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Love wings but also love some meaty & juicy ribs

So I decided to try a new method. I saw somewhere recently where it was postulated that some rubs can inhibit the smoke from penetrating the meat. As such, it was recommended to only use salt and pepper as a rub in order to maximize the smokiness. And in fairness, my wings, which usually do not get a rub, do come out smokier than my ribs which do get a rub. But I also didn't want to miss out on the flavor my current rub of choice provides. So I decided to do a little experiment using the 3-2-1 method of cooking with the only variation being that the ribs only had salt and pepper while they were in the smoke.

First I seasoned the a rack of St. Louis cut last night with only kosher salt and fresh black pepper and allowed them to sit on a wire rack, uncovered overnight. Then this morning, I fired up the smoker like I normally would and placed them on for 3 hours at ~250-275. After 3 hours, this is what I had:
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Now I decided to wrap them with a bit of a mop sauce I made. The mop sauce contained 1tbsp of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of ACV, 1 tbsp of bacon grease, 2 tbsp of Killer Hog's, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, and about a tbsp of Sweet Baby Ray's to help mellow out the ACV. I lightly brushed that on both sides of the ribs, wrapped them meat side down, and cooked for 2 hours. After the wrap period was up, I dusted them with some more Killer Hogs, and continued on for that final hour of cooking.

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After that hour, I let them sit, covered, for about 30 minutes before slicing and sampling.

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There was definitely a more pronounced smoky flavor, and I still got to enjoy the dry rub too. I'm probably going to do all of my ribs like this going forward.

 
Ok, those pictures just make me hungry.  The ribs look delicious...I bet even Adam would eat one of those.

 
Seems like if you like more smokey flavor leave them unwrapped. I typically put the rub on and just let them go until they are done. takes longer without the wrap, but they come out excellent. 

 
Spur's Addiction said:
Seems like if you like more smokey flavor leave them unwrapped. I typically put the rub on and just let them go until they are done. takes longer without the wrap, but they come out excellent. 
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I've done that and not achieved the flavor that just salt and pepper did. I got the idea from watching the way Aaron Franklin does his ribs. He does a spritz and sauce plus wrapping. I just decided to try getting more of a dry rub texture instead.

 
My recipe, obtained from my nephew who is an excellent chef, is delicious but simple and yields delicious moist ribs every time.

First, I score the membrane on the bottom, which is much easier than removing and accomplishes the same thing.

Next, I rub yellow mustard all over the ribs as a binder....even all over but not too thick. I don't think it's a flavorizer, just a binder for whatever rub you like. I LOVE Butt Rub, available pretty cheap at Costco in nice big bottles, but lately I've just been using some good pink salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I use a basting sauce as follows.... makes enough for one cook - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup apple juice, 1 tblsp garlic powder, 1 tblsp cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar.

I just set the temp on my Traeger grill - getchya a pellet grill!!! - at 190 degrees for the first hour and a half because you get the heaviest smoke under 225. I cook the entire time rib side down. After an hour and a half I start basting every 30 - 45 minutes. You'll discover that the mustard is such an excellent binder that you can baste with a brush and your rub or salt and pepper stays put. At this time I raise the cooking temp to 225 or 250 depending how hungry I am. A beautiful bark and color will develop very slowly I think due to the brown sugar. I don't do anything else but baste and cook at that temperature until the meat has receded on the bones maybe a half inch or so. This is a key indicator that your meat is going to be tender and delicious! There are some awesome rib pics above this post that show how your ribs will look when the meat recedes - note you see a half inch or so of bone. Be careful taking the ribs off the grill because they might fall apart. Total cooking time for a 5-6 lb rack of st louis ribs is usually 7 -8 hours. Some folks wrap their ribs in foil or butcher paper for the last one or two hours of the cook but it will soften them up and negate the beautiful bark, but if you like your ribs falling off the bones that will happen when you wrap during the cook. I prefer to pick up those ribs and pull the meat off the bones, so I wrap the ribs after they're cooked and let them rest for no longer than 15 to 20 minutes before meal time. Resting is key to moist ribs. If you cooked until the meat receded on the bones the meat will easily and completely separate from the bones when you munch down and you will still taste the delicious outside bark. These ribs have a light sweet mild vinegary taste which accents the meat but doesn't obscure the smokey delicious savory swine flavor.

By the way, I don't use my internal meat thermometer with ribs. The keys to knowing when your ribs are done are visual - meat receding up on the bones and also, if you try to lift the ribs in the middle with tongs they will fold very easily and might even separate if you're not careful. Be patient and cook until they are the way you want them. You've always got to prepare for your cook to make sure you have enough cooking time before meal time. I've ruined a lot of meat trying to rush them in time for dinner.

Hope this is helpful and not preachy. Enjoy a fine slow cooked delicacy with your family and friends. It's all about the memories, y'all!

 
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cocky0 said:
So I decided to try a new method. I saw somewhere recently where it was postulated that some rubs can inhibit the smoke from penetrating the meat. As such, it was recommended to only use salt and pepper as a rub in order to maximize the smokiness. And in fairness, my wings, which usually do not get a rub, do come out smokier than my ribs which do get a rub. But I also didn't want to miss out on the flavor my current rub of choice provides. So I decided to do a little experiment using the 3-2-1 method of cooking with the only variation being that the ribs only had salt and pepper while they were in the smoke.

