs-sous-vide-vs-smoker/)
Here's a video: Baby Back Ribs Smoked BEFORE or AFTER Sous Vide, Which is BEST? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfOO7L2h4ig)
I do chicken and TENDER beef steaks or pork tenderloin meat for 90 to 120 minutes and they are great. But in my opinion, pork steaks are not noted for their tenderness and I've found them to be very fall off the bone tender with a 24 hour sous vide bath and 1 minute per side sear. I did do a 2 hour sous vide on pork steak once and have determined we like the 24 hour ones way better. But to each their own.
By the way, here is the conclusion from one of those articles:
My verdict:
1. If you have a smoker, nothing is going to beat smoked ribs so just smoke them.
2. If you have a smoker but have a tendency to dry them out, use the Smoke then Sous Vide method. (Yes my ribs were overcooked but I can fix that by reducing the Sous Vide time or temperature next time. It's much easier to control than a smoker). PLUS with this method you can freeze the ribs after you've initially smoked them, so when you want to have ribs you just need to Sous Vide them and then throw them on the grill. It's what the professionals do. Shhhhhh! A perfect method if you're having a party.
3. If you do NOT have a smoker then your absolute next best option is to Sous Vide them, then finish them on the grill. The texture was good, they pulled away easily from the bone and there were no doingey bits of fat.
Yesterday, I followed the recipe in the Baby Back Ribs Smoked BEFORE or AFTER Sous Vide, Which is BEST? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfOO7L2h4ig) video link I posted the other day. 14 hours sous vide at 155*F, followed by 2 hours smoke at 140*F.
I made the rub they used in the video. It was pretty good and the cinnamon provided a nice touch. Guga's Rub (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/482659285064148928/)
The flavor was good, although I like ribs to be fall-off-the-bone and these were not quite that tender. I was surprised, given the 14 hours Sous Vide. Maybe I'll experiment with a slightly higher temp next time.
The comment section of the video mentioned doing a Sous Vide brisket. I might try that one of these days soon.
Interesting video, but if doing an experiment on which method provides the better smoke flavor, I would change a few ingredients. One; use paprika that is not smoked, and a sauce that doesn't has a smoke flavor added. If just going for flavor and not comparison the rub ingredients look good, and if you like Sweet Baby Ray's use it.
I've got too many projects going on before I will get to Sous Vide anything, but I'll be following this post.
I've been doing the Sous Vide ribs for awhile now "especially in the winter" up here and love it. Like Hab said I don't do any added smoke in rubs or sauces just a few hours of real smoke then I baste and glaze them on the grill real quick. Boss lady likes em "wet". I like to dip mine. Hab you need to slow down buddy and do some more GOOF OFF time and have some fun! ;)
Quote from: iceman on September 08, 2020, 12:01:27 PM
I've been doing the Sous Vide ribs for awhile now "especially in the winter" up here and love it. Like Hab said I don't do any added smoke in rubs or sauces just a few hours of real smoke then I baste and glaze them on the grill real quick. Boss lady likes em "wet". I like to dip mine. Hab you need to slow down buddy and do some more GOOF OFF time and have some fun! ;)
Hi Iceman;
Good to see you on the forum. Being cooped up I thought it would be a good time to catch up on a bunch of DIY projects. Now I have seven partially completed both indoor and outdoor projects. I have to confess, the backlog is mainly due to goofing off too much. :)
Hey Iceman and Hab's!
Thought I would share my results. Bought a 3 rib slab package at Costco and used Iceman's Oinker Rub (still is my favorite) on all 3 racks.
Set Up
Rack 1: 4 hrs smoke @ 210, 14 hrs dry heat @ 210, apple juice spritz every 2 hrs, FTC 2 hrs, torch sear with BBQ sauce (found 1 jar of unopened Oinker Sauce in the back of the cabinet :) :) :) - MAJOR SCORE!!!)
