Lock, Stock and One Smoking Barrel......

Jake's Ugly Drum Smoker

Whether it's warming up with the blooming of flowers, the tweeting of birds and the obvious hints of sunny days ahead or it's rain and snow with cooler days in the forecast, it's always a good time to barbecue.  And as predictable as these signs are, so are the signs of barbecue season.  But wait, there’s a new old wave that’s coming through the season.  And that wave is the rise of the UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker), or plainly enough smoking in barrels with removable tops.  Now Jake’s relatives have been smoking meats for generations and we’ve been building smokers for the better part of 40 years but recently we decided to make an exceptional Ugly Drum Smoker that we consider to be the "Creme de La Creme" of barrel smokers. While all that’s good and fine what’s been missing for most is the practical uses of these UDS units. 

Many can tell you how to build an ugly Drum Smoker or what to expect and even where to buy the parts but there just seems to be a shortage of easy to use, convenient recipes and instructions for cooking.  So, to get you on your way I’ve included one of our easiest smoking recipes, smoked barbecue ribs.  In this recipe I take you from the front door to the back porch and ultimately to the table with these step by step instructions.  Keep in mind smoking meats is wonderful but takes time and planning.  One should begin the planning process at least a day in advance of the smoking to get things perfect.  When the smoking begins try to dedicate at least 6 hours to the entire process.  While you’re not standing around staring at the barrel for 6 hours, you are in fact monitoring the process for that period of time.  So, let’s get started. 

Smoking Jake’s Famous Barbecue Ribs:

There are many ways to smoke ribs making them succulent, sweet tasty and full with a natural smoky flavor. This method uses a water smoker which not only delivers the richness of smoke but adds additional juiciness to the ribs through the use of water.  The process cleans up nicely and the results are fantastic. Because we are using a UDS we will focus on the use of charcoal and the components necessary to make that work. If you have a smoker with a heat element or gas system you can still achieve the smokiness that you desire. Most of these steps translate directly to your preferred method. 

Preparatory steps:

-Assumptions:  We’re going to assume that you’ll either be smoking the ribs on a Saturday or Sunday.  That would mean that either on Friday or Saturday you’re going to have all the necessary materials at your disposal to ensure that things go well on the DoS (Day of Smoke).  In addition to the UDS we’re going to assume that you have some way of hanging meat in suspension over the charcoal as it’s cooking either by hooks or by some other hanging method.  We’ll also assume that you’re going to be eating your meal on the DoS in the afternoon of either day.

Ingredients:

1 UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker)

1 Standard Bag of Regular or Non-Matchlight® Charcoal**

1 Rack of Ribs (at least 13 bones in a standard rack)

1 pan/dish to carry at least 1 Quart of Water

4 Tablespoons of Jake’s Tri-Tip Steak and Rib Rub (Natural Dry Rub)

4 Tablespoons of Standard Yellow Table Mustard

2 Cups of Wood Chips (Hickory, Alder, Cherry whatever you prefer)

1 Roll of Foil Wrap Aluminum

1 Chimney Fire starter

Rib Rubs
Seasoning pork or beef ribs beforehand enhances the flavor when the ribs are finally cooked.  The best Dry Rub Rib mixture will allow the meat to marinate evenly throughout the ribs.  Since Jake’s makes and sells it very own pure, natural seasoning that is rich with flavor and full of battle tested ingredient to improve the quality of your barbecue, our Tri-Tip Steak and Rib Rub is an easy choice for us.  But if you don’t have a dry rub there are a couple of ways we can remedy this.  One, you can simply go to our website  for the best selections of dry rub and generous amounts of bbq recipes.  By going to our site you get access to some amazing products that improve the end results of your process.  Get access to the best products at www.jakesfamousfoods.com and order your dry rub using code: 1707200910 at checkout which will give you a 10% discount.  Or you can go to our website at www.jakesfamousfoods.com and search for a copy of one of our open source recipes for dry rubs that we have available free for any site visitor.  Just type in “dry rub recipe” in the search box and you’ll be taken to the web page listing the recipes.

Continuing on with dry rubs we've added a video review done by "Bad Beast Barbecue" in which he reviews our Tri-Tip Steak and Rib Rub along with our premium version slightly spicy but savory Chipotle Dry Rub on smoked ribs.  We hope you enjoy.



