Minimalist chuck ribs

[DaveD]

Hey folks, it is a spectacularly beautiful day here in northern Virginia, and I got me a rack of chuck ribs in the Pit Boss. This is the second in a series of "minimalist" smokes I'm doing, the first of which was the pork butt I smoked on Thursday. For that, I used a very light dusting of Memphis Dust instead of coating it as I have done previously, and I skipped any spritzing.

Today, similar deal, dry brined overnight and just ground pepper and granulated garlic to season. Running at 250F/121C for a target IT of 203F/95C or probe tender if it gets there sooner. This rack is the second piece of a shipment I got some months back from CrowdCow, which came in two four-bone racks, and the first one was fantastic. Just going to let it ride all day, no spritzing, and depending on how long it stalls, might not wrap it either.

Here we go, stay tuned for updates... Apologies for having only two temperature probes


In the smoker by 7am:

90 minutes in, IT ~140F/60C, and the Meater+ estimates only 2.5 hours to go, but that will balloon once we hit the stall:

[bbqLuv]

DaveD "This is the second in a series of "minimalist" smokes", so I did a search and I found Minimalist BBQ (minimalist-bbq.com)

[DaveD]

Well, how about that now??

[DaveD]

Four hours in now, and it's Stallsville. Seems clear I must have placed the wired probe too near one of the bones, because it's reading fully 20 degrees hotter than the Meater+, which is in the thickest part of the cut. Think I'll try to reposition it in a bit.

[Bogy]

DaveD, that's why I like to use at least two probes, and I go by which ever reads lowest. A pocket of fat, to close to the bone, at least I have doubled my chances of getting an accurate read.

[DTro]

What time is dinner?

[58limited]

Looks really good! Minimal is often the best. Sometimes I use only salt and let the meat and smoke shine.

Traditional Central Texas BBQ is pretty minimal: S&P only but we do tend to use a lot of the pepper.

[DaveD]

Five hours in, and it's interesting to watch the Meater's ETA get longer and longer as the stall progresses. You can see all the juice sitting on the surface very clearly. I made a quick little X-Y plot showing the Meater's estimated time to completion against how long it's been cooking. The very definition of a stall!

[DaveD]

Here's the last leg in the smoker before going into the FC to rest. IT 203F/95C and probes like butter. Must... resist...!





Last post will be post-serving...

[DaveD]

Annnnnnd the answer is: SUPERB. Owe mai fuh-reekin gawd. Melt-in-mouth tender, explosively beefy and juicy, just killer. Outstanding bark and smoke ring with nowt but SPG, shocking nobody. This meat was absolutely in the top two or three best beef we've ever eaten.

Here's the final temperature history:


T dropped to about 180F/82C in the half-hour it sat on the counter, then rested about two hours in the FC. Temp when I served was 128F/53C. Sides were steamed asparagus and some incredibly sweet and tender corn on the cob. Unexpected this early in the year to be this toothsome.

[grantgallagher]

those look great...im now on my way to take a rack out the freezer for dinner tomorrow