Smoked two slabs of ribs Saturday.
One with just salt and pepper
The other with a dry rub.
After 1 1/2 hours, I started spraying them with equal parts apple juice and Icemans sauce until they were done. (Icemans sauce just arrived. In fact the ribs were in the smoker when the delivery arrived).
I got the recipe for the rub mix on site and it made about a cup or so. I thought I had seen folks on tv use dry rubs and it looked like they applied it VERY liberally. In fact it looked like the ribs were encrusted with the rub. I used abou 2/3's to 3/4's on what I made unto one slab of ribs.
The salt & pepper one was great. Icemans sauce had just the right amount of bit. The "rubbed" slab was not edible. I did eat one rib but it burned my mouth way too much to be good.
Yesterday, I took it and washed it under running water, still too hot.
Put it in a pot, brought it to a boil and let it simmer for ten minutes. Still too hot.
Dumped out the water rinsed it, and put in clean water and simmered it again for ten minutes. Tasted edible. I am going to pull the meat off, put some mild sauce on it and use it in sandwiches. May be ok.
How rub should I apply next time?
Iceman's rub is wonderful on ribs but a little goes a long way.
sorry to hear of your misfortune sherlock, I can't be much help for you though, sorry I haven't done ribs yet but want to soon. Thanks for your post, If it makes you feel better at least one newbie learned from your mistake.
Hey chin up sherlock!, that's not a failure..............it's a variation! (http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/Gitster59/Big-Thumbs-Up.gif)
Sherlock
When I first did ribs I did the same thing so don't feel bad. My thoughts are along the same lines as the question regarding how much is the right amount of smoke. It is kinda a personal taste thing but I think anybody starting out should rule on the side of to little as opposed to to much. This applies to both smoke and rub until you get a handle on your own personal taste. I know myself I like just a light dusting of rub on them, Then I use a mop sauce every hour after the smoke is done made up of apple juice, bbq sauce and a little shot of cider vinegar, again just kinda a personal taste thing. Sometimes I change it up a bit just for something different.
I agree with LilSmoker, there are no failures.... just variations!
Mike
JUST VARIATIONS ! ! ! ! !
I like that.
Thanks everybody.
Next time, I will sprinkle on like salt and pepper.
Nathan
Like that ole furry dude (AND WINNER ;D ) Wildcat says, a little goes a long way on some of those rubs.
If my first batch of ribs had been any tougher, I would have called it rib jerky! ;D
I think somebody switched my first batch of ribs for some Marlboro's that had already been used.
My first rack(s) of ribs were so dry I trashed them-but not Bradley's fault. I took them off the BDS like I used to do with the old water smokers, then put them on the grill for way too long. But, I learned from my mistake, and have done ribs 4 or 5 times since, and they were delicious! (Thanks to a lot of good advice from you guys)
Just remember that each smoke is an adventure. Something to experience, something to learn, and something for a reward. All of us have been there, so hey.....it's an adventure.....plan the next one and don't look back.
Man if I sat back and thought real hard of all my mishaps and garbage I created I'd start shaking in my boots. hillbilly's right though. Every smoke puts you another step higher up the mountain. Just don't look back and enjoy where your going.
Most important is to enjoy the experience and be sure to share the times with friends and family. ;)
Application of the rub also depends on the ingredients in that rub, so some rubs you will apply liberally others should be applied in moderation.
If you have this problem again, when you put the ribs in a pot to simmer; take a couple of medium size potatoes, peeled and quartered and throw them in the pot also. Starchy vegetable will absorb more of the capsaicin then just using plain water, and it may reduce the heat to an acceptable level.
Sherlock! My first pastrami was a nightmare!!! Second one I could serve at any deli!!! (Thanks to Habs!!) Human nature says we like to make everything perfect (oh God...I sound like a shrink) anyway...it's kinda fun to have a "slip up" every once in a while...makes you want to try it again!!! And again...and again!!! :)
My dog is always hoping that I mess it up real bad! ;D She will eat anything, even tobasco sauce.
Hey Sherlock , With out a little failure once in a while..............Victories wouldn't be worth celebrating.
Keep rollin' the smoke ,
Coyote
No big deal, start planning your next smoke and have fun.
-Brian
By the way Brian , Great looking venison roast(on another post)...Love that High Speed Beef. 8)
Coyote
I think Habs may have said it, but it's the ingredients of the Rub, not the quantity of Rub that made your mouth burn. Was it a bought Rub or homemade. The odds are, there was a lot of very hot chile powder in it. Say like from a "Habenero" (could also be heavy on Cayenne or De Arbol Powder). I destroyed a pot of Chile last year because I got a little crazy with Pendery's Dallas Dynamite and De Arbol powder. All I remember is sweating throught the burn. My wife and mother in law couldn't even eat it. And the beauty of eating really hot food is that you get to enjoy the burn twice (once going in and........ ;))
Hi Carter;
Do you have a source for De Arbol powder? I really am looking for Serrano powder but De Arbol powder would work in the recipe I want to use if for.
Hi Habs,
I got my De Arbol powder at a local specialty stores place here in Toronto, but I've bought blends from Pendery's in the U.S. and had it shipped to me (Chiltomaline is very good if you don't mind a little MSG & Dallas Dynamite is amazing but you've got to be a little careful with it).
They also sell online Chile Powder & Pods of almost any variety you can think of & most other spices too. I've been tempted to buy some of their funkier powders that I'd never be able to find here, but I haven't yet.
Here's the Link.
http://www.penderys.com/index.html
They're very reputable amongst the competitive circuit for Chili makers. Actually, Pendery's is one of the oldest spice companies in America and from what I have read, provided Chili Powder to the Mess Chefs while they were settling the Wild West.
Carter
Carter;
Thanks for the information. I consider you fortunate to find De Arbol powder or Serrano powder. My local markets only sell whole dried chile peppers.
It's probably the usual case of supply and demand. Toronto is a huge city with fairly large populations of almost any ethnicity you can think of. Whether from Latin America, the West Indies, India, Pakistan, China, Thailand or any spice loving country, we've got a lot of people around here who enjoy a nice steady burn while they're eating. So if you're a Foodaholic, and you know where to look, there's a good chance you can find it.
Here is what I applied.
1 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Salt
1 TBS Cayenne Pepper
1 TBS Black Pepper
1 TBS White Pepper
1 CUP Brown Sugar
1/2 CUP Paprika
I think the recipe was from Iceman, but it did not say how much to apply.
The recipe makes about two cups and I applied it VERY liberally. I used about 2/3 to 3/4 of it on one slab of spare ribs.
Plus after the first hour and a half and evry 3/4 hour there-after, I spritzed them with a mix of 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 Icemans sauce which had just arrived.
Iceman, if you read this, tell me how much to apply next time.
LOL
Nathan
1 Tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper!? Hooo Boy!!! My apologies, but I'm laughing just thinking about it. Where's Lil' Smoker when I need him with one of his little action guys. This one would show a bright red face with smoke coming out of his ears.
It's not your fault obviously, because information may have been lost in translation, but I'll be willing to bet that the Rub you applied would be delicious if you reduced the amount of Cayenne to 1 teaspoon (+ or -) depending on your heat tolerance.
Hot Stuff. Sorry about your Ribs, but now you're part of a really fun club. You've joined the "Oops I wrecked my dinner" club. It's very stressful at the time, but fun to look back on, especially once you've had successes that far and away outweigh the failures. It's kind of like life that way. Carpe Carp as Robin Williams would say. "Seize the Fish".
Carter