  
Before applying the dry rub you’ll need to clean your ribs.  Take the ribs if they’re pork and simply use a paper towel and your fingers to remove as much of the white membrane on the backside of the ribs.  This membrane barrier when removed allows you to deliver more flavors from the dry rub directly to the meat. After cleaning pat the ribs dry with a paper towel to remove any excess water moisture.  Lay down a long piece of aluminum foil enough to wrap the ribs in when completed.  Following the foil lay the ribs on top of the foil.  Coat the rib with the yellow mustard on both sides of the meat.  If you used your hands to coat the meat you must thoroughly clean your hands to prepare for the next step.  Follow the mustard with the dry rub coating both sides thoroughly.  When done coating cover the ribs with the foil wrap.  Seal as much of the ribs as possible with the wrap.  Now, take the ribs and place them in your refrigerator where they will rest overnight.  The combination of dry rub and mustard will help tenderize the meat and make it juicier when cooked. 

Next Day DoS: 

Since you’ll need at least 6 hours of smoke time it’s a good idea to get the grill ready by 9 AM.  We’ll assume that you’ll have all the items and ingredients you need and that you’ll light the fire at 9 AM.  First position your UDS so that you will be upwind from the unit.  Remember it will be smoking most of the day so ensuring that you’re not in the smokes’ cross hairs will run favorably in your direction especially if you have a few sensitive family members or a testy neighbor. 

Remove the charcoal basket from the UDS and fill with Regular Non- Matchlight®  charcoal.  Place the basket back into the UDS and ensure that the vents which provide air to the unit are all the way open. Take a handful of smoke chips and place them onto the charcoal.  Also, take the soaked chips and split them into two piles. Do not discard the water from the chips as we will use this later in the process.  Take each pile and wrap them in aluminum foil.  Tear a hole in the foil to allow smoke to rise from the foil.  Take the packets and place on the outer edges of the charcoal.  Take enough of the charcoal left to fill the Chimney fire starter.  Take a couple of strips of newspaper and ball them up.  After balling or wading them up place them under the starter.  The starter should be placed on a stone or metal surface.  Remember this unit will get hot, ensure that it is not placed anywhere that kids or adults may accidentally come in contact with the unit.  Also, ensure that the unit is not placed in doors when starting or on any surface that might catch fire.

These steps are critical to your health and safety, do not take them lightly.   Once the fire starter is placed take either a match, lighter or barbecue lighter and light the paper underneath the chimney starter.  Within moments you’ll see the smoke from the burning paper rise up through the charcoal.  The intense heat of the flame against the bottom charcoals fed by the open vents of the starter will allow the charcoal to begin burning and will ultimately act to start the fire on the surrounding charcoals. 

**Charcoal: Note, we recommend using non-matchlight® charcoal.  This use will allow the charcoal to burn naturally.  If you use matchlight® or similar then all the charcoal will light as one unit which converts your smoker from a smoker to a grill.  Since we’re attempting to smoke and not grill this would be detrimental to our process.  Now, you can use a few matchlight® briquettes at the bottom of the chimney starter if you’re having trouble getting the fire started.  Beyond, using matchlight® in the chimney starter I would hold it aside for the days in which you intend to grill and not smoke.

Once the Chimney starter is going let it burn for at least 10 minutes.  The objective is to get about half or more the charcoals lighted without having them burn white all the way.  This will help start the fire in the charcoal basket when transferred.  After the charcoals have reached their desired burn level use a heat protective glove or towel around the handle of the chimney to pick the unit up and dump the charcoals onto the charcoal basket.  When dumping the charcoals keep in mind there may be sparks for the charcoal or embers which may float around.  Be aware of the wind,  temperature and the area in which you are transferring the coals so as not to send sparks onto dry grass or brush.  Dump the coals over the center of the charcoal basket.  While the charcoals settle they will come in contact with the existing charcoals which will catch fire and begin to smolder.  As the heat builds you will begin to see smoke rise from the wood chip packets.  

Once the packets are smoking take a metal container or bowl and fill it with the water from the chips that were soaked.  Place the metal container on top of the charcoals directly in the center.  Make sure the container is level and keep in mind as the charcoals burn they will reduce in size causing the dish to change position.  Don’t let the dish shift too much because it may spill causing the water to cover the bottom on the smoker. If the water comes in contact with the smoker it may put your fire out.  A good way to determine something is wrong is by monitoring the temperature gauge.  If there is a dramatic drop in temperature then you know something is wrong and the smoker will need attendance. 

Options for water smoking include wine, juices or even beer. No matter the liquid or liquid combination you choose to smoke with, first soak your wood chips in this liquid. Depending on the flavor you want, you can vary the type of chips used. Alder, Mesquite, hickory and red oak are four of the most popular. Soak the wood chips for no less that 1 hour.  After soaking the chips, use the same liquid which will be poured in the water pan and used for the smoking process.

