Recently we set out on a journey of exploration, a journey focused
on one key factor: Does
First we thought we’d talk with a local butcher to get a handle on
a nice set of pork baby back ribs. The
butcher gave us the ins and outs of fresh pork versus the heavy plastic film
wrapped ribs you might see at your local supermarket. While both meats are virtually the same the
dramatic difference is the fact that the more liquid you see in the plastic
wrapped packages the more the meats telling you that it’s been flash frozen and
sealed possible a hundred or more miles away then trucked and frozen again in
the grocer’s storage system. The
packages were then brought out and left to thaw possibly for days until some
unsuspecting customer picked them up to take home. That liquid in the pack directly translates
to the loss of flavor and dryness the meat results in after grilling. Remember, if the liquid is in the pack it
ain’t in the meat and you can’t just automatically inject it or have it
absorbed back into the meat. That liquid
is gone and only some unnatural manipulations will bring moisture back into the
meat.
Next we thought we’d spend some time on understanding the best natural dry rubs for sale. We are aware of many products in the market
natural, and of course those laden with unnatural ingredients or as we might
say “flavor-enhancers”. Locating natural dry rubs for sale may not be as
difficult as one thinks. Just like the
majority of products at your grocers it can be relatively easy to determine the
difference between natural and unnatural just by looking at the packages. Noting the differences in the ingredient
statements on items like sugar, msg, chemical extracts, gluten or soy
derivatives. I’ve always heard it
“whatever you put in your body is what you get out”. That statement has stuck
with me ever since my high school competition days. And even now we focus on natural dry rubs for sale whenever we get the opportunity.
Now that we’ve got a handle on the meat and dry rubs let’s get a
quick handle on the wood. We’ll assume
that you’re using basic lump charcoal in a Weber grill. So, let’s discuss wood for a second. We like the richness and flavors of Red Oak
woods. We’ve used peach, almond,
hickory, mesquite, alder, cherry and a very subtle wood grape vine. We like Red Oak because it yields a pleasant
rich oak aroma combined with a texture that doesn’t overpower the senses. The wood is perfect for beef and pork and is
used religiously in some parts of the Central West. Of course if I were smoking a turkey or
chicken I would consider using a mesquite, almond or alder. We will also assume that you’re going to
barbecue 1 slab of baby back ribs so let’s look at two segments 4 ounces each
of wood.
So, let’s zero in now, we
got everything we need, the grill, the meat, the natural dry rubs for sale, the wood, the charcoal, and if it
didn’t mention it you will need time about 4 hours and of course a way to light
the charcoal.
In our journey we tried multiple combinations of woods, charcoal,
cooking time, grilling with the vents open and halfway closed and just plain
going for it all out with lots of wood and lots of charcoal squirreled away in
on one section of the grill. We at this
point were like the three bears; one was too dry, while the other was too
uncooked, while finally the last one was just right. So, here’s how we did it.
Our Weber grill is about 18 inches across which we purchased about
10 years ago. This grill has seen a
couple hundred barbecues in that time.
One thing….if you don’t know the difference between grilling and barbecue
and why sometimes these terms are interchanged we’ll spell that out for you
here. The term barbecue refers back to
the Caribbean and Spanish term "barbacoa" referencing cooking in a low and slow
method. It does not always mean using
charcoal but most certainly means the food is cooked slowly for hours as in a
hog is cradled between a wired source and buried underground on a bed of
charcoal and hot rocks. Grilling refers
to high heat cooking in the case of something you might see in a fancy steakhouse
restaurant. If you were to ask for ribs
in that restaurant you’ll realize that it won’t take an hour and a half to make
them instead the ribs will be held at a cooling temperature then when selected,
salted and peppered then placed on the grill.
Some chefs might choose to put them in the oven for a few minutes
followed be a last surface grill with a sauce added which is then caramelized
on the grill surface with the meat plated at that point and served. Grilling allows the cook time to be cut down
to mere 20 or 30 minutes as opposed to two hours. In a lot of restaurants the meat is precooked
and reheated on the grill with sauce placed on just at the last minute then
seared on the grill for presentation.
So, we are focused on barbecue.