Rack 2: 4 hrs smoke - started at same time as Rack 1 (same cabinet), 16 hrs Sous Vide @ 160, torch sear with Oinker Sauce (Another favorite)
Rack 3: 16 hrs Sous Vide @ 160, 4 hrs smoke @ 210, torch sear with Oinker Sauce
Observations
Rack 1 - Needed a little more cooking time, not as moist as Sous Vide but stronger smoker flavor. Had more of a chew to it after I cooked it a bit more
Rack 2 - Fall off the bone tender - I prefer a little more chew - kids have braces and found this easier to chew
Rack 3 - Fall off the bone tender just like Rack 2 - found smoke flavor and smell to be a little stronger than Rack 2
Results
Rack 1 had better smoke flavor but it took more effort and time commitment and requires longer cooking time - with Sous Vide - set and forget until it is done
Rack 2 & 3 were easier for sore mouths due to recently tightened braces to chew (pulled off bone and then chewed) but I will reduce amount of cook time by 4 hrs next time and see how I like it
While Rack 2 was the easiest method, Rack 3 method had better results - not by much but still better
Bonus - saved bag juices from Sous Vide to make a ramen inspired noodle soup that was really good the next day
Rack 1 method if I have time is preferred but Rack 3 method (with time adjustment) is a more than acceptable contender when I can not dedicate the time
Rack 2 if I am in a bind or if I am going to travel to someone else's house, leave them sealed in the bag. Could even be cooled down and then sous vide reheated later - acceptable and better than nothing.
Thanks for the detailed writeup. Every Labor Day I cook 8 to 12 racks of spare ribs, I may decide to Sous Vide my ribs in advance, and freeze them.
Freezing them works well for the boss lady up here. I make an extra 6 or so racks that she can thaw out then reheat in the sous vide for her. "fast food" meal when I'm nor around. Next best thing to hot off the grill according to her. ;)
Thanks for the information. That for sure beats a McRib sandwich as fast food.
I got four racks of St. Louis ribs in the freezer. I'm going to thaw two and Sous Vide them. Then finish one rack in the smoker, and freeze one for a later time.
Hello all!
it's good to see some familiar faces.
i have been wondering about the sous vide way of cooking, but have been a little afraid to step off into it.
i plan on keeping an eye on this thread and the results you have.
i will also start checking on sous vide set ups. any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
thanks ahead of time.
jerry
Hi Jerry;
I've had my equipment for some time and during those years the sous vide immersers have come down in price and improved so dramatically that I've lost touch in the newest technology. You most important piece of equipment would be your immerser. Get one at least 1000w, you can get one that has lower wattage, but it takes much longer to get your water bath up.
I have a Chefman immersion unit that I quite like with Wifi so that I can monitor things from my phone. I start with hot water from the tap so that usually you don't need too long of a warm up time. I prefer to smoke my ribs but I really like doing steak, pork chops, fish and chicken in the sous vide cooker. Then a quick sear on a cast iron pan and you are all done.
You can also so other stuff in the Sous Vide cooker - my fave is to do the custard portion of creme brulee in wide mouthed mason jars. Then add some sugar, take a blow torch to it and you have an awesome dessert.
I had a Sansair and it was good until it stopped working and then I found out Sansair went out of business. Then I got an Anova at the Amazon Black Friday Sale (50% off). It has bluetooth and wifi. Am looking to get one for my folks but dont care about bluetooth or wifi - they wont use those.
Am going to be looking at Amazon Prime Day next week to see possible options as well.
In addition to the best steaks, now ribs, chicken breasts, and sausage blooming in the Sous Vide, am also poaching eggs. That with smoked bacon (pork loin) makes great Benedict's and muffin sandwiches. Cooked Eggs even hold for a few days in the fridge.
Hi Scotty-G
I'm going to start my rib test soon - hopefully tomorrow.
I have a Sansair also. It's a good immerser unit, and so far it is still working. I have a hard water well, and find I have to clean the mineral scale build up at least every other use. When you are blooming sausage, did you seal the sausage or did you just put the sausage in the water bath. A few members just throw them in the water bath, but I was always concerned about the possibility of fat circulating though the unit.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on October 08, 2020, 03:39:09 AM
I have a hard water well, and find I have to clean the mineral scale build up at least every other use.
