1st: Cherry/Balsamic Wet Rub Experiment on Spares: Q-View, Recipe, Review (FINISHED)

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forluvofsmoke

Smoking Guru
Original poster
OTBS Member
Aug 27, 2008
5,170
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Hey, hey everyone!

I had an idea for a new (to me) rib this morning. I sat here at my desk wondering what to do with the 3 slabs of spares my wife brought home to me yesterday, and as I turned on the computer, I realized that I had only used balsamic vinegar once for cooking (in a marinade) and it was too good to not use it again. But, today, I have pork spare ribs to smoke. Hmm, what to do with ribs and aged balsamic vinegar...ah, a wet rub! So, I headed to the kitchen, grabbed up all my weapons of creation and commenced with formulating this concoction on the fly without a note pad. When I was satisfied with the aromas and flavors of the finished wet rub, it was time to put my fingers to work on the keyboard. And, now, it's time to put my money where my mouth is...lets play!!!

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If you like what you see, here's what's in it and how to put it together:

CHERRY/BALSAMIC WET RUB

1/4 cup 15 year aged balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup minced dried tart cherries (sub with 3/8 cup fresh minced, reduce water to 3/8 cup)

2 Tbls dried red bell pepper, medium ground

2 Tbls ground black peppercorn

2 Tbls course ground dried onion

2 Tbls dried rosemary leaves, medium ground

1.5 Tbls minced dried garlic

1 Tbls kosher salt

1/2 Tbls chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbls light brown sugar

Combine all ingredients ***except brown sugar*** , cover and heat in a saucepan over med/low heat, stirring every few minutes, until it begins to simmer.

Reduce heat to low for 15-20 minutes and keep covered, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in brown sugar, then cover and rest for 30 minutes on cooling stove top.

Chill well in refrigerator or ice-water bath before applying to meat if it will be allowed to rest while chilled prior to cooking, otherwise, it may be applied slightly warm imediately prior to cooking.

Cook low & slow (225-250*) to avoid rapid carmelization and scorching of the natural and added sugars.

Today's victims...two of these weighed 4-2/3lbs, while the largest weighed 5-1/3lbs:

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Top rack down...this is the big guy:

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Application of the wet rub with a silicone curved spoon-type spatula...scoop some on and spread it out with the back side of the spatula...bottom rack:

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Hmm, that worked so well and looks so good, I think I'll try another slab...moving on to the middle grate:

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...top grate...the big boy:

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The gang's all set to go:

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11:45 am mountain time and the smoke is on. 225*, wet water pan, smoke with pecan for it's nutty pungent aromas and cherry for its hearty fruit flavor...seemed logical considering what is on the wet rub. The flavors and aromas of the wet rub were quite intense, btw, which I expected, as this is basically a very concentrated spice mix formed into a paste, so a little will go a long way.

1 hour into the smoke right now, and it already has a different aroma coming from the vent...it's not just smoke goin' on in there...the balsamic vinegar is doing some magic of it's own, I'm sure...smells great, though!

Back with more as this unfolds!

Thanks all!

Eric
 
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A wet rub and yes, the ingredients definitely will marry each other and the balsamic will

make them a happy family. Watching this closely as I've either went dry or marinated

them in a baggie for a couple of days.

The rub looks excellent Eric...carry on.
 
Eric I cant wait to see how it turns out.
 
2.25-hr update...

Thanks guys! This wet rub is similar to the beef ribeye marinade ingredients I made a couple days back, with the main changes in ingredients being the savory spices. Otherwise, it's a fairly close duplication in the flavors, just for pork instead of beef, and of course this being cooked onto the meat instead of soaking in it for several hours. It should be a unique rib experience that I'm really looking forward to.

Update:

Just checking things out for color and rib cooking progress here...bone marrow is cooking out, and meat is starting to shrink a bit...not much pull-back from the bone yet, but I'll pan/tent these after about the 4th hour with just a few dashes of water in the pan for added humidity while they steam for a couple hours nice and slow, then about 30-45 minutes open grate to finish up. I'll play this out by visual mostly, as some ribs will cook up faster than others, etc, so it may end up being somewhere in the neighborhood of a 4-2-0.5, give or take, for a very tender rib with just a slight bark. The extra time with the cabinet door open (maybe 30 seconds) for nearly a dozen pics here probably extended the cooking time by another ~8-12 minutes, so I'll have to take that into consideration as well, but look and feel mean everything when it comes to ribs, IMHO.

Here goes...2.25 hours...a bit of bone peeking...nice progress so far:

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Bottom grate...hasn't darkened as much as the upper two...catching some pork and cherry/balsamic wet rub drippings from heaven is the reason...this slab will have a extra dose of goodness...mmm:

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Middle grate:

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Upper grate:

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Another look from the edge of the slabs, then from underneath:

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These are from upper grate, left to right, middle grate left to right, bottom grate left to right...cooking nice and evenly...just a bit of lag on the left of the largest slab, which should be normal with fairly even grate temps...gotta love that...experience with your particular smoker does make for less challenging smokes and the best possible finished product. Sometimes, just the grate position, the meat's position on the grate, etc, can make all the difference:

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Judging by these pics, it's coming along just fine, so I didn't rotate grates a half turn, change grate positions or anything...closed the door and walked away without any intervention or corrective actions, 'cause it doesn't need it. Don't fix it if ain't broke, I say.

