I'm not one for brining or curing unless absolutely necessary, To me most of the recipes are nothing more than a marinade, and like steak or BBQ sauces, a crime against nature. For me it's rinse, dry, lightly dust with Nature's Seasonings, and into the smoke.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely brine my turkeys, and when I do bacon, it will be cured before smoking (or else it wouldn't be bacon, would it?). I just think that doing it for the sake of itself defeats the point of having meat and smoke come together in a fundamental harmony that can't be improved on. I'll make a barbeque sauce too, for those that insist on one, but always on the side. If a rib can't stand on it's own without what is essentially syrup, then there's something wrong.
Here's some spare ribs coming out of the smoke yesterday after 5 pucks Hickory, box temp slow rise 125F-150F (still essentially raw at this point), then oven finish 3 hrs @170F, 45 min @ 250F. I've had commercial BBQ as good, but never better.
(http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j251/jkernitzki/IMG_0034.jpg)
One can never go wrong with ribs. This is another to do with my next rib smoke. :)
Whether you prefer them naked or with a rub, ribs is ribs and not much better than good ribs.
SD
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 15, 2008, 09:22:50 AM
Whether you prefer them naked or with a rub, ribs is ribs and not much better than good ribs.
SD
SD,
You could make that into a Dr. Seuss story. :)
Deb
You know, Deb, I'm currently looking for a new career......but they probably wouldn't let me use cuss words in a childrens story. I got a bunch of those...........
There once was a smoker from Nantucket........................ ;D
SD
I have to agree with you JNB. When we do ribs for the family we do three racks for six hours in the Traeger. One rack naked for the wife and I and the other two with sauce for the family. Same with pulled pork as the whole family likes it without any sauce.
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 15, 2008, 12:00:38 PM
You know, Deb, I'm currently looking for a new career......but they probably wouldn't let me use cuss words in a childrens story. I got a bunch of those...........
There once was a smoker from Nantucket........................ ;D
SD
Their biscuits fell (unburnt) into bucket,
"Eureka," they cried,
When aluminum they spied,
Now Bubba can just proclaim, "puck it."
Quote from: JNB on December 15, 2008, 05:37:22 AM
To me most of the recipes are nothing more than a marinade, and like steak or BBQ sauces, a crime against nature. For me it's rinse, dry, lightly dust with Nature's Seasonings, and into the smoke.
I love this quote! I realize you are talking about the ribs but the best steaks I have had, have all been done with minimal seasoning added.
Ya know there is some merit to the naked rib theory, My folks thought that anything on ribs other than salt and pepper was a sin! I still do them plain sometimes amd I think it justs depends on the cut of meat. If it is a grade "A" you could just do it in the oven and have some great ribs. But others need help.
I tried to make ribs for the first time. I smoked them for about 3 hrs and slow cooked for about another 3. Mopped with barbecue sauce every hour after the first 3.
They looked fantastic when they came out. I then froze them and reheated on the grill yesterday after a thaw. Strangely, the outside had a bitter, almost chemical like taste.
Should I have mopped with just straight apple juice instead of BBQ sauce? Did I smoke too long? Did the freezing/thawing play some role?
Help!
I don't mop with BBQ sauce in fact my ribs are naked gut the children like sauce so they get theirs with sauce mopped on the last 30 minutes
What did you freeze the ribs in? Vac sealed? Either way, if I'm going in knowing that I'm going to freeze the ribs right away, they get done with no sauce. I don't particularly like doing them with sauce if they're going into a deep freeze because I think the freeze messes with the sauce. I have no scientific proof of it but had something similar to your experience happen and figured it must be the sauce. Also, did you let the ribs cool before throwing into the freezer? I never even seal food that is still hot from the smoker and always let it cool before vac sealing or freezing. Perhaps if the meat was thrown into the freezer before cooling that may have played a part in it.
There are some extremely smart folks on this board (not me) who will probably be able to help you after a bit.
SD
Not sure why ribs got bitter. I always vac seal and freeze ribs and some say they are better than the first time. Only differance is that I do not mop until they are finished cooking. I know most like to "set" the sauce. Usually I will sauce again before the vac seal. Could be some of the sauce that was somewhat crystalized turned bitter.
Quote from: larfied on December 18, 2008, 09:05:03 AM
I tried to make ribs for the first time. I smoked them for about 3 hrs and slow cooked for about another 3. Mopped with barbecue sauce every hour after the first 3.
They looked fantastic when they came out. I then froze them and reheated on the grill yesterday after a thaw. Strangely, the outside had a bitter, almost chemical like taste.
Should I have mopped with just straight apple juice instead of BBQ sauce? Did I smoke too long? Did the freezing/thawing play some role?
Help!
Hi larfied;
Welcome to the forum.
When I get that bitter, chemical taste from ribs and other pork products is because it's been enhanced. Did you start with enhanced ribs?
Thanks for all of the helpful advice. Next question. What is the best way to re-heat frozen ribs?
In the oven. :)
We so rarely have ribs that make it to the freezer anymore but I heat mine up in the ribs or maybe even the slow cooker.
SD
We do freeze alot of pulled pork but it is seldom that, like smoking duck, ribs make it to the freezer. We put them in food saver bags. To serve put bag in a pot of boiling water unopen and in ten minutes they will be like it just came out of the smoker.