Once the charcoal is set remove your ribs from their foil and insert the hooks to hang the meat.  Transfer the meat to the smoker and hang.  Place the lid on the unit carefully and monitor the temperature.  A good smoking temperature is 200 degrees.  A great smoking temperature is closer to 225 degrees.  The best way to manage the amount of heat is through the movement of the air vent.  Adjusting the vent either open or close will deliver more or less air to the burning charcoals.  More air equals faster burn and of course less air means slower burn and longer cooking.  If you are cooking pork always be aware of the temperatures necessary to full cook the meat.  The temperature must be high enough to move the meat out of the known danger range to kill bacteria and allow the meat to cook.  If the meat stays in the danger range too long one can get sick or ill.  Having your smoker at 225-250 degrees will ensure that bacteria and illness never become a problem. 

Ongoing

It is a good idea to take at least one additional cup of smoking chips and have them soaked and ready for use.  After every 2 hours you should check on the water in the dish and also the wood chips.  If you need more water carefully pour more into the container without spilling or turning it over.  If you need more chips simply take a small handful and sprinkle them over the burning charcoals.  You may not need more charcoals but if you see them burning awful fast do two things, first, close the vent door to deprive the smoker of air which will slow the burn process, second, prepare more charcoal by filling the chimney starter.  Once the charcoal reaches its desired temperature fill the charcoal basket as necessary.  When filling the basket watch for charcoal dust spray as the charcoals land on the ones beneath.  If you have a large enough access door fill the basket from the access door. 

Monitor the temperature and allow the smoke to perform its magic.  Once the meat is cooked and rested add barbecue sauce after removing the ribs from the smoking process.

Slice the meat accordingly and plate with condiments, salsa, garlic bread and other items. 

Things to Avoid

Things to avoid are smoking on windy days or in areas where the smoke will drift causing irritation to neighbors or family members.  

One key issue that can't be repeated enough is heat management.  Keep the doors closed unless absolutely necessary.  Remember, open doors mean heat loss which means longer cooking periods which can also make meat tough.  Manage heat to improve the overall end result. 

If you follow all these steps your ribs should turn our perfectly, just remove, cut, and serve.

Happy Barbecuing!

Jake

How Much Smoke Is Enough...BBQ Wood Smoke That Is?

BBQ Charcoal with Wood Chips

We at Jake's Famous Foods have been making and managing Barbecues for the last 17 years and before that we were making barbecues when we were just knee high to a hound dog.....or at least that's how I've heard it said.  All total we've been making barbecues for some 40 plus years now.  One of the things people ask me most when they're not asking about managing the vents on the barbecue grill is about wood smoke.  It doesn't seem like that much of a topic but in actuality wood smoke and the use of wood in smoking is HUGE!

We could easily spend time on the type of wood and where the wood comes from or what's best for each type of grill.  Instead we're going to take time in this post to go over the amounts used and when the quantity of wood is too much.

In a nutshell the amount of wood used in a charcoal barbecue should be no more than 5 Ounces.  Most people perk up when you say a specific amount...why?  They say that because they've been told that the more wood you use the better.  They've also been told that soaking wood creates more smoke and is the best option when barbecuing.

People I think get concerned when they see food shows with famous notables literally tossing cords of wood into long lengths of barbecue grills.  On some of the shows they light off the wood using torches and flame throwers and that sets the mind to wandering...if a little wood is good why not a lot?  We'll answer the question of quantity along with questions on all the other aspects of wood right here.

First off wood is the culmination of growth in layers and that growth creates soft areas as well as hard areas that stand the test of time against stresses like storms or rain or harsh temperatures.  Although we tend to think of wood as hard, wood as defined by Webster's really is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other wood based plants.  It is organic and a natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong is tension and embedded between lignin that resists compression.  The laymen's term for lignin is the stuff that acts like glue basically called the polymers or structure to hold the tissues together.  Compression is simply the squeezing forces that are applied either by external winds, soil compaction or other factors.

The type of wood is determined primarily by location and the seed source and fuel used to grow the seeds into mature trees.  Meaning you might be hard pressed to find palm trees in the hills of West Virginia or in the Mojave desert.  But those same trees can be transplanted into those locations.  Although their resulting seed releases is not enough to overcome the seedlings that have been blooming in those regions for hundreds and thousands of years and thus their introduction would take a significant amount of time to be considered a long term viable source of wood fiber.

