(02-17-2018 02:52 PM)Machiavelli Wrote:  Someone told me one time to remove the back membrane off ribs. It’s not the meaty part. I think removing it does make a difference

x2 on removing the membrane. There are two ways to smoke ribs. Remove the membrane and the wrong way. Once you get the membrane started with a butterknife or spoon use a paper towel to grab the membrane to pull it off. It helps. Happy smoking


This is only for pork ribs. I have no idea about beef ribs.

We have found a true place for bi partinsanship. Our bellies. Absolutely love this hobby. I picked up a camp chef pellet grill/smoker. I would suggest this.

(02-19-2018 04:10 PM)Machiavelli Wrote:  We have found a true place for bi partinsanship. Our bellies. Absolutely love this hobby. I picked up a camp chef pellet grill/smoker. I would suggest this.

Commie.

I made the ribs on Tuesday. They turned out good. Decent tenderness but not as much as I would have liked. I tried water in the drip pan (with a little cider vinegar), and I think I didn't have enough. Next time I'm going to drop the temp to around the 250 deg mark and grill for 3 hours. Also plan to incorporate a mopping sauce for tenderness.

Overall they were good - but could be better. Once I perfect them I'll do some variations on a theme and try honey mustard ribs, asian style, etc.

I got so fired up (pun intended) about this thread that I smoked a couple of racks on Monday!

Dialing the temperature down is a good idea. I had the ribs on for 4 hours, averaging about 225. Another thing to consider: Try to buy racks in the 2.25-2.75lb range. Getting closer to 3 lbs or heavier requires more time or the thicker sections of meat will be tougher.

Thanks Brookes. I'll definitely take the input to heart!

(02-21-2018 03:17 PM)miko33 Wrote:  I made the ribs on Tuesday. They turned out good. Decent tenderness but not as much as I would have liked. I tried water in the drip pan (with a little cider vinegar), and I think I didn't have enough. Next time I'm going to drop the temp to around the 250 deg mark and grill for 3 hours. Also plan to incorporate a mopping sauce for tenderness.

Overall they were good - but could be better. Once I perfect them I'll do some variations on a theme and try honey mustard ribs, asian style, etc.

Your most important realization/epiphany/difference-maker. And I would suggest even longer (than 3 hours) cook time @ 250. Basically, you should go until the meat @ the ends of the rib bones recede from the ends of the bones about 1/4 inch.

(02-21-2018 03:41 PM)geosnooker2000 Wrote:  

(02-21-2018 03:17 PM)miko33 Wrote:  I made the ribs on Tuesday. They turned out good. Decent tenderness but not as much as I would have liked. I tried water in the drip pan (with a little cider vinegar), and I think I didn't have enough. Next time I'm going to drop the temp to around the 250 deg mark and grill for 3 hours. Also plan to incorporate a mopping sauce for tenderness.

Overall they were good - but could be better. Once I perfect them I'll do some variations on a theme and try honey mustard ribs, asian style, etc.

Your most important realization/epiphany/difference-maker. And I would suggest even longer (than 3 hours) cook time @ 250.

Totally agree. Low and slow is the way to go - spray with apple juice or a mixture of coke/dr. pepper & juice, depending on how sweet you want to go.
Of course, all the Memphis-types are going to have similar opinions on this topic.

RE: the rub - my husband's BBQ team actually put a little bit of ground coffee in their rub one year, and it turned out amazing. Brown sugar & chili powder, paprika, celery salt, and a little each of cumin, cinnamon, coffee, & cayenne, IIRC.

(02-21-2018 03:17 PM)miko33 Wrote:  I made the ribs on Tuesday. They turned out good. Decent tenderness but not as much as I would have liked. I tried water in the drip pan (with a little cider vinegar), and I think I didn't have enough. Next time I'm going to drop the temp to around the 250 deg mark and grill for 3 hours. Also plan to incorporate a mopping sauce for tenderness.

Overall they were good - but could be better. Once I perfect them I'll do some variations on a theme and try honey mustard ribs, asian style, etc.

Take more time with them, low and slow as they say.

I like the 3-2-1 method, over a mix of hickory and a fruit wood, cherry, apple etc.

3 hours @240 full smoke, if you have a water pan, fill it.

2 hours, foil them tight and back in. Stay at 240, smoke optional. This is when they get to the fall off the bone part

1 hour, unfoil, I like to mop/baste them here. Back into smoke, still 240. Keep and eye on em, here. Once they've pulled back on the bone considerably, they done.

Thanks for the input everyone. I have to get a smoker or a kamado grill to make life easier!

Today I made 3 racks of baby back ribs on the Weber Kettle. I kept them whole and used a rib rack. All 3 racks totaled around 9 lbs. I smoked at a target temp of 250 deg and ended up keeping them on the grill for 5 hours. I went with a Memphis dry rub I found on the net, drip pan was a mixture of water and apple juice. Mopped them with a mixture of cider vinegar, yellow mustard and some salt. Also used pecan wood chunks during the first 2 hours of smoking plus I ditched the Kingsford original for some Royal Oak hardwood briquettes.

