Bought some 80/20 ground beef for some cheeseburger fatties. I made two, each had onions, mushrooms, bacon and both were wrapped in a bacon weave. In one I used yellow American cheese and no rub/seasonings and in the other I used Velveeta shredded pepper-jack cheese with my homemade rub sprinkled liberally inside and out. Normally I never use Velveeta but I wasn't paying attention when shopping but it tasted fine.
I tried my hand at trimming untrimmed brisket bone-in ribs into St Loius spares. I think I did ok but the ribs had issues so read on and maybe you can help me figure out what happened. I took the brisket bone meat and trimmings and put them over a large tub of Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans that I whipped up. Then after a few hours of smoking, took the loose meat off, chopped it up and put it in the beans for added flavor and texture.
I had some issues with logistics inside the smoker and overestimated my cooking area. So I put in a rib rack and bent the ribs into a horseshoe shape and put the beans next to em. On the top grate I had the fatties on each off to side of the ribs to avoid the meat juices dripping onto them and had the rib trimmings over the tub of beans.
The smoker ran at 250 for about 3.5 hours and the fatties were done. I used Falls' Brand Bacon which is the best store-bought bacon I have had. It's extra thick, and not all wet and greasy feeling like the other bacons. Naturally the bacon wasn't crisp enough so they went under the broiler for a few to make it all nice and crispy.
Previously I had done 3-2-1 St Loius ribs and they were disintegrating off the bone they were so soft and tender. The next time I did a 2.5-1.5-1 and they were still fall off the bone but not as mushy as my first time. Both times I foiled em so this time I thought I would just try em with no foil. I noticed when I took the fatties off there was hardly any pullback on the bone. So once I removed the beans I took the ribs off the rack and laid them flat and let them sit for another 90 minutes. I went and checked them and the meat was pulling back a bit but not as much. I did the "bend test" and they bent to 90 degrees but still seemed fairly firm and almost rubbery. I tossed some glaze on mine and let them sit another 30 mins. At this point the wife was starving so I made sure they were up to temp and pulled em off.
The wife liked them more than the last 2 batches but I didn't. I guess I like mine super fall off the bone tender and almost mushy, she likes hers a bit firmer and dryer. They pulled off the bone with minimal effort but still had a bit of connective tissue so they seemed a bit fatty. The flavor was nice though, the smoke really came through but was not overpowering. I used apple wood for this cook.
So I wonder is it the foiling that makes them so tender? I saw pics where people didn't foil and they got a real nice bark but these had a very light bark and were not dark at all. I was thinking maybe the giant tub of beans somehow created a cold spot and the ribs just weren't getting a solid dose of heat? But the fatties over/next to them cooked at their usual pace.
I think next time I will just stick with the trimmed St Louis ribs. I was wondering though, what could I replace the trimmings with to use in those beans next time? Maybe cut up a loin?
The cheeseburger fatties were our favorite of all the ones I've made. The beef really soaked up the smoke and had a killer smoke ring and was infused with bacon smokiness in every bite. I gave some samples to the neighbors and their 16yr old daughter offered to do chores around our house if I made her that for dinner again. The ribs were just ok for me. The wife and neighbors loved them though. The beans were a huge hit. My wife is not a fan of baked beans and even she had a bunch. My neighbor said they were the best she's ever had and came over with a large tupperware container to truck back to her house.
Any suggestions or feedback are always welcome.
Prepped and waiting for the smoker to hit temp...
Best beans ever. Next time I will add a few more jalapenos.
Cheeseburger fatties ftw!
Smokey-bacony perfection!
The top rack were for the wife. She didn't want any glaze, I did mine up though. I like the sweet touch the glaze gives.
Close up....
I picked up a nice electric knife for $13 and it goes through these guys like butter.
Nice smoke ring!
Open faced fattie sammich, ribs and Dutch's beans. Awesome combo!
I tried my hand at trimming untrimmed brisket bone-in ribs into St Loius spares. I think I did ok but the ribs had issues so read on and maybe you can help me figure out what happened. I took the brisket bone meat and trimmings and put them over a large tub of Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans that I whipped up. Then after a few hours of smoking, took the loose meat off, chopped it up and put it in the beans for added flavor and texture.
I had some issues with logistics inside the smoker and overestimated my cooking area. So I put in a rib rack and bent the ribs into a horseshoe shape and put the beans next to em. On the top grate I had the fatties on each off to side of the ribs to avoid the meat juices dripping onto them and had the rib trimmings over the tub of beans.
The smoker ran at 250 for about 3.5 hours and the fatties were done. I used Falls' Brand Bacon which is the best store-bought bacon I have had. It's extra thick, and not all wet and greasy feeling like the other bacons. Naturally the bacon wasn't crisp enough so they went under the broiler for a few to make it all nice and crispy.
Previously I had done 3-2-1 St Loius ribs and they were disintegrating off the bone they were so soft and tender. The next time I did a 2.5-1.5-1 and they were still fall off the bone but not as mushy as my first time. Both times I foiled em so this time I thought I would just try em with no foil. I noticed when I took the fatties off there was hardly any pullback on the bone. So once I removed the beans I took the ribs off the rack and laid them flat and let them sit for another 90 minutes. I went and checked them and the meat was pulling back a bit but not as much. I did the "bend test" and they bent to 90 degrees but still seemed fairly firm and almost rubbery. I tossed some glaze on mine and let them sit another 30 mins. At this point the wife was starving so I made sure they were up to temp and pulled em off.
The wife liked them more than the last 2 batches but I didn't. I guess I like mine super fall off the bone tender and almost mushy, she likes hers a bit firmer and dryer. They pulled off the bone with minimal effort but still had a bit of connective tissue so they seemed a bit fatty. The flavor was nice though, the smoke really came through but was not overpowering. I used apple wood for this cook.
So I wonder is it the foiling that makes them so tender? I saw pics where people didn't foil and they got a real nice bark but these had a very light bark and were not dark at all. I was thinking maybe the giant tub of beans somehow created a cold spot and the ribs just weren't getting a solid dose of heat? But the fatties over/next to them cooked at their usual pace.
I think next time I will just stick with the trimmed St Louis ribs. I was wondering though, what could I replace the trimmings with to use in those beans next time? Maybe cut up a loin?
The cheeseburger fatties were our favorite of all the ones I've made. The beef really soaked up the smoke and had a killer smoke ring and was infused with bacon smokiness in every bite. I gave some samples to the neighbors and their 16yr old daughter offered to do chores around our house if I made her that for dinner again. The ribs were just ok for me. The wife and neighbors loved them though. The beans were a huge hit. My wife is not a fan of baked beans and even she had a bunch. My neighbor said they were the best she's ever had and came over with a large tupperware container to truck back to her house.
Any suggestions or feedback are always welcome.
Prepped and waiting for the smoker to hit temp...
Best beans ever. Next time I will add a few more jalapenos.
Cheeseburger fatties ftw!
Smokey-bacony perfection!
The top rack were for the wife. She didn't want any glaze, I did mine up though. I like the sweet touch the glaze gives.
Close up....
I picked up a nice electric knife for $13 and it goes through these guys like butter.
Nice smoke ring!
Open faced fattie sammich, ribs and Dutch's beans. Awesome combo!