More to come...

Eric
 
Wow!!!!

Changing keyboards again!!!

Awesome Qview & BearView from nearly every angle I can imagine!!!

Eric, please don't crawl in the smoker to give us a shot from the back!!!  

We enjoy your smokes to much for you to go getting all crispy on us!!!!!

You wouldn't look good with a lot of bark!!!

Thanks, and--------> 
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Bear
 
4-hr update...we're into the tented pans, and beans are in...all is well.

Ha-ha-ha!!! Thanks Bear! Just getting the good stuff for ya, brother! Enjoy the ride!

3.75 hours and I decided to toss in some beans with Ro-tel diced chiles and tomatoes, when...:

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...I jockied the upper grate (largest slab) to the very bottom to make room for the 4" deep 1/2 size steam table pan of beans when I noticed the ribs were too happy to not take advantage and get 'em panned-up:

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Hmm, yep, no doubt about it...time for some slow and easy steaming, so...:

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...in went the largest slab first...foil tented 12" x 18" x 2" deep baking pans are among my favorite way to finish up ribs when I want more than a straight-smoked rib:

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How about those bones/pull-back? Who says you can't get much pull-back without foiling? Left, center and right of slab...:

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I didn't take pics of the other two slabs...they looked at least as good as above, but I needed to get 'em panned and into the heat, so...beans went just above the water pan so they'd catch some heat without the baffling effect of the larger pans...the ribs will get a quick grate postion rotation every 30-40 minutes so they cook more evenly, but I do have a good gap between the pans which should help pass more heat inwards below the upper pan. Also, with the two smaller slabs in one pan, I put the rib-tips towards the outside of the pan and the cut ends of the rib bones over-lapped a bit to fit in the pan...the tips could use a bit more heat than the bones anyway, so this will get it done for me...:

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Two more steps (open grate finish, and slicing!!!) and the slow walk through the thin blue smoke is over...

Eirc
 
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6.5-hr update...

Thanks, Meat!

2.5 hours ride in the steam pans, and I was not surprised to see that I have a few bones already popping out before I even touched them with meat forks to lift 'em back onto the grates:

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Here's the over-lapped slabs I mentioned earlier, and they cooked-up nice and evenly, just the way we like it...:

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So far, it looks like a 4-2.5-0.75 will get me where I want here. The steam pan time would actually translate closer to a 2.0 if I hadn't been doing multiple levels and rack position rotations to keep them cooking evenly.

Sliced coming soon...been 30 minutes back on open grates to set the bark already...gotta run!

Eric
 
Ya got my attention Eric!!!

Those are some fine looking ribs!!!

Craig
 
Ribs & Beans for the taking!!!

4-2.5-0.75 it is, and man, I gotta ask myself why, oh, why didn't I try this sooner??? That wet rub is something else...it mellowed out alot after cooking and was a very nice match for the spares. OK, time for the finished pics...I had some concerns about the increased acidity of the balsamic causing some smoke penetration issues after panning/tenting up , but as you'll soon see, that thought was quickly dismissed from my mind upon slicing up the largest slab.

The surface is just dried-off here...right where I want them...slight bark in the surface meat, with a nice, slightly sticky coating from the wet rub on the outside...this should do 'em justice...out you go, it's chow time!!!

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OK, time to shift gears here for a bit...you all must know what these next two pics mean...get your bibs, napkins, paper towels, keyboard covers, and strap in to your chair really tight before you scroll past the beans, 'cuz it's gonna be one helluva ride...LOL!!!

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ARE YOU READY???





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That was among the best ribs I've smoked for quite awhile, between fall off the bone, or straight smoked, or something in between. The textue was right on the money for a super-tender rib. I don't always get them exactly as I want...sometimes just a bit too long in the pan, or not long enough smoke, but these were a good run.

Now the wet rub? Holy Smokers!!! I like to try new things pretty frequently, but I'll have to revisit this one. My best description of what I thought it would taste like before actually tasting it after the smoke? Well, that would have been way off the mark. This mixture has calmed down to a very nice pairing for the pork spares, and has actually taken on a slightly sweeter side, with a light tanginess of the balsamic vinegar in the background. Nice smoke flavor, great aromas, moist, tender and uniquely delicious...I wanted something new, and this fit the bill. Nothing harsh or off balance about it, IMO.

All I can say is, if you don't have any balsamic and want to experience the deep flavors it can impart, find a small bottle, and the rest will come along the way, as well.

If you need ideas for the red bell peppers or cherries, there's more than one way to get from point A to point B, so, just ask.

Thanks for checkin' it out, all! Been another fun ride...glad you join!

Eric  
 
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OMG---BearView Galore !!!!

Unbelievable pictures all through this thread, but those plated Pictures are waaaayyyy over the top!!

And you can ZOOOM your way to Heaven!!

You are still "THE MAN", Eric!!

Thanks for another one!

Bear
 
Very Nice job & well documented, I am going to try your recipie as I have never done a wet rub, I think I will baste my ribs in the rub overnit though as the flavors will penetrate the meat and the acid will aid in pulling those flavors and spices into the meat deep, Thank"s for sharing.
 
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