Let me start by saying that Troutman 's original write-up can't get any better. I would digest all he has to say on the subject.
That being said, some have had my ribs and have asked me to write something on how my process works. I am not sure why to be honest, mine are no better than anyone else's, but here goes.
I choose to use spareribs. Generally I feel that the meat is more tender and it has that "bacon" like quality because it comes from low on the belly. If you are a baby-back fan, go for it, those are awesome too. Depending on the size of your smoker and whether or not you are hanging them, the baby back might be the better choice for size and weight in your particular rig. I have found that the baby-back's do tend to take hanging a bit better than spareribs. On to the show.
Do I dry brine my ribs the day before? Yes, no, sometimes. I know, that sounds wishy-washy. Some people swear by dry brining with ribs, I have found that it does not make a great difference in the taste to dry brine for eight hours verses two. Perhaps it is the thickness of the meat, I'm not sure. So, as the smoker is warming up and I am prepping the meat, I pull the membranes, salt them and put them in the fridge for a couple hours before the cook.
When you take your ribs from the vacuum pack, rinse them to be sure there are no loose bone fragments. There rarely are. Trim to your desired level. I keep my trimming to a minimum or not at all, preferring to just let the fat roll off in the smoker and make the neighborhood smell awesome.
Pulling the membrane. The easiest way is to do it when the ribs are still "fridge" cold. They tear less and are easier to hold. Use a butter knife on the second rib from the end and pry up the membrane. Go slow at first until you get the hang of it. Then use a piece of a dry paper towel to hold onto the slick skin and pull. It should come right off with a firm tug.
Once you are happy with your trimming and removing the silver-skin, and salting (if desired), now you are ready for rub.
Many use Meathead's Memphis dust, and you can't go wrong with it.
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup American paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder
I personally leave off the white sugar and I half the ginger powder. Pork loves sugar but many have said that the added white sugar is a bit too much; I tend to agree. I will also add a little chili powder or maybe your favorite Cajun flavor just for a little kick, but not to make them "hot" ribs.
Mix some mustard with a splash of malt vinegar (apple cider will do too). The vinegar helps thin the mustard and adds a layer of flavor. Rub a little on your ribs to help the rub stick. I would encourage you not to skip this step. The small amount of vinegar that you will use makes a defference in the tase of your final product. It is subtle, but you will miss it once you leave it off and wish you had not forgotten. Generously rub your ribs top and bottom.
The smoker is ready, on we go. (225 - 250)
Now we just have to let the smoke roll. I use a mix of hickory and white oak that is found all over here in North Carolina. Let me just say, you can use all the rubs, salts, and sauces you want, but if you don't get good smoke on your meat it will always be missing something. I would rather have no rub at all and good smoke than to have the best rubs and little smoke. BBQ without smoke is not BBQ, it's just oven cooked meat.
That said, cooking with wood will always be my number one choice. Charcoal is good, pellets are good, even a slow cooker can make tender ribs, but you will never make better bbq than what is done by burning wood to smoke your meats.
Blu wanted to know when we were going to eat.
About 2 1/2 -3 hours on the smoker, depending on how constant your heat is, check your temps. They should be in the 150-160 range. It is about this time that your meat will quite "taking smoke". I then pull them from the smoker, add some sauce, and wrap in either foil or butcher paper. The merits of both have been discussed over and over. Foil works great for me because I am looking for "fall off the bone" ribs. If you want a little tug to your bite of rib then use butcher paper or continue cooking naked. Cooking without any wrap will create a much crispier bark. Again, cook to your taste or those you are cooking for.
I pull half way (maybe 3/4) through the cook, sauce, and wrap in foil. Ribs at 225-250 usually take about five hours. Once you wrap, you can bring the temp up to 275 to shorten the time some, but good BBQ takes time; just relax and let them cook.
A quick note about the sauce. If I am not making my own sauce I will choose one like Sweet Baby Rays. Add 1oz of your favorite whiskey or bourbon to about two cups of sauce. Mix and put on your ribs. You don't have to add the booze of course, but it just adds another layer of flavor to the finished product and is often the difference between someone saying those are "awesome ribs" or "those are the best ribs I have ever had".
You don't have to sauce at all of course, simple dry rub ribs are the bomb too.
Pull your ribs from the smoker anywhere between 200-205. The sweet spot seems to be 203, just like with pulled pork. If you want a little tug to your ribs, pull them at 190-195, or sooner if you prefer. Remember, only you can determine what the best ribs ever made were. Open the foil and let them cool/rest.
The only thing left to do is have family and good friends gather around your labor of love and watch them disappear! Cheers to you my friends, and keep on smoking.
