First try at pork

Chez Bubba · March 06, 2004, 03:26:48 AM

MW,

Have you tried pecan?[;)][:p]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

psdubl07 · October 12, 2004, 06:02:42 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by MallardWacker
 Cold,

A quick technical lesson

(Fat can only be rendered in a dry cooking environment over a long period of time and at low temperatures. Here is what happens....the meat must attain a temperature of 160 to 170 degrees F to start the fat rendering process. At these temps, the meat temperature will "plateau"......that is, it will stay at these temps for up to 2 hours on ribs and 4 and 5 hours on butts and briskets. What is happening is, the collagen (connective tissue) starts to break down......this process releases water, which in turn causes a cooling of the meat. So the temps stay steady. This collagen breakdown is what makes meat so tender.

Once this collagen completely breaks down, the temps will start to rise. It is this process that allows ALL of the fat to be rendered from a rib.[/blue]

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

So at what temp should ribs be cooked to? (And at what temp for how long?)
I did a rack of babybacks and the flavor was great but they weren't "falling off the bone". More like had to be torn off the bone, yet still moist. I smoked em for 3 1/2 hours and the internal temp got to 165 or so.

BigSmoker · October 12, 2004, 04:25:36 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
[br
So at what temp should ribs be cooked to? (And at what temp for how long?)
I did a rack of babybacks and the flavor was great but they weren't "falling off the bone". More like had to be torn off the bone, yet still moist. I smoked em for 3 1/2 hours and the internal temp got to 165 or so.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

07,
I usually do my ribs until they reach about 190f. At this point they will be almost falling off the bone. You can usually tell they are done when the meat has pulled away from the bones about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. I now use the twist method to see if they are done. Twist and see if the bone starts to twist off or not. If the bone won't twist off its not done for falling of the bone. I also use St. Louis style instead of babybacks. I prefer them and they are cheaper where I buy ribs. Time wise any where from 4-6 hrs @ 225f. I don't open the door unless I need to rotate racks. You can use a flashlight to shine through the top vent(credit Fuzzybear)and check on them as long as your smoke portion is finished. I have also heard but not yet tried if you will hang them from hooks inside the cabinet they will cook more evenly than laying flat on the racks. Good luck and Happy Smokin'.

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

psdubl07 · October 12, 2004, 04:54:51 PM

Jeff, you mentioned a "smoke portion". I take this to mean you are only smoking them for part of the 4-6 hour total time and just cooking the rest til you get them to 190?

Thanks, Paul

Edit: Without opening to mop, that amount of time doesn't dry them out?

BigSmoker · October 12, 2004, 06:01:41 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
 Jeff, you mentioned a "smoke portion". I take this to mean you are only smoking them for part of the 4-6 hour total time and just cooking the rest til you get them to 190?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Paul,
I usually only put the smoke to them for about 4 hrs. with my top vent about 1/4-1/2 open. Even though there has been debate about it in the Q world I don't seem to gain a whole lot more smoke flavor after that[:D].

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Edit: Without opening to mop, that amount of time doesn't dry them out?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

So far I have not done any mop with my ribs but will sometimes spritz 1/2 apple juice 1/2 apple cider vinegar during the last hour or so of the cook if the ribs appear to start looking to dry. My ribs will have a "bark" from the rub on the outside but will be juicy and tender on the inside. Thats also why I use St. Louis style ribs, they have more fat than babybacks.
The Bradley seems to hold in plenty of moisture to suit my needs. I have found ribs start to dry out on the inside once they pass the 200f mark. I haven't actually measured the temp of ribs in a long time but have never finished any ribs in less than 4 hrs. You can also slather ribs with yellow mustard to retain moisture as well as layer your top rack with cheap bacon and let the fat drip on the ribs. Twice smoked bacon is also a nice treat. Have fun and Happy Smokin'.

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

bsolomon · October 12, 2004, 06:32:21 PM

Typically we talk about smoke time (the amount of time the smoke generator is actually producing smoke) and total cook time (the amount of time the food is being cooked). Sometimes these times are the same, and sometimes the smoke time is shorter than the total cook time.

For most items that are left for long smoking durations, it seems to be the consensus here that 4 hours of smoke is about as much as is needed. Personal preference and the type of wood used dictates the use of a little more or less smoke.