I have city water, but still get significant mineral buildup. I tried using vinegar to get rid of it but that didn't work so well so I had to use CLR and that worked a bit better.
CLR is what I use also. A 50% solution of CLR and distilled water, using a smallest container I can. That seems to work well. At one time I was using a solution of 60% white vinegar, and 40% water, but later I read that vinegar could be too harsh on the components.
I added a whole house 5 micron filter and then water softener and that has helped trmendiously (attached softener to hot and cold lines). I also distill that water for coffee, tea, humidifier, and aromatherapy machines. Makes a big difference too.
As for sausage - I bag them because I too am worried about stuff (fats , loose meat, and spices) messing up the gears and sous vide machine hard to reach areas. Couple of gallon size ziplock freezer bags using immersion sealing technique usually does the trick. One time had to put a cooling rack across the top of the sausages to keep them submerged.
Habs - cant wait to hear your results of your rib test.
Thanks for the information on water bath for sausages. I agree, and feel the risk is not worth just throwing the sausage in the water without placing them in bags and removing the air.
I have my plan pretty well mapped out, but I ran into a couple of snags, so I hope I can begin my test tomorrow. Sometimes strange things happen. I belong to a regional barbecue society, and as part of that I receive a monthly publication "Barbecue News". It arrived yesterday, and one of the articles is "Sous Vide Que Techniques"; written by Meathead of AmazingRibs.com. I don't always agree with what he says, but I'm going to read the article to see what he says, and head over to that site to see if he has any information specific to spare ribs.
One thing that I may do is to convert a Coleman cooler into a sous vide cooking vessel. This should help to reduce heat loss and evaporation when cooking.
The other thing that this would be useful for is to allow you to set up sous vide cooking before you leave for work. In the morning you could put ice and water into the cooler along with your meat. Set it for a six hour delay and then start cooking. You could come home form work and have your meat all ready for searing. But in these days of WFH this isn't really needed.
Using a cooler is a good option. I can't use any of my coolers for this test, because the clamp on my Sansaire doesn't hold that securely due to the thickness of the cooler. Though the Sansaire has a flat bottom and can standup I don't want to take that risk. When my Sansaire stops working, the type of clamp will be one of my considerations when I replace it.
Since I want to Sous Vide my ribs as a whole slab or as long as a slab I can get, I dug out my clear plastic 12 quart Sous Vide container that I've used in the past, and I wrap it in a reflective insulation. The reflective insulation helps a lot. These days they sell insulated 12 quart Sous Vide containers (which walls are thinner than coolers) cheaper than what I paid for my clear 12 quart Sous Vide container. :(
The way to do a cooler would be to permanently modify it by cutting a hole in the lid that is the ideal size for your immersion cooker. Like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/13gM1mn.jpg)
Quote from: waynerto on October 10, 2020, 07:22:19 AM
The way to do a cooler would be to permanently modify it by cutting a hole in the lid that is the ideal size for your immersion cooker. Like this:
Thanks for the picture. I knew what you meant; I've seen similar plans.
I got the ribs in the water bath, I'm planning to cook at 152°F for 24 hours. What I thought was a 12 quart container, turned out to be a 19 quart container. It's a tight fit, but I managed to get two whole slabs in the container, and getting good circulation. I'm using Scotty-G's results, and the below article as a guide.
The Food Lab Complete Guide Sous Vide Pork Ribs (https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/the-food-lab-complete-guide-sous-vide-pork-ribs.html)
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on October 10, 2020, 01:19:10 PM
Quote from: waynerto on October 10, 2020, 07:22:19 AM
The way to do a cooler would be to permanently modify it by cutting a hole in the lid that is the ideal size for your immersion cooker. Like this:
Thanks for the picture. I knew what you meant; I've seen similar plans.
I got the ribs in the water bath, I'm planning to cook at 152°F for 24 hours. What I thought was a 12 quart container, turned out to be a 19 quart container. It's a tight fit, but I managed to get two whole slabs in the container, and getting good circulation. I'm using Scotty-G's results, and the below article as a guide.