P.S. Please forgive my typo's, I'm not the best at catching everything
That being said, some have had my ribs and have asked me to write something on how my process works. I am not sure why to be honest, mine are no better than anyone else's, but here goes.
I choose to use spareribs. Generally I feel that the meat is more tender and it has that "bacon" like quality because it comes from low on the belly. If you are a baby-back fan, go for it, those are awesome too. Depending on the size of your smoker and whether or not you are hanging them, the baby back might be the better choice for size and weight in your particular rig. I have found that the baby-back's do tend to take hanging a bit better than spareribs. On to the show.
Do I dry brine my ribs the day before? Yes, no, sometimes. I know, that sounds wishy-washy. Some people swear by dry brining with ribs, I have found that it does not make a great difference in the taste to dry brine for eight hours verses two. Perhaps it is the thickness of the meat, I'm not sure. So, as the smoker is warming up and I am prepping the meat, I pull the membranes, salt them and put them in the fridge for a couple hours before the cook.
When you take your ribs from the vacuum pack, rinse them to be sure there are no loose bone fragments. There rarely are. Trim to your desired level. I keep my trimming to a minimum or not at all, preferring to just let the fat roll off in the smoker and make the neighborhood smell awesome.
Pulling the membrane. The easiest way is to do it when the ribs are still "fridge" cold. They tear less and are easier to hold. Use a butter knife on the second rib from the end and pry up the membrane. Go slow at first until you get the hang of it. Then use a piece of a dry paper towel to hold onto the slick skin and pull. It should come right off with a firm tug.
Once you are happy with your trimming and removing the silver-skin, and salting (if desired), now you are ready for rub.
Many use Meathead's Memphis dust, and you can't go wrong with it.
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup American paprika
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoons rosemary powder
I personally leave off the white sugar and I half the ginger powder. Pork loves sugar but many have said that the added white sugar is a bit too much; I tend to agree. I will also add a little chili powder or maybe your favorite Cajun flavor just for a little kick, but not to make them "hot" ribs.
Mix some mustard with a splash of malt vinegar (apple cider will do too). The vinegar helps thin the mustard and adds a layer of flavor. Rub a little on your ribs to help the rub stick. I would encourage you not to skip this step. The small amount of vinegar that you will use makes a defference in the tase of your final product. It is subtle, but you will miss it once you leave it off and wish you had not forgotten. Generously rub your ribs top and bottom.
The smoker is ready, on we go. (225 - 250)
Now we just have to let the smoke roll. I use a mix of hickory and white oak that is found all over here in North Carolina. Let me just say, you can use all the rubs, salts, and sauces you want, but if you don't get good smoke on your meat it will always be missing something. I would rather have no rub at all and good smoke than to have the best rubs and little smoke. BBQ without smoke is not BBQ, it's just oven cooked meat.
That said, cooking with wood will always be my number one choice. Charcoal is good, pellets are good, even a slow cooker can make tender ribs, but you will never make better bbq than what is done by burning wood to smoke your meats.Blu wanted to know when we were going to eat.
About 2 1/2 -3 hours on the smoker, depending on how constant your heat is, check your temps. They should be in the 150-160 range. It is about this time that your meat will quite "taking smoke". I then pull them from the smoker, add some sauce, and wrap in either foil or butcher paper. The merits of both have been discussed over and over. Foil works great for me because I am looking for "fall off the bone" ribs. If you want a little tug to your bite of rib then use butcher paper or continue cooking naked. Cooking without any wrap will create a much crispier bark. Again, cook to your taste or those you are cooking for.
I pull half way (maybe 3/4) through the cook, sauce, and wrap in foil. Ribs at 225-250 usually take about five hours. Once you wrap, you can bring the temp up to 275 to shorten the time some, but good BBQ takes time; just relax and let them cook.
A quick note about the sauce. If I am not making my own sauce I will choose one like Sweet Baby Rays. Add 1oz of your favorite whiskey or bourbon to about two cups of sauce. Mix and put on your ribs. You don't have to add the booze of course, but it just adds another layer of flavor to the finished product and is often the difference between someone saying those are "awesome ribs" or "those are the best ribs I have ever had".
You don't have to sauce at all of course, simple dry rub ribs are the bomb too.
Pull your ribs from the smoker anywhere between 200-205. The sweet spot seems to be 203, just like with pulled pork. If you want a little tug to your ribs, pull them at 190-195, or sooner if you prefer. Remember, only you can determine what the best ribs ever made were. Open the foil and let them cool/rest.
The only thing left to do is have family and good friends gather around your labor of love and watch them disappear! Cheers to you my friends, and keep on smoking.
P.S. Please forgive my typo's, I'm not the best at catching everything
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