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Need Advice on Sous Vide Ribs.

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    Need Advice on Sous Vide Ribs.

    I plan on heading out to Zion Ut next month and would like to take a couple pre-cooked slabs to finish on my BGE.
    .
    So, my questions are these:
    .
    I know time and temps, do I apply rub and or sauce before the sous vide bath or do I apply before I finish on the egg?
    How long will the ribs hold in the fridge 4 or 5 days? Or should I freeze them?
    When I finish on my egg, what temp and for how long or should I just sear and keep flipping?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Tim

    #2
    I don't SV much, but based on what I've read, I'd freeze them. They can go on the grill without much thaw and should come out great.

    Comment


      #3
      So, Tim, as I always say, you have to start with the end in mind. How you finish on the grill depends on what your expectation is. If you are doing a time/temp combo that is supposed to produce BBQ ribs like texture, then I wouldn't do a fast sear. I would reheat them low and slow until the bark is set somewhat. fzxdoc's recent pastrami experiment makes me think you will build better bark by rubbing post sous vide, but hours ahead of the reheat and finish. If practical, I would have them fridge cold on the morning of the cook, rub and fridge in the AM, fire up the grill and expect maybe a 2 hour slow to finish.

      As alternatives, you could retherm to 130 with sous vide or just hot tap water, then sear or bake on a glaze. As I said, it's all about what you want the end result to be.

      If you have a good vac seal on the ribs, and you are cooking them at a pasteurizing time/temp combination, they should be fine for 4-5 days in the fridge, as long as you don't open the bag. I keep things in their bags in the fridge for over a week, sometimes two... they are pasteurized by the SV cooking, so they're pretty shelf stable at fridge temps.

      Comment


      • SoCalTim
        SoCalTim commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank You - This really helps! Tim

      #4
      SoCalTim You're taking the egg all the way to Zion?

      Comment


      • SoCalTim
        SoCalTim commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeah, I done it before ... I pack it very carefully.

      #5
      Pretty much what Potkettleblack said.

      Ribs that turn out nice and tender are pasteurised by default, and pasteurised meat in proper vacuum can last 3-4 weeks in a cold (under 2 C / 36 F) fridge. It's very, very unlikely that they'll spoil.

      There are, however, two things that can get you in trouble:
      1. Improper seal on the bags or punctures.

        Ribs are relatively difficult to bag: they have sharp bones that can puncture a hot plastic bag even though they looked ok when cold, and bits of rub can get in the way of a good seal. It should be pretty obvious during or right after the SV cook whether you have a bad bag on your hands, but there's still a chance of a slow leak that can reveal itself only after a day or so, and lead to oxidation and off flavours.

        This is a problem whether you keep them in the fridge (spoilage/funkiness) or in the freezer (freezer burn and oxidation), so I'd keep an eye on those bags for the first couple of days post-SV.
      2. Off-flavours due to long-term storage.

        Even if your bags are perfectly sealed, pork that's stored in the fridge for a few days gets a characteristic hammy smell (from fat breakdown, I believe?).

        Personally I find that it's completely gone after finishing on the grill, especially for ribs, so I myself don't worry about it, but I also have been brought up with funky European charcuterie, so my taste is probably not your guests' taste.

        I prefer to freeze immediately and thaw when needed, just for peace of mind (and even though the fridge is perfectly safe).
      As for technique, I like to dry brine first, then a little rub for flavour, bag immediately and cook, chill completely, then apply a light slather with lots more rub, and set my bark at 150 C / 300 F. In my kettle that takes just over an hour (definitely less than two), doesn't burn the sugars in the rub, and is just long enough to get the ribs nice and hot without having to rest them before eating. I don't sauce so I'm not sure if 300 F would work to get a nice sizzle going on that.

      Of course that means that if your rub has sugar in it, you will be curing your meat with sugar (in addition to the salt in the dry brine step) while you cook it and as long as you keep it refrigerated. I like pork that's sweetish throughout, but if that bothers you, you could leave the sugar out of the rub you put in the bag.

      I don't feel qualified to judge how my bark or smoke ring turn out with my technique as opposed to cooking "naked" so I defer to the more experienced members of the Swine Mind

      Comment


      • dtassinari
        dtassinari commented
        Editing a comment
        Breadhead I'm a pastry chef with a degree in physics... How else would I brine?

      • Breadhead
        Breadhead commented
        Editing a comment
        dtassinari I like it... someone around here to gets it.👍 It's much more simple and accurate!

      • Potkettleblack
        Potkettleblack commented
        Editing a comment
        On the other hand, maybe some folks like the hamminess. Wife kind of does.

      #6
      I've never considered SVing ribs. Ribs are only a 4 to 6 hour cook usually and doing them low and slow at 225° just seems sacred. I don't mess with the BBQ God's when it comes to ribs!😬

      Comment


      • EdF
        EdF commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm of the same school.

      • Potkettleblack
        Potkettleblack commented
        Editing a comment
        I kind of agree with this, but had a bad experience with a rack of ribs that went sideways in SV, also.

      #7
      I think that is a very good comment Breadhead, I have thought about SV ribs but the more I think about I have a tendency to overcook ribs so they fall apart anyway so I think to SV them they might be fall apart tender before I ever get them to the smoker. I don't want to upset the BBQ gods either! LOL

      Comment


        #8
        Originally posted by Breadhead View Post
        I've never considered SVing ribs. Ribs are only a 4 to 6 hour cook usually and doing them low and slow at 225° just seems sacred. I don't mess with the BBQ God's when it comes to ribs!😬
        Here's the deal, I'm gonna be camping in a few weeks, my plan is to do 10 racks, the PBC will ONLY do 8 ... so I was gonna do a couple precooked and finish them at the river. I'm only too sure the BBQ God's would approve.

        Comment


        • Breadhead
          Breadhead commented
          Editing a comment
          Probably so...👍 But be sure to pray to the BBQ God's before you start that cook.😬

        • vandy
          vandy commented
          Editing a comment
          I think you will be fine Tim, especially since you are doing most of them the traditional way. Keep those BBQ gods happy! lol

        • smokinfatties
          smokinfatties commented
          Editing a comment
          I'd trade a couple Tri tips to smoke up while the 8 racks of ribs are resting then you can get some variety and the same amount of people fed, or more! I'm just too lazy

        #9
        Just out of curiosity, SoCalTim , what's your camping situation like? Because if your refrigeration is less than spot on, precooking the ribs sounds even smarter. Holding cooked ribs in a cooler during travel, and then at 4-5 C / 40-45 F for a couple of days is not ideal but no biggie; doing the same with raw ribs, even brined, would have me worried. So I guess I'm saying you made the right choice

        Comment


        • hogdog6
          hogdog6 commented
          Editing a comment
          Zion in July or August is HOT, lots of ice if you do not have an RV with a fridge. I agree pre cooked good idea. Used to live near Zion it's a beautiful place. Angels Landing and the Narrows are great hikes. Stay hydrated and eat great BBQ.

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