Hi all, been a while since I posted anything I thought was worthwhile.
Today I smoked some spares but did the rub/wrap/glaze a bit differently. I did the usual dry-brine overnight, but used a basically peppery rub on top of that about an hour before putting them in the smoke. When the time came to wrap (and I judge that by when the fat is starting to render) I made a braising liquid (since that is what the wrap is, be honest) with about 2 parts melted butter, 1 part molasses, and 1 part Balsamic vinegar. I poured some of this on the top side and added a good layer of my savory spices: cinnamon and garlic powder, and a little more heat via cayenne.
When I unwrapped a couple of hours later I saved all the drippings in a sauce pan and put the ribs back in the smoke. I added about a third as much apple cider vinegar to the pan along with a couple of tablespoons of molasses and maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons of crushed pineapple with juice. I also added a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. I brought this to a boil then lowered to a simmer and let it reduce by about half before brushing on the ribs which had been in the smoke again for about a half hour. I gave the ribs another 15 - 20 minutes to let the glaze set.
My goal was a sweet and sour glaze with flavor layers under it, i.e peppery in the rub, and savory in the braise. Needless to say I was pleased with the end result with regard to both flavor and texture.
Edit: The 3-2-1 method says to wrap after 3 hours in the smoke. That is a good rule of thumb but I want to wrap when the fat is just beginning to render which seems to be somewhere around 155F - 165F, which also seems to be when the "stall" kicks in when doing a pork butt. Obviously the exact time this happens depends on the temp you are cooking at. My rig tends to run between 250F - 275F, especially in the summer here in Vegas. So I look for pockets of moisture on the surface as shown below in the top photo.
Today I smoked some spares but did the rub/wrap/glaze a bit differently. I did the usual dry-brine overnight, but used a basically peppery rub on top of that about an hour before putting them in the smoke. When the time came to wrap (and I judge that by when the fat is starting to render) I made a braising liquid (since that is what the wrap is, be honest) with about 2 parts melted butter, 1 part molasses, and 1 part Balsamic vinegar. I poured some of this on the top side and added a good layer of my savory spices: cinnamon and garlic powder, and a little more heat via cayenne.
When I unwrapped a couple of hours later I saved all the drippings in a sauce pan and put the ribs back in the smoke. I added about a third as much apple cider vinegar to the pan along with a couple of tablespoons of molasses and maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons of crushed pineapple with juice. I also added a few dashes of Tabasco sauce. I brought this to a boil then lowered to a simmer and let it reduce by about half before brushing on the ribs which had been in the smoke again for about a half hour. I gave the ribs another 15 - 20 minutes to let the glaze set.
My goal was a sweet and sour glaze with flavor layers under it, i.e peppery in the rub, and savory in the braise. Needless to say I was pleased with the end result with regard to both flavor and texture.
Edit: The 3-2-1 method says to wrap after 3 hours in the smoke. That is a good rule of thumb but I want to wrap when the fat is just beginning to render which seems to be somewhere around 155F - 165F, which also seems to be when the "stall" kicks in when doing a pork butt. Obviously the exact time this happens depends on the temp you are cooking at. My rig tends to run between 250F - 275F, especially in the summer here in Vegas. So I look for pockets of moisture on the surface as shown below in the top photo.
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