From the "science" side of things, there have been discussions that after the food reaches about 140 degrees, the pores effectively close off, preventing further absorbtion of the smoke into the meat. As an aside, the 140 degrees level also is about the onset of the "plateau" where the food temperature will rise very slowly while the fat renders out of the meat (temperature of the food rises quickly until it hits this plateau, and then it seems to sit at that temperature for a long time before rising again).

In any case, if after four hours your food has still not reached 140 degrees, it could theroetically continue to absorb more smoke flavor. Conversely, if you heat it quickly to 140 degrees (and who would ever want to do that [:D]), it would be possible that the additional smoking time would not result in additional smoke flavor.

psdubl07 · October 12, 2004, 08:05:21 PM

Great feedback, thanks guys. I will be doing some ribs again soon as they are my favorite and will let y'all know how they turn out.

Also, I got a couple of pork tenderloins this weekend and will be smoking those. Any recipe suggestions I just HAVE to try? [8D]

BigSmoker · October 12, 2004, 08:46:38 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
Also, I got a couple of pork tenderloins this weekend and will be smoking those. Any recipe suggestions I just HAVE to try? [8D]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The following suggestions work a little better with just a loin but I have done 2 of these with tenderloins.
1. Tapenade(SP?, black olive spread)rolled loin.(same as #2 just with the spread and maybe some feta cheese)
2. Walnut pesto rolled loin.(one thing extra is to add several slices of bacon before you tie it up)
3. Sausage stuffed loin. This one was suggested by somebody in the Bradley forum but can't remember who, sorry.(Very Good)
4. Smoked garlic infused tenderloin.(smoke some garlic and make deep slices into tenderloin and fill with the smoked garlic)

Pics of #2 and 1 pic of #3:
2.

3.

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

psdubl07 · October 13, 2004, 03:08:37 AM

YUM! I will give one of those a shot.
Whatchya drinkin there in the background Jeff? [:o)]

BigSmoker · October 13, 2004, 01:20:38 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by psdubl07
 YUM! I will give one of those a shot.
Whatchya drinkin there in the background Jeff? [:o)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Thats just a little bourbon with ice. Recently local store started carrying a brand called Bulliet Frontier Whiskey. 94 Proof and smooth as water. Also like Makers Mark but JD's just not the same since they cut the black label back to 80 proof[:(!][:(][V]

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

psdubl07 · October 13, 2004, 04:40:25 PM

Nice. Ever heard of Aberlour? I have a cousin who is a HUGE scotch drinker and he went to visit some distilleries. Came back w/ an order for a hogshead(?), essentially 30 cases. Had a bit of trouble taking delivery cuz of the ATF, but eventually got it. It's the best stuff I've ever had. Really smooth w/ a nice honey/vanilla taste. [:p]

nsxbill · October 13, 2004, 08:46:42 PM

Ah! Bourbon drinkers! I am really fond of JD Single Barrel. I drink a bottle of that about every 6 months. (Not a big drinker) I do love a good bourbon occasionally after dinner.

Bill

psdubl07 · October 13, 2004, 09:18:20 PM

While we're on the drinking topic, have any of you ever tried any premium tequilas? I was a tequila drinker before I was a scotch drinker. Some of the more expensive stuff like Reserva de la Familia, or El Jimador extra anejo is really dark and yummy. Most people would probably be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and a good single malt. [:o)]

psdubl07 · October 16, 2004, 04:59:43 PM

Did the tenderloins the other night and they turned out great!
1st one was butterflied and rubbed inside w/ a fresh pesto-like mixture I threw together. Then rolled, tied, and wrapped w/ bacon.
2nd one was rubbed w/ French's mustard and dry rub leftover from my ribs, then given the same bacon treatment.
Smoked them for 3 hours at about 160F using Maple pucks. Then turned up the heat to about 200F for around 2 more hours which got the internal temp to 155F.
Here are before and after pics:

Let me know if you can't see the pics. I've posted pics before and someone said they couldn't see them. Weird thing is, I could see them from home where I posted, but not at work. Not sure if it's a browser issue or what[?]

BigSmoker · October 16, 2004, 11:55:17 PM

Paul,
I can't see the pics but what you did sounds good to me. The maple pucks seem to have a mild flavor that accents pork loin/tenderloin well. I prefer a stronger wood for pork butt though. What did you think of the one done with the mustard?

Thanks also for the tequila tips. My wife enjoys really good tequila(and scotch). I will look for those in the store.[:D]

Jeff
www.bbqshopping.com
Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.