This is the last or second-to-last post of this round of the Meatstravaganza. Here's where we get to the actual cookery part.
Here's my grill/smoker combination. I really like it a whole lot because it's got that little smoker box on the side that looks like a mini-grill, and can be used as one if you need the real estate. There are lots of other smokers/smoking rigs out there, including some spiffy home made ones. They might have very different settings/controls/variables than mine, so your mileage may vary.
This post is going to be a little disorganized, and I might try to summarize it all in the final post in a more polished form, so bear with me. I'm going to lay out my rough method for you, tell you what tools I find absolutely necessary, and show you the pictures along the way.
Here's how I'm going to have it set up. Fire 1 is going to be larger than Fire 2, because it's going to be in the offset smoker box, and I don't have to worry about it applying direct heat to the rib racks. That's also why Fire 2 is set off on the other side of the grill, as far over as I can manage it. I was finding that without the additional fire, I wasn't able to maintain the 200-225 degree Fahrenheit temperature I was going for. The best way I've found to get smoke is to use a smoke box and place it directly into Fire 1. I've tried using another smoke box (and once just a water bath) in Fire 2, but I found it gave too much smoke and/or unnecessary moisture. The metal rack holding the racks of ribs will be on the grill grates, towards the opening from the smoker box into the main grill.
I need to have everything laid out in a helen-logical pattern. So, Here I have -
- a kitchen timer, set (for me) to 20 minutes.
- the soaking wood chips (Weber firespice mesquite wood chips in this case. They seem to almost shred the wood for good water absorption and smoke production.)
- an extra bag of wood chips. (not pictured here.)
- a jug of water to soak more wood, and for emergency temperature control.
- a smoke box
- 2 chimney starters, in my case one smaller than the other.
- standard charcoal briquettes, and some canola drizzled newspaper for the chimney starters.
- source of fire - fireplace matches, lighter, plain old matches
- a pair of long welding gloves.
- 2 pairs of tongs
- some nice fluffy kitchen towels
- heavy duty aluminum foil
- hotel/half sheet/cookie sheet pans
- your braising liquid for the end parts - i used apple juice, plus a good pour of Stubbs original and Stubbs spicy bbq sauce, and some apple cider vinegar, too.
- eventually, an oven set to 300 degrees.
- A fire extinguisher.
Here's my matchsafe, jug of water, chips soaking, one of the tongs sets, and the bag of chips for identification.
Here's the smoke box filled with the soaked wood chips. I tend to get a little water in there too, because I'm sloppy, but be careful - you can warp the box. This is the box that goes directly onto Fire 1.
This is the picture of the end of the smoking follies. When I tried to get photos during the cooking, all you saw was smoke and some vaguely metallic outlines. Every 20 minutes, I come out, check the temperature on the box, add coal, dump the used smoke wood into the fire, and add new soaked smoke wood. I have occasionally tossed a small handful of the soaked wood on Fire 2 with an extra briquette, but I can't tell you if it really helped all that much.
Here's part of the smoking process. The ribs are well placed, there's a little fire down to the left, and the bigger fire off to the right. The smoke blows through the hole in the side of the smoker, and wafts over the meat before escaping out through the chimney. You can control heat and smoke somewhat by how open your chinmey is, and the air vents next to the coals.
Right now, this is the color we're going for. This has been in the smoke for about an hour and a half to two hours. Some recipes require they stay in the smoke for 6-8 hours, but probably because I'm not doing something right, when I do that, they turn out more black and crusty on the outside than the beautiful browny succulence you see here. This is when you get your cookie sheets and tin foil at the ready.
- one cookie sheet out, a rib-rack-enclosing sized piece of tin foil on it.
- your braising liquid
- the other cookie sheet, laid slightly off to the side to receive the wrapped ribs.
- big ass tongs, sturdy ones are best
- you might need the welding gloves.
My lovely assistant pulling the last rib rack off to the staging area.
There's the bad boy in question. Damn tasty looking, even if I do say so myself! Fold the long sides of the foil up so that they meet in the middle, and roll them down lightly. Roll up the tail end, but open up the other end, and pour in some of your braising liquid. Tilt it back and forth to get good distribution, then seal the open end, and move your rack to the 'done' sheet pan. Lather, rinse, repeat, until you have all your racks swaddled in foil with a glug of the braising liquid.
Move them to a 300 degree fahrenheit oven. Ignore them for at least an hour, then go in, unpeel one end of a rib rack, and use a paper towel to grab a hot bone in the middle of the rack. Wiggle it. Does it pop out of it's socket? they're done, almost overdone. Does it wiggle just a little bit? Done if not real close to done. If the whole chunk of meat wiggles, wrap it back up and ignore it for another hour. By this time, the smells should be making that hard.
When you get the doneness you like, make a V of the foil packets (using your handy welder's gloves) and cut notches in the foil so the juice drains out into a small saucepan. When you've got it from all the rack's you're doing today, set that saucepan to simmer and reduce. It makes a nice glaze for the ribs. Meanwhile, you can start your plating options. Cut them into 2s, 1s, 5s, however you like, pile then back on their tinfoil, and cover with a clean tea towel. When your glaze is done the way you like it, spoon it over the ribs, toss them loosely with your hands, and serve!
This was the only picture I got of the plated ribs because they were instantly devoured when I set them out.
As a serious hobbyist, I think this is the best I've done so far. I'll list the rub, brine, cut of meat, any saucy additions, and any questions you guys might have for me in the next post.
I hope you all sleep well!- I sure as hell will.
