Ok, so I might rock in the kitchen, but I've been pretty much a rookie on our bargain smoker (Smokin' Country barrel, charcoal & water smoker ... got it for $25 at the end of last season). After we bought it, I did a LOT of reading online at smoking sites (like this one), bought an expensive thermometer (which I've never used and will now sell on Craig's List), and vowed I'd NEVER cheat and use anything like the "Texas Wrap" method. Well, this last month I ate my words and is my family ever glad I did!
I read somewhere that in 2.5 hours, meat will absorb about as much smoke flavor as it can absorb and that the additional time is just for low-&-slow cooking time. I figured since I really didn't enjoy running out to the patio to babysit the smoker all day when I had sides to make and other things to do, I'd give the 2.5-hour smoke a try, and instead of wasting expensive foil on a Texas Wrap, I'd sauce the ribs, put them in a covered roasting pan, add about 4 T. frozen Orange Juice Concentrate and 1 C. Water to the roaster to keep the ribs moist, and finish them in a 300-degree oven for about 90 minutes (we're at about 6500 ft ... lower altitudes would only take about 45 minutes to an hour at most to finish).
All I can say is we about foundered ourselves chowing down on these ribs! Meaty, smoky (with a luscious 1/4" smoke ring!!!), falling off the bone tender and outrageously moist with barely a hint of orange, this smoked rib experiment was a HOME RUN! While the ribs didn't have the char and the caramelization my family loves on grilled ribs, everybody agreed these ribs were more than awesome and they wanted me to make them again ASAP! I served warm sauce on the side for dipping. The few ribs we had left were just as good warmed in the microwave the next day.
The Meat: Two racks of Spare Ribs (not St Louis, just no chine bone), cut in half and placed in a stand up rib/roast rack
The Rub: Half Blazin' Blends Memphis Style Barbecue Seasoning and half Dark Brown Sugar plus some ground pepper
Water Pan: Half a can of frozen Apple Juice Concentrate and water in a Dollar Store (2 for a buck) foil pan
Charcoal: Minion method, lit 1/3 in a chimney lighter, ringed the other 2/3rds around the pile of lit charcoals
Temp: 225 degrees, don't sweat the occasional +/-, just try to keep temp around 225
Wood: Oak in approximately 1"x2"x6" chunks (used about 10 chunks in 3 applications)
Sauce: Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ Sauce (pretty good, but next time will doctor up with some apricot jam)
Our cheap little charcoal smoker works great now that I've learned to keep the top vents open at about 85-90% all the time, use the minion method and control the heat with the bottom vent only, and to not fret about the bit of smoke leakage around the rim of the lid or if my temp goes up and down a bit ... our little smoker did a great job for the 2.5 hours of smoking, I didn't have to replenish the water or add any charcoal ... I just tossed two or three wood chunks on top of the coals a couple of times.
I realized I've been as unsure of myself as a first-time mother about this smoking thing and that I just need to relax and do what I already know about cooking meat. The ribs didn't care if the temp dipped down to about 190 for more than a few minutes before I added some wood chunks, or that the temp soared to 250 for a few minutes when the wood first started burning. It ain't rocket science and that hunk of meat ain't a baby! I don't know why it's human nature to make everything more complicated than it has to be, but you sure don't need an expensive smoker or any other fancy gadgets to make fabulous barbeque. My next experiment (this weekend) will be with a chuck roast ... I can't wait!
I read somewhere that in 2.5 hours, meat will absorb about as much smoke flavor as it can absorb and that the additional time is just for low-&-slow cooking time. I figured since I really didn't enjoy running out to the patio to babysit the smoker all day when I had sides to make and other things to do, I'd give the 2.5-hour smoke a try, and instead of wasting expensive foil on a Texas Wrap, I'd sauce the ribs, put them in a covered roasting pan, add about 4 T. frozen Orange Juice Concentrate and 1 C. Water to the roaster to keep the ribs moist, and finish them in a 300-degree oven for about 90 minutes (we're at about 6500 ft ... lower altitudes would only take about 45 minutes to an hour at most to finish).
All I can say is we about foundered ourselves chowing down on these ribs! Meaty, smoky (with a luscious 1/4" smoke ring!!!), falling off the bone tender and outrageously moist with barely a hint of orange, this smoked rib experiment was a HOME RUN! While the ribs didn't have the char and the caramelization my family loves on grilled ribs, everybody agreed these ribs were more than awesome and they wanted me to make them again ASAP! I served warm sauce on the side for dipping. The few ribs we had left were just as good warmed in the microwave the next day.
The Meat: Two racks of Spare Ribs (not St Louis, just no chine bone), cut in half and placed in a stand up rib/roast rack
The Rub: Half Blazin' Blends Memphis Style Barbecue Seasoning and half Dark Brown Sugar plus some ground pepper
Water Pan: Half a can of frozen Apple Juice Concentrate and water in a Dollar Store (2 for a buck) foil pan
Charcoal: Minion method, lit 1/3 in a chimney lighter, ringed the other 2/3rds around the pile of lit charcoals
Temp: 225 degrees, don't sweat the occasional +/-, just try to keep temp around 225
Wood: Oak in approximately 1"x2"x6" chunks (used about 10 chunks in 3 applications)
Sauce: Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ Sauce (pretty good, but next time will doctor up with some apricot jam)
Our cheap little charcoal smoker works great now that I've learned to keep the top vents open at about 85-90% all the time, use the minion method and control the heat with the bottom vent only, and to not fret about the bit of smoke leakage around the rim of the lid or if my temp goes up and down a bit ... our little smoker did a great job for the 2.5 hours of smoking, I didn't have to replenish the water or add any charcoal ... I just tossed two or three wood chunks on top of the coals a couple of times.
I realized I've been as unsure of myself as a first-time mother about this smoking thing and that I just need to relax and do what I already know about cooking meat. The ribs didn't care if the temp dipped down to about 190 for more than a few minutes before I added some wood chunks, or that the temp soared to 250 for a few minutes when the wood first started burning. It ain't rocket science and that hunk of meat ain't a baby! I don't know why it's human nature to make everything more complicated than it has to be, but you sure don't need an expensive smoker or any other fancy gadgets to make fabulous barbeque. My next experiment (this weekend) will be with a chuck roast ... I can't wait!