But more on the art of and use of wood in barbecues.  In the case of Charcoal barbecue grills let's consider the amount of surface area, the type of meat used and the length of the charcoal burn.  First let's spend time on the size of the grill not so much the shape of the grill.  We'll start by using the calculations for an 18 inch grill.  We'll also assume that the grill is equidistant on each dimension meaning that the grill is 18 inches wide by 18 inches tall by 18 inches deep.  This yields a cubic dimension totaling 5832 cubic inches or more likely 3.375 cubic feet.  Considering that we are recommending using 5 Ounces of smoking wood over the 3.375 cubic feet then we could assume that for each grill of larger or smaller size the best wood level would be equal to 1.481 Ounces of wood per cubic foot of volume.  A smaller 12 inch grill technically classified as 1 cubic foot of volume would then use 1.481 Ounces of wood.  A simple way to determine how much wood you would need without a scale is to consider filling the palm of your hand and if your figures when folded actually touch the thick portion of your palm then the material inside your palm approximately measures 1 Ounce.

BBQ Chips

Now that we've figured out how much wood we need how do we know when we've used too much?  There are two ways you can figure out if you've used too much, 1 by following the recommendations of those who've used literally hundreds of pounds of wood or by using the wood yourself on your next barbecue.  An even simpler way to figure out how much wood you need is to consider the type of meat and the weight of that meat.

By weight a 24 pound turkey may take more wood smoke than a 1 pound fish.  Similarly a 3 pound set of ribs may take more wood smoke than a chicken thigh.  If that's the case then how do you determine how much smoke is appropriate per type or weight of meat?

In the case of Chicken we typically use the full application of the 5 Ounce wood amount.  We do so because we want the tissues of the meat to fully absorb the wafting smoke over the course of the cooking cycle.  As a note I often tell folks that it's best to layer the smoke chips so that they give off their smoke in the first third to one half of the cooking cycle.  We do that because as the skin of the chicken for example tightens and dries the absorption of the smoke layer decreases and in fact one is actually layering smoke on the skin of the meat as opposed to the meat tissue.

The smoke ring is the culmination of the smoke concentration and is characterized by the red to auburn ring that permeates the first 1/16 to 1/4 inch of the meat.  When the meat is chewed the concentration of the wood smoke layer along with the newly cooked meat is combined to produce a sensational flavor level heightened by the type of wood smoke applied.

In cases where the meat is denser and more fibrous the application of wood smoke is desired to change the overall flavor of the meat from it's more natural taste to a mix that complements the meat with the addition of wood smoke.  Example, brisket smoking combines the application of wood smoke over a very long period of time up to 14 hours.  The meat is thick and thus the longer cooking period to break down the fat collagen and muscle tissue.  During the breakdown process the wood smoke is absorbed into the top layers of the meat.

Brisket much like any other meat can be cooked too long and smoked too long.  Friends have commented about their long labors to achieve the perfect brisket.  These same friends have started their brisket cycles well into the "wee-hours" of the night in their attempts to cook their brisket for 14-18 hours thinking that the more time the brisket spends on the grill under smoke, the more the brisket will finish out in the form of room temperature butter or at least that soft is the general idea.

Unfortunately, all too often they've found that their desire to achieve the perfect meat ended up in a expensive, wasted mess.  The meat finished in an almost black color and was much too dry, and too smoky with a very distinct bitter taste.  And when they perform their postmortem they discovered some basic facts.  Effectively they learned that less is more both in time and in seasonings as well as smoke.  When they cut their cooking cycle to 12 hours and their smoke amount to 5 Ounces as well as reduced their cooking flame to 250 degrees the resulting meat was tender with an almost buttery textured layer with just the right complement of smoke.

BBQ Brisket

And at the cost of brisket today they've now learned some valuable lessons about heat management along with simplest lesson about smoking woods.  They've now moved on to applications that involve differing types of woods almond, alder, pecan, oak, hickory and other types to create just the right flavors along with their mastery of the meat.

Timing the wood smoke release is as important as the amount of wood smoke that one uses.  We mentioned about changes in the meat as heat is applied.  Therefore it is important that the wood smoke flavor be applied during the formative transition stages of the meat when the meat is capable of absorbing the flavors deep within.  I suggest placing the wood chips within the first 1/3 of the cooking cycle.  I do this because maximum wood flavor can be applied at that time.  The remainder of the cooking cycle is simply a roasting process to finish the meat.

