When I saw Pops thread on this I just had to try it: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/96273/pops-original-bacon-on-a-stick-wet-brine-method
So I got 2 racks of St. Louis style and decided to do some side by side taste testing. I have always struggled with ribs trying to get the flavor profile that I want, everybody else who has them thinks they are very good but I'm looking for something else, I'm still not really sure what that is but I'm getting closer. Wednesday I mixed up 2 gallons of Pops brine, 1 with the traditional sugars and salt and 1 with the Splenda and the lite salt and put them in the fridge to get cold. Thursday I cut the racks in half so I could put them in ziplocks, 2 halves in the sugar and 2 in the Splenda. I pulled them out today at 1:00 so they were in the brine for 42 hours. Rinsed them well then rubbed 1 from each brine with Bad Byrons Butt Rub and then 1 from the other brine with ChefJimmyJ's Mild Bubba Q Rub (see post 3 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122036/mild-pork-butt-rub ). I smoked them with Todd's Pitmaster's Choice pellets and did a 2.5-1.3-1.5 (don't ask me why/how I came up with that) because I went a little hot and averaged 275* smoker temp. I foiled with a little beer and Stubbs Moppin Sauce. They came out Awesome! I could definitely tell a difference in the brine's. The Splenda brine was a lot sweeter, not candy sweet but a subtle sweet. I don't really like real sweet BBQ but this was really good. The other brine didn't taste sweet at all. I couldn't tell much difference in the rubs, I think the Byron's was a little spicier/saltier. They didn't really taste like bacon but they did have a different flavor and some change in texture from the brine/cure. They were not fall off the bone but more like competition style (the way I like them) but very tender. These were the best ribs I've smoked and getting much closer to that flavor profile I'm looking for. Well enough of that, here's some Q-view:
So I got 2 racks of St. Louis style and decided to do some side by side taste testing. I have always struggled with ribs trying to get the flavor profile that I want, everybody else who has them thinks they are very good but I'm looking for something else, I'm still not really sure what that is but I'm getting closer. Wednesday I mixed up 2 gallons of Pops brine, 1 with the traditional sugars and salt and 1 with the Splenda and the lite salt and put them in the fridge to get cold. Thursday I cut the racks in half so I could put them in ziplocks, 2 halves in the sugar and 2 in the Splenda. I pulled them out today at 1:00 so they were in the brine for 42 hours. Rinsed them well then rubbed 1 from each brine with Bad Byrons Butt Rub and then 1 from the other brine with ChefJimmyJ's Mild Bubba Q Rub (see post 3 http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122036/mild-pork-butt-rub ). I smoked them with Todd's Pitmaster's Choice pellets and did a 2.5-1.3-1.5 (don't ask me why/how I came up with that) because I went a little hot and averaged 275* smoker temp. I foiled with a little beer and Stubbs Moppin Sauce. They came out Awesome! I could definitely tell a difference in the brine's. The Splenda brine was a lot sweeter, not candy sweet but a subtle sweet. I don't really like real sweet BBQ but this was really good. The other brine didn't taste sweet at all. I couldn't tell much difference in the rubs, I think the Byron's was a little spicier/saltier. They didn't really taste like bacon but they did have a different flavor and some change in texture from the brine/cure. They were not fall off the bone but more like competition style (the way I like them) but very tender. These were the best ribs I've smoked and getting much closer to that flavor profile I'm looking for. Well enough of that, here's some Q-view:
