Hickory Smoked Ribs

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

hightower11

Newbie
Original poster
Jul 18, 2005
12
10
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Hi All
I am from northern canada and took a real interest in smoking meat about 3 months ago. I bought a new braunfels smoker(the only one in canada) about 2.5 months ago and started learning how to smoke meat on my own with a little help from the competition bbq shows on food tv. Needless to say i ruined about 1000.00 worth of meat over the course of learning. From to strong smoke flavour to not being cooked long enough to battleing with temperature variations...... I almost gave up a couple of times. over the last month (1 smoke per week ) i have been getting better and better until sunday past i was told that my ribs were the best that the 11 people had ever tasted. Heres how i did it :

Rub
1 tblspn CUMIN
PAPRIKA
CHILI POWDER
GARLIC POWDER
ONION POWDER
BROWN SUGAR
2 tblspn KOSHER SALT
1 tspn cayenne powder
black pepper
white pepper

I removed the membranes and covered my ribs with a very thin layer of yellow mustard and then large amounts of rub. I set them in the rib racks and went out to fire up my smoker. I use lump charcoal for the heat and Hickory chunks for the smoke. I got that all going and filled my tray of water to balance the heat. Thiswasoneofmybigappifanys,icouldcontrolmygreatvariatiosinheatbyusingwater.Heatdropsandwood,heatrisesaddwater...thisiswheneverythingfellintoplaceforme.
Once i had everything perfect and a balance of 210 degrees heat i put my ribs in ( 11am ) I did absolutely nothing except add wood, charcoal and water as needed and rotated the ribs in the rack once at 3pm.
At 630 pm they were ready..... moist juicy and full of flavour. I almost cried after taking a bite.... They were every bit as delicious as i had dreamed ( never tried smoked ribs before) 11 large racks of ribs were gobbled up in less than 15 minutes.
For any having problems out there.... Stick to it... It will pay off in the end

Ps No bbq sauce for us
 
Don't ya love it when a good smoke comes together :D
 
Congratz to you Hightower! Neat story. The rub recipe is just like the one I used not too long ago for the 1st time on some ribs and I tell you what - the chili powder and cumin really set off the flavor of the meat!!! I love it. I coat my ribs in honey mustard, which I like better than regular yellow. (I like yellow too, but the honey mustard makes it more tasty to me).
Thanks for the cool story and recipe! =)
 
Hi Guys!

If you want to try something a little different try using other liquids besides water in your pan.

For example when I do ribs sometimes I fill the water pan with apple juice and sliced apples and maybe a lemon sliced up thin and added to the mix.

It adds another dimension of flavor to the finished product and after a while you can detect these subtle flavors.

ranger72
 
Yea Ranger...that does sound good. I just found out that we're having company this weekend - looks like we're eatin' ribs! =)
 
Hey y'aaalllll!


You are quite welcome!

Hey hightower11

Even though we live in separate countries you and I are almost neighbors. Me and Mrs. ranger occasionally used to take the Scotia Prince over to your house,actually Halifax Nova Scotia is Beeeeuuuuuteeeeful!

We would leave from Portland, Maine

ranger72
 
Hi Ranger

Glad to hear you have visited and hope you had a great time. The maritimes is quite the treat for a family vacation.... WELCOME.
As for mopping or spraying the ribs, i never did it and it would be hard to beleive they would be any more moist than they were... Having said that i will try it next time and will experiment with the 3-2-1 method.... if i ever get any free time...
 
Hightower,
The primary reason for mopping and spraying is not to add moisture. It is to form a protective barrier and to assist in the formation of "bark" and the breakdown of collagen. This is a common misconception!

Jeff
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Hot Threads

Clicky