I've been noticing this for a while now. I smoked a rack on Monday and we reheated the balance of them tonight. They definitely tasted better tonight. The smoke, flavor and texture were definitely better. On the initial cook I really don't let them rest. At this altitude your food cools off so fast, even your cup of coffee. When we make our tomato sauce it is always better after it cools then reheated. I'm about ready to smoke my ribs the day before we want to eat them. Does anybody else notice this?
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Yes they do for me as well. I generally don't allow my ribs to rest after they are cooked. I do believe that some of that flavor "improvement" comes from taking a shower and changing clothes from those you had on during the smoking process. Others at AR have said this as well. I can't comment on how altitude effects the food since I live in the flatlands. -
I can't speak about ribs, but spaghetti gravy, gumbo, red beans and many other things are better the next day because the flavors/seasonings marry overnight. Good stuff.
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I've noticed this as well. Not just ribs, but all bbq. I suspect at least a bit of this is attributed to having smoke on me from the cook. Have been meaning to try showering before eating, but never have the patience.Comment
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captainlee I've tried to stay away from the cooker as much as possible, but I still become desensitized until the next day. But I have a charcoal-burning kettle, and my clothes still smell of smoke (or cologne, as I call it). In your case, maybe the milder pellets just take a little longer to kick in, similar to spices in chili.
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I canโt say I notice an improvement on left over Wibs, but they donโt seem to be any less fer the wear a day or two old. Mebbee after a little testin or input we just might be on to the โsoup factorโ when it comes to Que, better the second day. Velly interesting!Comment
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Salt Lick cooks their bbq the day before.Comment
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I usually canโt taste the smoke on the day of the cook, but the day after I do.Comment
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Exactly my experience too. My family always says the Q'ue is smoky delicious day of, but generally I can only taste it the next day. Which makes me think that I've become desensitized from the smoke during the cook.Last edited by Grillin Dad; December 15, 2023, 10:35 AM.
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you have leftover wibs?
Iโm putting 2 racks of wibs on today, will smoke, shower, eat wibs, maybe drink a beer, have sumore wibs tomorrow and report back!Comment
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I too have noticed the meat has a more smoky flavor the next day, and the next...Comment
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I can't say I've noticed this... don't seem to lack for smokiness on the day. Certainly when the leftovers are vac sealed, they can be really excellent (especially when reheated via sous vide). But I can always notice the slight degradation in the texture, that's about the only change - and it's nowhere near a problem, to be clear, just a slight difference.
Showering between smoking the meat and eating is an interesting idea, although not very easy to pull off typically - but my lovely bride is nowhere near the production process and she always picks up all the smoky flavor on the day, so there's that datapoint.
Seems like experimentation is called for...!Comment
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My cooks usually are happening because we are having people over (4? 8? 20?), so I usually do not eat much when we host....always enjoy the BBQ the next day though and take the time to judge the results
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I think ribs are better to a point. Later than the third day, they can start tasting tired. But maybe thatโs because Iโve been eating ribs for three days straight? Could be, I dunno. Frozen cooked ribs taste good after reheating, but the texture is โehโ.Comment
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Advantage of reheating is timing of other items. I'll tell Carolyn that they'll be done in 30 minutes, then their not. Some racks just don't cooperate. Also having friends over for a sporting event trying to time half time to eat. I know that I can try to get items done and put them in the holding drawers but that doesn't always work. It would certainly take the pressure off and still taste great to reheat.Comment
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Preparing dishes to be eaten the following day is a common occurrence in the South.
Collards, banana pudding and pulled pork BBQ to name a few are just not as good until the flavors have had time to marry.Comment
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Well Iโm back from the wib lab. Smoked two racks on the pellet grill for 5.5 hours. Took a shower and served them up. They were excellent. Vac packed a few half racks. One in the fridge, two in the freezer. Next night threw the fridge pack onto the sous vide for an hour at 180ยฐ. They were excellent but a notch below the fresh cooks wibs. Fast forward to last night. Half rack vac pack out of the freezer and into the sous vide at 180ยฐ for an hour. They were awesome. So there ya have it, sometimes they are better as leftover and sometimes they are not.
The last night leftover wibs were so good I forgot I made french fries until the first wib was gone.๐
Ah, nothing like objective subjectivity!
One thing for sure, I will always make more wibs than I can eat cause leftover wibs are so easy to cook and are always at least excellent or awesome! ๐Attached FilesComment
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Thanks for going into the lab for food science. I'm totally confident now I can cook ahead for company and don't have to worry about coordinating cooking time with activities. I have,always thought second time around was equal or better. -
captainlee Well curiosity got the best of me and I tried a cold leftover rib for lunch today. Never again. ๐
And donโt get me wrong, I love levtover bbq chicken cold! ๐
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