First I seasoned the a rack of St. Louis cut last night with only kosher salt and fresh black pepper and allowed them to sit on a wire rack, uncovered overnight. Then this morning, I fired up the smoker like I normally would and placed them on for 3 hours at ~250-275. After 3 hours, this is what I had:


Now I decided to wrap them with a bit of a mop sauce I made. The mop sauce contained 1tbsp of dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of ACV, 1 tbsp of bacon grease, 2 tbsp of Killer Hog's, 1 tbsp of brown sugar, and about a tbsp of Sweet Baby Ray's to help mellow out the ACV. I lightly brushed that on both sides of the ribs, wrapped them meat side down, and cooked for 2 hours. After the wrap period was up, I dusted them with some more Killer Hogs, and continued on for that final hour of cooking.



After that hour, I let them sit, covered, for about 30 minutes before slicing and sampling.





There was definitely a more pronounced smoky flavor, and I still got to enjoy the dry rub too. I'm probably going to do all of my ribs like this going forward.
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Those are definitely beautiful perfect ribs! My compliments to the chef!

 
I thought I had eaten plenty of good steaks in my time, but since I started SMOKING steaks I simply can't believe the flavor! One of the key advantages of a pellet grill is you can just cook a couple of steaks or a small quantity of chicken or other meat for just one meal. Anyway, I'm not a fancy cooker and if I weren't so damned lazy I could improve a lot, but the key is, fancy recipes aren't really necessary for a big juicy smokey steak! 

First things first, get a big thick well marbled ribeye or strip steak from Costco. Usually Costco's steaks are cut 2 - 2 1/2 inches thick. Most folks are going to ruin that meat on a gas or charcoal grill, especially if they try to sear the steak. But on my pellet grill I can set the grill temp at 190 degrees and using my internal meat thermometer I smoke the steaks precisely to 112 degrees at which time I transfer them to my gas grill preheated to between 500 to 600 degrees to reverse sear the steaks, which means searing the meat at the end of the cook as opposed searing at a high temp when you first put them on the grill. Using a portable internal thermometer with a probe, I cook the steaks to 122 degrees before taking them up to rest for a few minutes before meal time. Only takes a minute or two on each side to sear and bring that internal temp up to perfect medium rare. By the way, flip the steaks during the sear every minute or so for even heating.

Smoke the steaks with your favorite rub and you're going to be completely startled at the explosion of flavor when you taste that smokey beef! I don't even want a steak that isn't smoked anymore. It might take an hour to an hour and a half but it is worth it!  

 
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cocky0 said:
Yes I know. It isn't a matter of price or availability. My wife bought one for me for Father's Day this year - or at least she thought she did. What she actually bought was a replacement probe for one. Knowing her the way I do, she probably plans to get the rest of it for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. And there's a better than average chance that she already bought it and it's hiding around the house somewhere.

It's all good. I learned to do without one a long time ago, so it's really not that big of a deal.
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When I click the link I'm getting an infrared thermometer like they use to take your temperature at the doctor. No probes or anything like that. Would you mind providing the name of the thermometer you got? My Traeger has one internal thermometer but it would be great to have something with more probes to track internal temperatures in different parts of a big piece of meat. Thank you!

 
picknroll said:
When I click the link I'm getting an infrared thermometer like they use to take your temperature at the doctor. No probes or anything like that. Would you mind providing the name of the thermometer you got? My Traeger has one internal thermometer but it would be great to have something with more probes to track internal temperatures in different parts of a big piece of meat. Thank you!
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I think you meant to quote Spurs Addiction. Either way, this is the probe I use now.

https://www.weber.com/US/en/accessories/accessories-by-category/tools--et--cookware/igrill-2/7203.html

 
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picknroll said:
Yes, I goofed but thank you for the link! You seem like a BBQ expert! I was so impressed with those PERFECT ribs you cooked. Cheers!
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I have a 6-probe one I got on amazon for like 40 bucks a few years ago. There are a bunch of them on there. Connects to your phone. 

I got it when I started smoking pork, but now I use it fir everything. chicken, steak, etc. Takes the guessing out of smoking, grilling. No more overcooking, or undercooking. 

 
Spur's Addiction said:
I have a 6-probe one I got on amazon for like 40 bucks a few years ago. There are a bunch of them on there. Connects to your phone. 

I got it when I started smoking pork, but now I use it fir everything. chicken, steak, etc. Takes the guessing out of smoking, grilling. No more overcooking, or undercooking. 
Click to expand...
Thank you. Yes, I've been cooking everything to temp for a while, but have another thermometer I use for steaks, chicken breasts, etc. Nevertheless, I believe in low and slow on everything these days. If I want to sear something it's always a reverse sear.

 
cocky0 said:
Nah I'm no expert. I just like to do a lot of cooking.
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Well, practice makes perfect, right? Anything that looks as good as what you're cookin' has GOTTA taste excellent!

 
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