Riblets, Riblets everywhere!

[Flavorsavor]

So a co-worker of mine shows up at work Friday with this for me. I guess he saw it one on of his trips and remembered my fondness for the cheap meats, and did me an awesome turn. 10 lbs of riblets!

They're not much to look at in a frozen lump, but boy am I excited. Pit Barrel Char Siu riblets here I come!

[Strat50]

Those things are great. Good price and tasty.

[Jerod Broussard]

Flavor, could you keep your Char Siu cook on this thread?? I'm currently gathering my stuff for this recipe. I need to do my pastrami first.

[Flavorsavor]

Sure thing. I made a couple of recipe adjustments due to pantry availability, I'll lay it all out tomorrow when I fire 'er up.

[Flavorsavor]

I marinated 5 lbs of riblets in a gallon ziploc for 24 hours, substituted half molasses half honey for the honey due to lack of honey. I also didn't add food coloring.
So they came out a little overdone, but still delicious.I cooked on the grate, and had to double stack grates to fit all the riblets, about 5 lbs worth. I was monitoring the temp/bark of the meat on the top grate which, it turns out, was running about 25 degrees cooler than the meat on the bottom grate. Pit barrel peaked at 330 degrees and settled in around 285 with an ambient temp of 55, and it took just under two hours for the riblet strips to reach 195, the bottom ones were about 215. Whoopppsy...I hit them with a honey glaze (picked up more) per Meathead's recipe and flipped 20 minutes before they were done, which I highly recommend. I wrapped them for about 40 minutes after they were done while I was cooking wings. They came out a little over cooked, but still tender and full of flavor. If I do them again on the pit barrel I will keep them on a single layer, probably keep the temp closer to 225-250 to cook them a little more gently, and also make some extra marinade at the beginning to heat up and use as a glaze instead of just honey. All in all the recipe got thumbs up from myself and the wife, I just need to pay a little more attention next time.

Coincidentally it was Champagne Sunday at the Thompson household.

[Marauderer]

They weren't overdone, they were just caramelized very well. I do Char Siu a lot and your's look great

[Marauderer]

Last September I had a thread on Char Siu Hawaiian style.

http://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/porknography-ribs-pulled-pork-ham-etc/16367-char-siu-hawaiian-style

[Flavorsavor]

Thanks Marauderer. Several of the skinnier ones were a little more char than caramel and a little dry. There was quite a difference in the thicknesses of a few of the pieces, and I didn't pull the skinny ones sooner. Just being my own worst critic I guess. Overall, still delicious, and I look forward to making them again. What cut do you normally use?

[Marauderer]

Thanks Marauderer. Several of the skinnier ones were a little more char than caramel and a little dry. There was quite a difference in the thicknesses of a few of the pieces, and I didn't pull the skinny ones sooner. Just being my own worst critic I guess. Overall, still delicious, and I look forward to making them again. What cut do you normally use?

To make regular char siu I use a pork butt. But, having lived in Hawaii I do prefer pork to dog, cat, koala bear, or mongoose.

As you have learned with riblets, there is such a wide variety of thicknesses you have to attend and remove accordingly when done. They still looked great.

[smarkley]

ahhhh cat... the other white meat!

[smarkley]

The riblets look great, not overdone at all.

I like the screen you laid on the PBC grate... good idea and necessary for those, I bet.

[Flavorsavor]

Thanks. That's actually a frog mat, that was my second tier and the grate was a charcoal grate from my weber 22" that was resting on the handles of my pbc grate. The Frogmat was to keep the meat off the corroded/scrubbed metal. I love those frogmats, I find another use for them all the time.

[smarkley]

ahhh good stuff and better than I imagined... I hope others read this, it is a good tip and possible mod