Hey guys, hope all is well. A new butcher opened up near me so I decided to give him a try. I ordered a whole pork belly and it came with a rack of ribs attached, I haven't seen this before. What type of ribs are these? They look like half spare ribs and half short ribs but obviously I'm no butcher. The belly itself is beautiful, it must be 20 pounds and very meaty, I already like this butcher.
I also got a whole pork leg (just under 30 pounds) that I will brine and smoke. It too looks nice and I will document the procedure/cook as I make my small version of hamzilla.
I was fortunate to purchase a whole belly, with the ribs included. They are spare ribs. Just don't make the mistake that I did, which was trimming the meat too close to the bone. I ended up with a few shiners.
Just wanted to update on the ribs that were attached to the belly I got. These were possibly the best ribs I've made yet in the Bradley, really nice. I'm going to order more bellies from this butcher and ask if it's possible to keep the ribs attached again. I used a rub from Jeff Phillips' book called Big Bald and a sauce called Tequila Habanero. Good stuff all 'round!
I will be smoking the belly tomorrow, I'm really hoping this pig was good all the way through.
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm78/ottawanitro/IMG_2105_zps0oe4lkn7.jpg)
Those look fantastic! Send some to me and I'll do a taste test for you. No charge. ;D
This pig was a good 'un.
(http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm78/ottawanitro/F75371A7-323F-4CA7-806E-40AA0850B69B_zpsqzkjxkxt.jpg)
Wow, Woodlawn, that's some meaty lookin bacon! You've got me salivating!