Hey All, so I did my Smoked Baby Back Ribs yesterday. It was 65 degrees and sunny here in CT, so perfect weather for a good cook! Thought I would share the experience with you all, through words & photos. I will include the recipe for my "Brad's Tangy, Sweet & Spicy Bar-B-Q Sauce", which incorporates the 3 main types of sauces, Kansas - sweet; North Carolina - vinegar; South Carolina - mustard. Hope you all enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed the FINISHED PRODUCT!
These were IBP Baby Back Pork Ribs purchased at BJ's Wholesale. They were meaty & well marbled. There were 4 racks, that I cut in half for easier handling and cooking.
Dry Rubbed - Using fresh ground salt, fresh ground black pepper, onion powder & garlic powder
Tabasco Sauced - Yes, I said "Tabasco Sauced"! I liberally slather the dry rubbed ribs with Tabasco Sauce and let them sit, covered & cool, for about 2-4 hours. I know, I know, according to the "research" this stuff does not permeate the meat, but I have always done it this way (for over 40 years) and the meat always has a nice "pepper" kick to it. All I can say is, Try It! The SECRET to not having "Buffalo Wing" Ribs is the next step......
Sear the Ribs over HOT COALS. By giving the ribs a good searing over hot coals (on my Weber 26"...LOVE IT!), it burns off the Tabasco Sauce oils (that's the stuff that makes your lips burn when eating Buffalo Wings & such) and leaves the pepper flavor on/in the rib meat. Again, all I can say is Try It! Once the meat side is well seared, I flip them over, bone side down, and lightly sear the bone side, which I believe tenderizes the "skin" over the bones. All I know is that I never have a problem with the "skin" on my finished product.
Here's my Landmark side mount smoker. I use Kingsford Charcoal and my wood of choice is Cherry, it gives the smoke a sweetness that I find enjoyable. I line the base of the smoker with tin foil so clean up afterwards is easier. When mopping the ribs at the end of the cook, it can get pretty sloppy in there and trying to clean that off the smoker itself is not fun, or easy!
I also place drip pans under the meat, and pour a bottle of Molson Ice beer into each pan. This helps in collecting the drippings from the meat as well as keeping the smoking chamber moist and preventing the meat from drying out. I ALWAYS pour a Molson Ice beer in the drip pan of ANY meat I cook/smoke. There is also Molson Ice beer in my Bar-B-Q Sauce too! ;-P
After the sear, the ribs go in the smoking chamber. My digital thermometer is set up near the chimney of the smoker, to make sure my average temp in the chamber stays between 215 - 250, trying to stay as close as possible to a steady 225 throughout the smoking. The smoke takes anywhere from 3 - 5 hours, depending on the thickness of the meat and the number of ribs in the chamber.
One Hour in, the Cherry wood smoke is doing it's job and the ribs are getting HAPPY!
Four hours in, Ready to start Mopping with my famous "Brad's Tangy, Sweet & Spicy Bar-B-Q Sauce"!!!
First Mopping! I Mop at least 3 times, about 15 minutes apart, to get a good, generous coating of this delicious compliment to the smoked, peppery rib meat. Today, I was fortunate enough to have time to do FOUR Moppings....YUM, YUM, YUMMY!!!
Second Mopping!
Fourth & FINAL Mopping! Ready to take off the smoker and serve 'em Up!!!
Finished Product! You can see the smoke ring and juiciness of the meat, glazed with the 4 moppings of that delicious sauce. I have to say, these ribs were as meaty as I have ever had and this cook ranked in my Top 3 all-time...and as I said, I've been doing ribs for over 40 years!
Finished Product! You can see the smoke ring and juiciness of the meat, glazed with the 4 moppings of that delicious sauce. I have to say, these ribs were as meaty as I have ever had and this cook ranked in my Top 3 all-time...and as I said, I've been doing ribs for over 40 years!
Comment