Inspired by Robert's write up earlier this month I set out to see for the first time how good these ribs are. Had a dual cryo-pack of Piedmontese 4 bone Chuck Short Ribs that were going to be smoked for the larger family. Having never smoked them before, I cautioned them this was going to be an experiment. Kinda out of character for me as I've never prepared a new main course the first time for anyone but the wife and myself, but hey it was family. Simple approach after thawing in the garage fridge for the last few days, opened & patted dry. Applied a generous amount of 50-50 cracked black pepper and salt. Definitely going the Texas brisket direction.
Got the smoker up to high smoke temp (~ 180º) and in they went. After an hour bumped to 250º where it stayed. They looked really good after 4.5 hours, great pull back and color. Started probing but not done.
Probing continued every 1/2 hour. By the time the 6 hour mark came around there were a couple of places still not perfect but the dinner hour was rapidly approaching. As you probably have guessed, this is where the 'almost' part came in. I went ahead pulled, double wrapped in foil hoping the residual heat would get them there. Well the flavor was spot on and they were very moist. The meat however was chewy. Not the dry type of chewy but the best I can describe, it was a bit spongy.
ARGH, what a stupid rookie mistake! You get so used to smoking proteins you can do it in your sleep but with something new I always should start early and leave more than enough time for the unknowns. The good news, it won't happen the next round since detailed notes were taken including a reminder to start early enough to ensure there isn't a repeat.
What's that saying from the first Star Wars movie.... "Don't get cocky kid! "
Got the smoker up to high smoke temp (~ 180º) and in they went. After an hour bumped to 250º where it stayed. They looked really good after 4.5 hours, great pull back and color. Started probing but not done.
Probing continued every 1/2 hour. By the time the 6 hour mark came around there were a couple of places still not perfect but the dinner hour was rapidly approaching. As you probably have guessed, this is where the 'almost' part came in. I went ahead pulled, double wrapped in foil hoping the residual heat would get them there. Well the flavor was spot on and they were very moist. The meat however was chewy. Not the dry type of chewy but the best I can describe, it was a bit spongy.
ARGH, what a stupid rookie mistake! You get so used to smoking proteins you can do it in your sleep but with something new I always should start early and leave more than enough time for the unknowns. The good news, it won't happen the next round since detailed notes were taken including a reminder to start early enough to ensure there isn't a repeat.
What's that saying from the first Star Wars movie.... "Don't get cocky kid! "
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