First Beef Ribs w/ Q-view

[pgsmoker64]

Being an Eastern Southern boy, I am partial to pork bbq and pork ribs.

I have spent years working on recipes for my babybacks, bbq sauce, and rubs and take great pride in them.

Pork butts, ribs, beef brisket, chickens, turkeys, I've done them all.  But for some reason I have never done beef ribs.

I spent about half a day looking for some decent beef ribs...hard to find in Central Virginia.

Here is the best I could find.  Got these at Wally-World.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 29, 2012

I was really hoping for something meatier!

I prepared two different rubs for the beef ribs.

The first is my traditional rib rub - a brown sugar, paprika mix with other stuff.  Very similar to Jeff's rub.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 29, 2012

The second was a more savory rub that had granulated onion, granulated garlic, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, dried oregano, and fresh ground rosemary.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 29, 2012

Rubbed the ribs.  There was a layer of fat on the back of the ribs but no silver skin to speak of, so I just slit the fat between the ribs.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 29, 2012

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 29, 2012

Then wrapped 'em and put 'em in the fridge overnight.  (Dadgum date on the camera is still wrong...sorry)

Tomorrow at about noon, these babies are going on the MES.

I will post more q-view as I progress through the smoke.

Good night and good smoking.

 

[s2k9k]

 

[pgsmoker64]

Gonna be a good day tomorrow!!!!   

Also whipping up some of Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans - right up under the ribs!

Stay tuned...

 

[pgsmoker64]

Happy Sunday everyone!

I got up and made a quick run to the store for a few supplies then started my set up by whipping up a batch of Dutch's Wicked Baked Beans; however, because my in-laws and my wife's great uncle are also eating I dialed back the spice considerably.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

I pulled the ribs out of the fridge and let them start coming to room temp.

One rack with a rosemary/oregano rub and the other with a brown sugar/paprika based rub.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

And in a 250* smoker. I put a temp probe in one of the racks to measure IT and will pull when they reach about 165.

At 2:00 p.m. the beans will go in the smoker right below the ribs.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

I'll post more in this thread when it's time to load the beans.

 

[roller]

Looks like its going to be a good meal.

 

[pgsmoker64]

Thanks Roller.

I'm having a little temp trouble.  I wasn't getting any smoke and I know that the MES won't produce smoke below 200*.

My calibrated digital temp gauge was reading about 250* but the one in the door was reading below 200*.

I moved my probe and the temp dropped considerably.  

The problem is that the probe measuring my IT is already reading 165*, wondering if I got it too close to the bone because there is no way these ribs are done in 1 hour.

Anyone?

 

[pgsmoker64]

Okay, not sure what happened with the temps but I believe I have it all sorted out and everything is good.

Here is a little shot of what's going on in the smoker.  Smallest beef ribs I have ever seen, must be from pygmy cows.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

I used the small end of a sweet potato for my temp probe, so since my son won't eat the beans I put the rest of the sweet potato into the smoker for him.

I need more smoke and will be happy when my A-MAZE-N smoker arrives this week.

 

[mike johnson]

Looks mighty tasty.

 

[pgsmoker64]

Alright, here is everything DONE!

Sorry I don't have anything plated tonight, we carried the whole kit-and-kaboodle over to the in-laws.

For the rosemary and oregano rubbed ribs I made a beef stock and red wine reduction with shallots, bacon, and a couple rosemary sprigs.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

Beef stock/red wine (argentenian malbec) reduction.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

Traditional BBQ beef ribs...I like these better but the others were awesome with the reduction.

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

No pronounced smoke ring but a nice smoky flavor.  

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

The real hit of the party.....Dutch's "Not so Wicked" baked beans.  Because of the senior citizens I had to leave out all the good heat but the beans were AWESOME.

I cooked them for 3 hours under the ribs (never foiled).  FANTASTIC...thank you Dutch!!!

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

I almost forgot...Trevors smoked sweet potato.  No seasoning, just right on the smoker rack...everything smoked with hickory.

The boy picked up the skin and was scraping the inside with his teeth, then finally started chewing the skin.  Must have been good!  I think I'll do more than one next time!

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• pgsmoker64
• Sep 30, 2012

Thanks for checking out my q-view!  If you like it, be sure to give me some 

.

I hope everyone's weekend was as good as mine!!!!

Take care all.

 

[s2k9k]

Looks Great!

 

[pgsmoker64]

Thanks Dave.  I certainly had fun getting it done.

 

[jrod62]

That some good looking beef ribs Thumbs Up

 

[smokinhusker]

Looks outstanding! No you won't get a smoke ring with electric but they still looks delicious.

 

[pgsmoker64]

Looks outstanding! No you won't get a smoke ring with electric but they still looks delicious.

I did not know that!  Thank you for the info.

 

[chiefp]

Looks outstanding! No you won't get a smoke ring with electric but they still looks delicious.

I know this is true...but why?  Temps are the same. 

Looks GREAT.  Now I can't decide if I want to do a brisket on beef ribs this Sat....

 

[pgsmoker64]

I know this is true...but why?  Temps are the same. 

Looks GREAT.  Now I can't decide if I want to do a brisket on beef ribs this Sat....

After doing a little research I believe the answer is that with an electric smoker you just don't produce nitrogen dioxide, which helps to create the smoke ring.

As I understand it, the smoke ring is cause by four things:

1. Low & Slow cooking
2. The burning of wood causing nitrogen dioxide
3. The nitrogen dioxide
4. And finally, the meat's surface moisture (which can be enhanced by mopping)

With the electric smokers we miss out on the wood combustion piece (which happens at high temperatures) that causes the formation of nitrogen dioxide.  We only heat the wood chips enough to make them smolder.

I remember hearing (before I got my MES) that electric smokers didn't make smoke rings but I guess it didn't sink in until I experienced it and someone reminded me.

I do know this...just because it doesn't have a smoke ring doesn't mean that it doesn't have a wonderful smokey flavor, as I discovered with the beef ribs.

 

[ewetho]

No nitrates caused by flame no smoke ring. As long as you can get over this you still have happy Que!!!!

Good work.