Had some new neighbors move in over Memorial Day weekend. Being that he was formerly in the Marine Corp it seemed fitting that we take them a "welcome to the neighborhood" package. That went over well and we all hit it off great. Really nice folks. We all knew there would come a time real soon that a dinner would be cooked for them. Well, a couple weeks ago Certified Piedmontese added a new offering to their selection: meaty beef back ribs. I asked a few questions and liked the answers so I ordered two packs of them. Sent Jodi a text Friday afternoon asking if they'd like to join us for dinner Saturday and got a resounding YES as a response. Game on!! I don't have a lot of experience with beef ribs and have struggled a bit. First couple of attempts were pretty much a disaster. They were so tough you couldn't eat them. Then a couple of moderately successful attempts with Dino ribs made me a bit more confident. Tracy's mandate for these was that they MUST be FOTB tender. Not my first choice but I'll try to do as she asked being that the previous attempts didn't pass muster for her.
The ribs. Just shy of 9# for the full 14 bone rib section
Both sections. These are pretty big slabs of ribs
Rubbed with Worcestershire sauce, some of my beef rub, and some Pitfaced On Point rub
Onto the T-Pit at 6:45 yesterday morning
TBS....from a couple different angles.
About 4 hours in. Bark forming nicely (3 pics)
Time to get the apps ready. On the platter is homemade smoked Cajun sausage, smoked extra sharp cheddar, and club crackers. The bowl on the left is an insanely good avocado ranch dip I came up with a couple days ago, middle bowl is tortilla chips, and on the right is homemade smoked fire roasted salsa
Ribs done. Tracy got her wish. These are SO tender!! Not much fat on these to begin with but it's all cooked off leaving nothing but succulent beef
I could barely cut these without them coming apart at the seams. There was just enough substance left to them that you could pick them up without the meat falling off the bone but eating them was effortless. So moist, so juicy...
The whole spread: ribs, potato salad, and some baked beans. Sauce for the non-believers but it didn't even get opened. The small bowl with the brush in it is the drippings from the ribs. That's what folks used ILO the sauce. Oh...and the obligatory pickles.
Ever notice how she seems to show up wherever the food is?
Close up of the tater salad. This was a huge hit as it usually is. Simple and basic but folks always seem to enjoy it and there's hardly ever any left.
Plated shot
Folks enjoying dinner. Jodi and Pete to the left and Tracy to the right
Time for dessert. Made a loaf of the cranberry apple walnut bread earlier
Into the microwave for a minute to warm up
Served with Blue Bell Old Fashioned vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel rum sauce
From a couple of different perspectives the ribs were a huge success. The flavor was off the charts and everybody loved how tender they were....except me. Yes, it was nice that they chewed like world-class filet mignon but I still like a little tug to my ribs. These were without doubt the most flavorful beef ribs I've ever made though. The flavor profile is definitely a keeper. Started the smoker at 250* and after a few hours I realized they were gonna be done way too early so dropped it back to 215* till around 3:00, then to 190* till I pulled them at 5:00. Ran hickory smoke for the first 8 or 9 hour then just let them ride. At 3:00 I put them ribs into baking pans to catch the drippings and basted them a couple times with a mixture of beef broth, bourbon, and some of my beef rub mixed in. All in all, one darned good meal and the new neighbors are hooked!! Nothing fancy or over the top. Just good, old fashioned backyard BBQ with the proper trimmings. Pete wanted a tour of all the cookers and is about to pull the trigger on a new one but he's not sure which. He asked if he could come over and play around with a couple of mine cooking stuff to see which one(s) he likes best. Of course he can!!
Well this one is finally a wrap. Thanks again for dropping in,
Robert
The ribs. Just shy of 9# for the full 14 bone rib section
Both sections. These are pretty big slabs of ribs
Rubbed with Worcestershire sauce, some of my beef rub, and some Pitfaced On Point rub
Onto the T-Pit at 6:45 yesterday morning
TBS....from a couple different angles.
About 4 hours in. Bark forming nicely (3 pics)
Time to get the apps ready. On the platter is homemade smoked Cajun sausage, smoked extra sharp cheddar, and club crackers. The bowl on the left is an insanely good avocado ranch dip I came up with a couple days ago, middle bowl is tortilla chips, and on the right is homemade smoked fire roasted salsa
Ribs done. Tracy got her wish. These are SO tender!! Not much fat on these to begin with but it's all cooked off leaving nothing but succulent beef
I could barely cut these without them coming apart at the seams. There was just enough substance left to them that you could pick them up without the meat falling off the bone but eating them was effortless. So moist, so juicy...
The whole spread: ribs, potato salad, and some baked beans. Sauce for the non-believers but it didn't even get opened. The small bowl with the brush in it is the drippings from the ribs. That's what folks used ILO the sauce. Oh...and the obligatory pickles.
Ever notice how she seems to show up wherever the food is?
Close up of the tater salad. This was a huge hit as it usually is. Simple and basic but folks always seem to enjoy it and there's hardly ever any left.
Plated shot
Folks enjoying dinner. Jodi and Pete to the left and Tracy to the right
Time for dessert. Made a loaf of the cranberry apple walnut bread earlier
Into the microwave for a minute to warm up
Served with Blue Bell Old Fashioned vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel rum sauce
From a couple of different perspectives the ribs were a huge success. The flavor was off the charts and everybody loved how tender they were....except me. Yes, it was nice that they chewed like world-class filet mignon but I still like a little tug to my ribs. These were without doubt the most flavorful beef ribs I've ever made though. The flavor profile is definitely a keeper. Started the smoker at 250* and after a few hours I realized they were gonna be done way too early so dropped it back to 215* till around 3:00, then to 190* till I pulled them at 5:00. Ran hickory smoke for the first 8 or 9 hour then just let them ride. At 3:00 I put them ribs into baking pans to catch the drippings and basted them a couple times with a mixture of beef broth, bourbon, and some of my beef rub mixed in. All in all, one darned good meal and the new neighbors are hooked!! Nothing fancy or over the top. Just good, old fashioned backyard BBQ with the proper trimmings. Pete wanted a tour of all the cookers and is about to pull the trigger on a new one but he's not sure which. He asked if he could come over and play around with a couple of mine cooking stuff to see which one(s) he likes best. Of course he can!!
Well this one is finally a wrap. Thanks again for dropping in,
Robert
