First Cold Smoke and Ribs Done on OBS

[Kitchen Commander]

Did my first cold smoke and a batch of ribs on the smoker yesterday.  They were excellent!  Sorry no pics.

I started the morning with a 2 hour cold smoke of some vermont white cheddar cheese and USDA prime boneless ribeyes.  The ribeyes will be tonights dinner.  They look almost as good a some kobe beef I've seen.  Beautiful marlbling.  Then on to the ribs.  Pretty simple batch.  10 pounds of baby back ribs from Costco.  A very generous coating of Famous Daves Rib Rub.  5 hours of mequite smoke with the heat control set as high as it would go.  It was very windy outside and the inside temp of the smoker never even even got to 200.  Maybe a chimney of some sort would help with the wind.  The ribs needed to be finished off in the oven for a about 30 minutes, because some of the really thick ones were still a little under cooked, but they were awesome.  I'm definately hooked on my Bradley and smoking food.

I'm thinking the modification with the extra 500 watt heating coil or the 900 watt coil is a pretty good idea.  As cold and windy as it can get here in Northern Nevada the PID is almost pointless because the smoker has to run wide open to battle the wind and cold.  The chimney might help too since the heat rising up the chimney should lessen or even negate the effect of the wind.

[Kitchen Commander]

Cooked the rib eyes on the grill tonight. Oh my Gosh!!! Totally hooked on cold smoking steaks now.  Best steak i've ever had, bar none.  Since I'd have never thought of it on my own, Thanks all that suggested it! 

So what else is good cold smoked & grilled the following day? Wife isn't a big fan of seafood, but smoking adds a completely new dimension to everything cooked/smoked.  I wonder how scallops are....

[hal4uk]

No pics?  You're killin me here!!!  (I love PRIME beef)...

[muebe]

No pics?  You're killin me here!!!  (I love PRIME beef)...

X2

[TedEbear]

5 hours of mequite smoke with the heat control set as high as it would go.

I recently had a BBQ guru tell me that smoking past 2 hours is a waste and anything much past that starts to leave a bitter taste on the meat.  This was at a local smoke cook-off competition and the guy had a few trophies at his booth that would indicate that he knows his stuff. 

I usually smoke my baby backs for 2 1/2 hours before proceeding to the Texas Crutch.  5 hours seems a little high but if you like the end result I guess that's all that matters.  Post the pics of the finished product.   :)

[Kitchen Commander]

Working on the pics thing.  I took them with my phone and emailed them to myself.  Sometime they take a while to get to my inbox.

Texas Crunch?  Is that simply grilling them?  Actually sounds like a good idea smoking for less time then "Texas Crunching" them.  Less wood use and a little less time to the end product.

[TedEbear]

Texas Crunch?  Is that simply grilling them?

Crutch, not crunch.  It involves tenderizing the ribs in foil with apple juice.  Here's the link to the details:

The Texas Crutch

[Kitchen Commander]

Last time I tried to post pics it didn't work.  Let's see if this time does.

[Kitchen Commander]

I don't know what the deal is with the pics.  I use flickr and the pics don't show up.  I tried.

Thanks for the link on Texas Crutch.  Thats similar to how I've done ribs in the house with the foil pouch, but I've never added apple juice or anything else.  Just slow cooked them for 4 hours in their own juices at 200.  Worked well, but I'm gonna try the crutch method.  Tailgating this weekend at our University for our big cross state rivalry game, so I might go this way for that.

[Caneyscud]

5 hours of mequite smoke with the heat control set as high as it would go.

I recently had a BBQ guru tell me that smoking past 2 hours is a waste and anything much past that starts to leave a bitter taste on the meat.  This was at a local smoke cook-off competition and the guy had a few trophies at his booth that would indicate that he knows his stuff. 

I usually smoke my baby backs for 2 1/2 hours before proceeding to the Texas Crutch.  5 hours seems a little high but if you like the end result I guess that's all that matters.  Post the pics of the finished product.   :)

Hate to say this TedEbear, but all bbq gurus are entitled to their opinions.  Don't take his opinion as being bbq gospel.  Test it and challenge it.  Try different ways.  You might find that your tastes are different.  He is cooking in a contest and he has to please the judges.  At home you don't have to - you can cook the way you want.  If you like smoke flavor - pour the smoke to it!  More than 2 hours of smoke is a waste only if you want it to be a waste.  Smoke leaves a bitter taste only if you think it is a bitter taste.  I grew up in Texas, and I've been around bbq for 50+ years and cooking bbq for close to 35-40 years.  Grilling for longer.  Those personal tidbits are there to show my personal bias!   Some of the worst bbq I've had has been samples during contests cooked by bbq gurus.  Taste is an opinion, just like what your favorite color is.  Mine is different than yours.  I might like red, you might like blue.  You might like pork, I might like beef better.  Back in my days in the wine circles - people would like a wine because the "expert" said it was a good wine.  However, when you saw what they generally consumed, you would note that the wines were totally different - the "expert's" wine or it's style wasn't to be found.  There was, probably still is a saying - "The best wine is the wine you like the best."  Just substitute bbq for wine in the saying.  What I often taste is braised meat with practically no smoke flavor, sprinkled with who knows what for a rub containing tastes strange to bbq, covered in what the judges are probably really judging - the sauce.   Many times, if you were to put on a blindfold and do the sampling - you probably couldn't tell if the meat was pork or beef.  Long gone are the perceptions of good bbq laid down by my forebears.  With all that being said, there is no one right way to make bbq - tastes and traditions are different.  What I and my forebears liked would be heresy to others.  Over the decades and possibly centuries ago while bbq was in infancy, the m.o. was open pits, simple seasoning,  real wood coals, and often a mop.  Some of the things that we do to meat today wasn't even dreamed about.  To me bbq is that.  Anything more, it is something slightly different.  That doesn't mean it is not good eats.  Quite often great eats - I've scarfed down my share of oven baked ribs and brisket in my time, even slathered in some sort of sweet red concoction called a sauce - and enjoyed every bite.  But I always go back to my roots when I want something deeply satisfying. 

[Tenpoint5]

It is safe to say OUR Beloved Caney is back!!

[muebe]

Last time I tried to post pics it didn't work.  Let's see if this time does.

Fickr does not allow direct linking but it can be done ;)

[TedEbear]

Hate to say this TedEbear, but all bbq gurus are entitled to their opinions. 

To each his own.  You can keep piling on the smoke, if that's what you prefer.  I'll listen to the experts with the table full of trophies that indicate they know their stuff when it comes to award-winning ribs.

[Tenpoint5]

Hate to say this TedEbear, but all bbq gurus are entitled to their opinions. 

To each his own.  You can keep piling on the smoke, if that's what you prefer.  I'll listen to the experts with the table full of trophies that indicate they know their stuff when it comes to award-winning ribs.

That's kind harsh Ted. He was just pointing out that there is many ways to do this smoking thing we do. Having a table full of Trophies doesn't always mean everything. I am looking at my table and there AINT ONE trophy sitting there that says I know anything about smoking ribs. However I think I can say that I have sure helped a whole bunch of folks make some really good ribs. Trophies aint everything as long as we all reach the same end result. Good Food!!

[KyNola]

"Ooo Shiney!"