Last Minute Ribs on PBC using OTS seasonings--

[HC in SC]

****Ladies and gentlemen this is a test of the emergency rib network - this is only a test.****

So what do you do when you need to make ribs for last minute dinner guests tonight?

What if there is a office potluck you forgot about?

What if it's you just plain forgot to purchase and dry brine / slather, etc. ribs?

What if you don't have 4-6 hours to slow smoke the ribs?

What if you don't have time to make or the ingredients for a fancy rub like MMD or HRR?

Here's the set up:

1. On the way home from work I stopped by Publix and picked up 3 racks of equally sized St. Louis cut ribs that weigh appx 2.9 lbs each.

2. Once home I unpack them directly and pull the membrane - since these are from Publix (not Sam's) they are already well manicured and no need for additional trimming saving at least 20-30 mins for a super speedy prep.

3. I grab 3 distinctly different tasting salted seasonings: Cavender's Greek, Tony Chachere's and Adobo and apply appx 1 tsp per pound to both sides of the ribs and rub in.

4. I clean out the ashes PBC from last nights use, and re-set with new Kingsford blue. I light 40 briquettes in the mini-chimney and dump on unlit coals after 15 mins. Once coals are ready I drop a few chunks of apple wood on them and hang the ribs and cover lid.

Time total thusfar starting from the moment I walked in the door home from Publix: 40 minutes.

[HC in SC]

And ribs are on PBC!

[HC in SC]

After 3 hours on PBC ribs are done.



and then covered for 10 mins to rest.



Total time until on the plate: 3 hours and 50 mins.

[HC in SC]

Results:

None of us could tell one rub from the other - all 3 had the EXACT SAME taste - just pork and smoke with a hint of salt.

The ribs were ready in a short amount of time and the meat came off the bone very well.

Actually one rack got a bit overdone - I cracked the PBC to bump up temps from 225 and got distracted and didn't catch it until it was up to 340. I am seriously going to have to do some type of mod to the PBC to prevent all of this lid cracking to keep temps up and constant; but that is another subject entirely. The PBC did its job and did it quickly.

Lesson learned:

If faced with the same situation again, I would just use salt and black pepper on the ribs and DEFINITELY make the Last Meal style ribs by pulling the ribs at about 160-170 and painting heavily with sauce; and then put sauced ribs back on until finish temps for a nice glaze.

Unless you have the time to allow your brine, rub, etc to penetrate the meat; don't bother wasting the seasoning - just salt and go; and then sauce em up because the taste of any rub (if used) will not come through at all.

Hope this helps anyone else that is in a mad dash to cook ribs with little or no preparations being done to the meat.

Additional Note about PBC: Granted I am a newbie on the PBC, but so far I am not super impressed by the ribs I have done.

It could just be the learning curve, but the ribs I have done on the ECB have been far superior. Maybe it is because they are laying horizontal and the rub doesn't drip off as easy -- maybe it is the lower and slower cooking - I am not sure; but it gives just cause for more experimentation!

Cheers!

[Ernest]

HC, PBC ribs have a totally different texture than traditional BBQ ribs. That could be the reason that you don't dig on them. 3 hours is normal PBC rib cook cook time.

[HC in SC]

Yes sir - that is what I was thinking also. I have followed Noah's how-to to the letter and although the ribs have a nice tenderness, the taste seems like it is lacking something that I get with slow smoking.

I do like to pile up extra HRR on the ribs when they are horizontal to make a candy-type bark - something I cannot do in the PBC when hanging them.

I am happy that the PBC performed as it should and I hit the 3 hour mark durn near on the money - so I was proud of that accomplishment; desperately need to do something to curb all of the lid cracking though.

[Jon Solberg]

Stellar write up!

[HC in SC]

Thanks! I know there are plenty of working stiffs like me that find themselves without time to prep properly; or just get a wild hair to cook something up for dinner last minute. MH's Last Meal ribs is definitely one of those dishes!

[Psinderson]

Great info! Interesting that they had the same flavor. I personally like rub-only ribs so I will have to pay more attention.