The Food Lab Complete Guide Sous Vide Pork Ribs (https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/the-food-lab-complete-guide-sous-vide-pork-ribs.html)
I know this was nearly 3 years ago but how did the ribs turn out? I did some 1.5" thick ribeyes for the 4th of July the other day. Three hours sous vide at 140F and a few minutes searing them on the grill. They turned out pretty good. I'm thinking about trying the method in that link you posted for some ribs soon.
I should have mentioned in this thread that I posted the results in another thread.
Another Sous Vide Smoke Rib (https://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=38678.msg430786#msg430786)
I may study my results again, and give it another try. I recall the texture of the ribs, but can't recall if they were moister than doing it fully in a smoker. The texture was a little overcooked, but most would like the way that they came out. Sadly, for some reason I didn't get around to using the juices to make ramen. So that is another reason to do this again. :)
It's funny that you bring up sous vide, at this time. I just purchase a kitchen duel fuel range, and one of the features is that you can Air Sous Vide; which means you can vacuum seal food and sous vide in the oven. I have to learn more on this and give this a try.
I did a sous vide with two racks of ribs a few weeks ago. They were okay but there is room for improvement. I did them at 154°F for 24 hours and then seared them in the oven. The three coatings of sauce (Blue's Hog) gave them too much of a crusty layer that I will probably just do one coating next time.
Yesterday, I did a sous vide of two 1.5" pork steaks, a common meat here in the St. Louis area. Plenty of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper rub before sealing, 24 hours at 160°F, one hour rest in the sealed bags on the counter and then sear several minutes each side on a foil lined cookie sheet in the oven broiler on high and brushed with a light coating of Blue's Hog sauce (Original on one, Raspberry Chipotle on the other) at the end.
They were the best pork steaks I've ever had anywhere. Juicy, tender and no knife needed to cut those things. I can provide more specific details if anyone wants the exact procedure.
I forgot to take any pics, as I was focusing on making sure I got everything right. However, based on my wife's raving about them, I will probably be making these again soon and I will take pics next time.
Sound like they were all good cooks.
I haven't done as much cooking this year as I have unusually done in the past. If you like Blue Hogs sauces, when I'm smoking ribs etc. I use the Original. If I cook in a method where I don't or can not apply smoke, such as sous vide, try using their Tennessee Red. It is flavorful, and it has just the right amount of smoke added. Also, I occasionally will use that sauce, and apple cider (2 parts to 1 part), to flavor my pulled pork when I want something different than the vaunted vinegar. Though the Raspberry Chipotle is also a good choice.
Which part of the pig are the steaks cut from?
pork steaks sound very good I would be interested in the full process. so far I have only used sous vide for beef but have been wanting to try pork you can send a pm but I think this recipe would be better shared on the forum
As I stated before on this thread, you don't need to sous vide at 160/165 as long as the cook is at least 90 minutes long. I do 145 on chicken breasts for about 2 hours and it is the juiciest, tenderest chicken I have ever cooked. For pork steak, I do 145 for 24 hours and then pan sear for 1 minute a side in a MED HOT pan with butter. Fall of the bone tender and best I have ever eaten - with or without sauce. I have yet tried any sous vide/smoked cooks.
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on September 17, 2023, 01:58:06 PM
Sound like they were all good cooks.
I haven't done as much cooking this year as I have unusually done in the past. If you like Blue Hogs sauces, when I'm smoking ribs etc. I use the Original. If I cook in a method where I don't or can not apply smoke, such as sous vide, try using their Tennessee Red. It is flavorful, and it has just the right amount of smoke added. Also, I occasionally will use that sauce, and apple cider (2 parts to 1 part), to flavor my pulled pork when I want something different than the vaunted vinegar. Though the Raspberry Chipotle is also a good choice.
Which part of the pig are the steaks cut from?
They are cut from the shoulder of the pig. The next time I sous vide these I will take pics and maybe start a new thread with specific details of every step and ingredient I used.
That's what I thought, but needed to make sure. On more than a few occasions I've seen cuts from the pork loin labeled such as Pork Ribeye Steaks, Pork Porter House Steak etc.
Looking forward to your next post.
Thanks