Oftentimes we will prepare our charcoals in the Snake Method format which is to say that two to three charcoal briquettes are continuously layered around the bottom ring of the grill.  After the layering of briquettes wood chips and thinly spread along the top of the briquettes.  As I get near the end of the wood chips I leave a small gap of about two inches for the placement of the remaining chips.  I leave the gap so as to allow the main ring of wood smoke to reach its full cycle on the grill as it is applied.  After 10 to 20 minutes of grilling or roasting a final layer of wood smoke is applied.  This final period of smoke can last up to 20 minutes and acts as a sort of seal in the process.  The results are always wonderful when done this way.

Let's consider the role that wood plays in the creation of color on meats.  For example the golden to dark brown color of a whole chicken when wood smoke is used.  Wood smoke can range from bluish to black and much like clean burning logs the most desirable of wood smoke is almost bluish and is recommended for long cooking cycles for meats like brisket.

The color of the smoke is most determined by the release of particles in the wood and the reflection that is achieved that we view.  Therefore if you are colorblind then it might be hard to discern the differences in smoke color.  Your best best is in determining the amount of smoke leaving the grill over time.  Some precautionary notes during the wood smoke process is the noticing of black or very gray smoke.  These colors occur when fire is starved of oxygen and the result is bitter tasty almost soot laden foods.  Wood goes through a series of stages during the burning process until it reaches the stage known as the burning bush combustion.  The burning bush means that the wood smolders and produces an even white to pale white smoke.  To drive that smoke closer to the preferred bluish color we'll need to pay special attention to the amount of oxygen in the grill.  Ensure that your bottom vents are wide open for maximum draw and flow of air.  Afterward the top vents are then focused on for temperature management.

Let's summarize.  We know that wood smoke is important to meats in barbecue especially toward the importation of flavors to meats.  We also know that there are a series of components that need to be managed to allow for even delivery of the smoke.  Namely, one must manage heat, time, fuel source, wood type and the amount of wood material to achieve the perfect smoke.  We believe that one can achieve the perfect amount of smoke when they use a minimum of 5 Ounces to evenly cover a volume of 3.375 cubic feet of grill.  We also believe that staging the wood chips in segments such that the bulk of the chips is laid out in the first 1/3 of the cooking process will deliver maximum wood smoke flavor to the meat.  The remaining segment of wood is separated by a small gap and then allowed to yield its smoke which then acts as a sort of smoke seal in the process.

By following these steps and using wood smoke frugally we believe you can achieve a world of maximum flavors from whatever your meat type.  To help you in your search and understanding of wood types we've added in a wood definition list below.  Also, we don't sell woods but we sell some pretty nice dry rubs for sale that will help you achieve the flavors you desire.  Checkout out our listing of dry rubs as well as our standing product discount.


See how we manage wood smoke on our How To Make Ribs video:


POULTRY: Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Cornish Game Hen, Quail, Goose. (Alder, apple, maple, pecan)

FISH: (light) Cod, Flounder, Halibut, Monkfish, Turbot, Sea Bass, Sole, Trout, Clams, Oysters, Shrimp, and Scallops. (Alder, mesquite, pecan)

FISH: (Dark) Salmon, Tuna, Swordfish, Shark Mussels. (Alder, cherry, grapevine, maple, mesquite, oak, pecan)

BEEF: (Cherry, grapevine, hickory, maple, jerky, mesquite, oak, pecan)

PORK: (Alder, apple, hickory, maple, oak, pecan)

LAMB: (Alder, cherry, mesquite, oak, pecan)

VENISON, ELK: (Cherry, grapevine, hickory, maple, mesquite, oak)

Dry Rub for sale Types:

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub  (Almond, Red Oak, Cherry, Peach, Plum, Maple)

Santa Barbara Rub (Alder, Apricot, Grapevine, Mesquite, Orange, Pecan)

San Ysidro Rub (Red Oak, Almond, Peach, Grapevine, Mesquite, Pecan, Pear)

Santa Maria Dry Rub (Almond, Peach, Red Oak, Mesquite, Hickory, Lemon)

Memphis Blues Dry Rub (Almond, Peach, Grapevine, Hickory, Cherry, Maple, Grapefruit)

California Chipotle Dry Rub (Peach, Plum, Cherry, Apple, Grapevine, Red Oak, Almond)

California Chicken Dry Rub (Almond, Red Oak, Mesquite, Cherry, Apple, Grapevine, Maple, Mulberry)


Special Offer: Use Code: 1707200910 now and take 10% off any of Jake’s products.

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