[HC in SC]

I was surprised as well. I chose 3 completely distinct seasonings assuming that we would easily be able to differentiate. No dice - all 3 tasted durn near identical - the only difference was the done-ness having the one rack slightly over cooked.

[Huskee]

Great info! Interesting that they had the same flavor. I personally like rub-only ribs so I will have to pay more attention.

That's how I like 'em too, I don't sauce.

[HC in SC]

Us to - I figure if you have to sauce em up, then your meat has no flavor.

Additionally, the sauces I have tried pretty much completely cover any rub taste - even when done correctly and allowed to dry brine in the fridge for overnight.

[Huskee]

Mmmm.....ribs.....

[HC in SC]

Actually after tasting them it was more like "Meh - ribs....."

[_John_]

Kind of odd how different these pits can be, and our tastes. I haven't made ribs on too many devices but the PBC has produced the best ones for me. Also I am rarely done with St. Louis cut in 3 hours, usually closer to 4 at 275. I apply a lot more rub too, and no sauce, and I probably use a lot more wood. I wonder why the texture would be any different, horizontal vs vertical shouldn't affect anything... but time of course could. I know how to get to 275 and 325 easily, maybe it's time to learn 225.

[HC in SC]

Yeah - and that one little temp runaway didn't help. It wasn't catastrophic, but it didn't help.

Since I wanted these done ASAP I kept temps artificially high around 300-310.

The after the initial start-up temp drop when I put the meat on, the PBC normalized at 250-260.

Had I left it at 250-260 and put an additional 45 mins to 1 hour at the end of the cook they probably would have turned out better; but this experiment (in the famous words of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top) was "Hit it and quit it" - speed was the goal.

I think next time I might do a standard run PBC vs. ECB with ribs and compare.

[smarkley]

whew, really nice right up, and yes the PBC can be used at home during the week, and as you found it is best to be organized... hard to understand the texture problem. Maybe it was higher temps. I am like John, I put a lot more rub and no sauce. I use MMD or Huskee's Rib Rub (both are excellent) - The ribs I have cooked on the PBC are generally the best ribs I have ever tasted. The PBC is a Rib Cooking Machine!

[HC in SC]

Since the OTS seasonings were salted, I knee jerked and seasoned as if I was dry brining to stay at 1/2 teaspoon salt / pound. I suppose I could have added more, but I'm not sure the results would have been different by much. Moral of the story: take the time to do it right if you have the time; if not go the Last Meal route and sauce em up good.

I really haven't have a texture problem with ribs on the PBC so much as a taste problem. No doubt it is fast and no doubt the tenderness is there; but the taste seems "rushed" - if that makes sense. Kinda like cooking on broil rather than bake in the oven. The butts in the PBC are pretty close to the ones I have slow smoked; but (so far) the ribs on the ECB have been better. Maybe I just need to get my sea legs more with the PBC.

I like to add alot of the HRR also for the sweet bark it produces.

[Beefchop]

Awesome experiment!

I love the PBC for cooking ribs. Johnny Trigg likes his with a simple salt and pepper rub, so you all are in good company.

I prefer mine dry, but will admit that when cooked a la Noah's instructions the sauce adds an interesting dimension. My guests all seem to love them that way so I put on a light coat for the last 20 minutes of cook time. I also use a simpler rub when making them on the PBC and notice that saltier rubs do better for some reason.

[HC in SC]

I will be doing some ribs when I have family down for Xmas and I think they prefer sauced.

I may do one of each and see how it goes - we have come to prefer nekkid ribs too.

[Ernest]

I think the PBC ribs are more on the "roasted" than regular BBQ side. Maybe try to hit them with your rub again as soon as you take them off your PBC.

[HC in SC]

Do you prefer ribs in your WSM in lieu of the PBC?

[Ernest]

No, I prefer PBC ribs, no sauce.

[HC in SC]

Everyone seems too - maybe I need to do a PBC vs ECB ribs throwdown.