Let’s understand this will take three and a half to 4 hours. We decided to layout our charcoal to create
an almost three quarter circle around the grill. The charcoal was one layer of two rows side
by side with one layer of charcoal on top of the rows. We then laid two sections four ounces each of
red oak wood on top of the charcoal about eight inches from the front starter
row of charcoal and the second segment about midway of the circular row of
charcoal. To get the party started we
took about 10 charcoal briquettes and placed them in a fire starting
chimney. We used standard newspaper
under the chimney. At the very bottom of
the chimney we sat it on aluminum foil which was sitting atop concrete. We lit the fire and waited about 15 minutes
until the charcoals had a reasonable ash on them. We used long tongs to place the charcoals one
by one at the head of the starter briquettes in the same fashion side by side
with a briquette on top. By doing this
step it would allow the temperature to regulate faster and would slowly start
the next connecting charcoal briquette as the forward most briquettes started
to burn out thus continuing the burn cycle all the way through the cooking
process. Our key temperature was
somewhere around 225 degrees. We say
“key” because try as we may it was near impossible to manage the temperature to
that level. We saw readings of 200, then
240, then 235, then 250 and so we notched down the top vents of the grill to
restrict the air flow and thus adjust the temperature. The bottom vents were wide open to receive as
must air as necessary and not starve the charcoal. When the wood came into play the burning
drove the temperature up about 15 degrees somewhere around 250 degrees. No matter how many times I slow smoked ribs I
always received the same results with an increase of about 15 degrees from wood. One other thing, I managed the temperatures
with a remote digital temperature probe.
The probe allowed me to be within 100 feet of the grill and still
receive accurate readings.
So, now I’ve seasoned the meat using the natural dry rubs for sale we purchased. I’ve got my fire ready and the temperature
has been running a reasonable 220 to 245 degrees. I will tell you that I added a small aluminum
pan filled with water. The pan allowed me
to create a little steam in the grill which would help in adding moisture to
the meat. Also in the slow smoking
barbecue process the meat is never placed directly over the fire. The meat is always kept away from the fire
and the vent on the lid is placed over the meat which will allow the smoke to
draw over the meat thus aiding in the smoke layer.
Once the lid is on we simply watched the temperatures. We did not lift the lid unless the temperature
got unreasonably high. The only thing we
did was adjust the top vents on the grill then check back about 5 minutes after
to see the results of the change. We
adjusted the vent about 10 times during the course of the smoking cycle.
Now as we said our targeted cooking time is about three and a half
hours. That time is dependent on the
thickness of the baby back ribs you purchase.
If thinner in size then three hours will do. After the three hour time confirm the
temperature on your remote readout or slowly remove the lid allowing the smoke
to exit away from you then take a temperature probe and insert that between the
bones of the meat to confirm. Some say
at this point you can remove, let rest for about 10 minutes then serve. Others want to add back some moisture by
wrapping the ribs in foil then adding liquid like apple juice, brown sugar and
honey in the foil, followed by placing the ribs back on the grill for another
hour or so. I’ve done it both ways and
placing them back on does add moisture and flavor. However, if you’ve reached the eating hour forego
the foil process and simply slice the ribs and serve.
The results were fantastic.
Slow smoking allows wood smoke to penetrate the surface of the
meat. It’s one of the few ways that you
can directly change the taste of the meat to match your preferred desires. I recommend a journey of your own
exploration but follow the steps in our post to help cut out on the actions you
may not want or need.
There are many ways to
cook ribs. We hope that this post helps
you understand how we demystified the process of slow smoking in a Weber
grill. Our biggest aids were time, charcoal,
a great natural dry rub for sale and
of course a decent cut of meat. Visit www.jakesfamousfoods.com to buy
natural dry rubs for sale online. Planning a large party? Or
do you own a restaurant or catering company you too can shop our Bulk Products
and order online? You can also shop our individually sized dry rubs and
condiments for your special BBQ as well as get your hands on some
mouth-watering special BBQ recipes. Get them today.
Here’s a glaze recipe to take your ribs to the next level.
Raspberry Bourbon Glaze
Ingredients
¼ Cup Jake’s Really Good Original BBQ Sauce
¼ Cup Butter
1 Cup Raspberry Jelly or minced Raspberries
2 Medium Onions, minced
¾ Cup Bourbon or Substitute like vanilla extra, Champagne or
sparkling grape juice
2/3 Cup Ketchup
½ Cup Cider Vinegar
½ Cup Fresh Orange Juice
½ Cup Maple Syrup
1/3 Cup Molasses (Unsulphured)
2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Salt
Steps:
1. In a large saucepan melt the butter
with the oil over medium heat
2. Add the Onions and sauté for 5
minutes, cooking until they begin to turn golden.
3. Add remaining ingredients into the
sauce pan; reduce heat to low and cook until mixture thickens about 45 minutes
or so stirring frequently.
Let rest about 5 minutes and serve.
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