Free: Contests & Raffles.
yeah! not a big fan of drowning meat, If ya want good product take the time and do it right. Low an slow is the way to go
Tip for cooking ribs for those who do not have a smoker but have a gas grill: before I bought a smoker I used to cook ribs on my gas grill. It is similar to using a smoker, and will teach you alot. If you can cook ribs on a gas grill correctly, smoking them on a smoker will be second nature. Just remember it is all about indirect heat, and "low and slow". I kept hearing that term "Low and slow" but never really understood it, I knew it worked, but why? You want the fat on the outside as well as on the inside of the meat to render at a temperature between 130deg. to 165Deg. The tissue of the meat will start to break down at these temperatures rendering the fat inside, resulting in a tender moist rib. It takes several hours at 140Deg. to 165Deg. to render this fat in to the tissues of the meat and tenderize the tissue strands. Therefore the term "Low and slow".To high of temp. and the fat (Moisture and flavor) boils out, and the tissue strands of the meat do not get a chance to tenderize, resulting in a tough chewy rib. To low of Temp. does not break down the fibres of the meat or render the fat, which results in toughness or being chewy. When done correctly, the fat (Both inside and outside) will be rendered from the rib, leaving only the moist tender meaty parts! I take the grills off of one side of the gas grill and place a metal pan 8" x 20" with holes (For grilling vegetables) directly on top of the burner. Place the wood chips (4-6 Chunks) to the outside of the pan on both sides and not directly over the flames of the burner. I usually soak my chips for an hour or so, I know , I know, some will say you don't want moisture from the wet chips dripping down on to your meat and "never soak" but I have never had this issue using a gas grill. (I do not soak when using an off-set smoker). Turn the gas burner on to the lowest setting close the lid and wait for about 1/2Hr. You want the internal temperature of the grill to stabilize between 190deg. to 210Deg. note: You can adjust the heat several different ways. If you have air gaps in your gas grill as many of them do, use tin foil to cover them. Or i used a welding fire blanket. Remember that when the chips start to dry out and burn the temp. Will rise a little. this takes knowing your grill and knowing how many chips to place in and when to put in more chips, or to spray with a light mist. A wet rub, dry rub, marinade is all about preference, my wife loves the BBQ sauce spooned on the ribs thick for about the last hour of cooking so the BBQ sauce is gooey and tangy. I am all about the flavor of the meat, and use BBQ sauce sparingly on the side for dipping. For this reason I always us a dry rub installed on the ribs, I can put her fluff stuff on later! Again, I like the flavor of the meat so I use a dry rub sparingly as not to cover up the flavor. this also helps to get a good smoke penetration in to the meat or "Smoke Ring". Let the ribs set out and come to room temperature! this is for all meat cooking! Once at room temperature, place the ribs on the grill opposite side of the burner and wood chips. Thus the term "Indirect" Try to place the ribs as far from the flame as possible. From here it is a matter of time, patience and pampering. usually about 4-6Hrs. if heat is maintained inside of the grill at between 190Deg. and 210Deg. Switch the ribs around on the grill every so often if cooking several racks. Final internal Temp. of the ribs should be 165-190 depending on your doneness preference. Bone on the small end should be showing (Meat pulled back) about 1/2"). Check every 1/2Hr. or so to see if wood chips are needed or what the temp. is. Sometimes it is necessary to shut the burner off for a while or remove some chips if it is to hot, or the reverse if not hot enough. Lastly and never skip this process! is to let the ribs "rest". I do this by wrapping the ribs in several layers of tinfoil, the wrapping again with a large towel. then placing the ribs in a small cooler for at least 1Hr. This allows the meat to relax and distributes the moisture evenly throughout the ribs. Remember the internal temperature of the ribs will rise 5-8Deg. when using this method, so adjust removal time as needed. Re-cap: - Internal Temp of grill 190Deg - 210Deg.- Let meat get to room Temp. before placing on grill- Indirect heat- Time, patience, pampering- Internal Temp. of meat 165Deg. - 190Deg. - Cover, let rest 1Hr. Enjoy! I guarantee these will be the best ribs you ever had!
Hawgdawg, I drool everytime I see that pic of your big barrel smoker. I practice the same method just a smaller scale. Low & Slow plus lots of love. ....