I'm quite happy with the results. They weren't fall of the bone tender but they were plenty tender and had a nice smoke ring. I'm not a huge fan of using a rib rack, but I had to do so out of necessity since I was serving 10 people. I grilled bbq chicken legs too, but that was on a regular gas grill. I couldn't bring myself to eat the ribs Memphis style so I sauced them a little.

I bought a roughly 9 lb pork shoulder to try out next. Ribs are a lot easier to do now, so onto the next protein to master via smoking.

(02-18-2018 04:59 AM)JMUDunk Wrote:  

(02-17-2018 02:52 PM)Machiavelli Wrote:  Someone told me one time to remove the back membrane off ribs. It’s not the meaty part. I think removing it does make a difference

The silver skin.

Yes.

A pair of latex gloves, sterilized pliers and strong grip, rip that membrane offa there.

I’ve even started cleaving the ribs in to twos or fours, and giving them all a four square rub, smoke and cook.

Try this place for a great poke rub with stuff you probably already have. http://www.smoking-meat.com

15 bucks, for his recipes (rubs and bbq sauce) I think, and “lifetime membership” whatever that is.

I get a new recipe once, twice a month. Have used a many, especially when neighbors bring us venison.

Nothing better.

The Memphis dust recipe on that website is amazing. I use it on my butts and ribs. Also that website is just awesome for all sorts of smoking/grilling knowledge

Ground Ginger is an uncommon amazing addition to most rubs

(07-08-2018 07:42 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Today I made 3 racks of baby back ribs on the Weber Kettle. I kept them whole and used a rib rack. All 3 racks totaled around 9 lbs. I smoked at a target temp of 250 deg and ended up keeping them on the grill for 5 hours. I went with a Memphis dry rub I found on the net, drip pan was a mixture of water and apple juice. Mopped them with a mixture of cider vinegar, yellow mustard and some salt. Also used pecan wood chunks during the first 2 hours of smoking plus I ditched the Kingsford original for some Royal Oak hardwood briquettes.

I'm quite happy with the results. They weren't fall of the bone tender but they were plenty tender and had a nice smoke ring. I'm not a huge fan of using a rib rack, but I had to do so out of necessity since I was serving 10 people. I grilled bbq chicken legs too, but that was on a regular gas grill. I couldn't bring myself to eat the ribs Memphis style so I sauced them a little.

I bought a roughly 9 lb pork shoulder to try out next. Ribs are a lot easier to do now, so onto the next protein to master via smoking.

Waste of apple juice. A number of years back we participated in a BBQ competition in the public safety wing. The night before when we walked around we noticed that a ton of the serious competitors had play sand in their drip pans. When we asked about it and the loss of added flavor they asked "Exactly how much flavor do you think is imparted to the meat by steam?" My electric smoker now has sand in the drip pan and I can't tell a difference.

And as long as you get your injection and rub right you'll find pork shoulder to be a whole lot easier. I like an injection of 1/2 real apple juice, 1/4 soy sauce, 1/8 Worcester sauce and 1/4 hot sauce. Another one I've done is pineapple juice with just enough soy sauce to turn it a medium brown. Did that for a luau themed party for my wife's work and they loved it. I just did a rub of salt & pepper and during the last two hours of smoking I put pineapple slices on the pork for added effect. One of our summer grill favorites is a takeoff of that. Take a pork chop and cut it into cubes, then soak it in a mixture of pineapple juice and soy sauce like above for a few hours. Cut a whole pineapple into similar sized cubes as the pork and alternate pork and pineapple cubes on a skewer. Grill till the pork is done, pair it with one of the tropical themes rice mixes available and enjoy.

(07-08-2018 08:01 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(07-08-2018 07:42 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Today I made 3 racks of baby back ribs on the Weber Kettle. I kept them whole and used a rib rack. All 3 racks totaled around 9 lbs. I smoked at a target temp of 250 deg and ended up keeping them on the grill for 5 hours. I went with a Memphis dry rub I found on the net, drip pan was a mixture of water and apple juice. Mopped them with a mixture of cider vinegar, yellow mustard and some salt. Also used pecan wood chunks during the first 2 hours of smoking plus I ditched the Kingsford original for some Royal Oak hardwood briquettes.

I'm quite happy with the results. They weren't fall of the bone tender but they were plenty tender and had a nice smoke ring. I'm not a huge fan of using a rib rack, but I had to do so out of necessity since I was serving 10 people. I grilled bbq chicken legs too, but that was on a regular gas grill. I couldn't bring myself to eat the ribs Memphis style so I sauced them a little.

I bought a roughly 9 lb pork shoulder to try out next. Ribs are a lot easier to do now, so onto the next protein to master via smoking.

Waste of apple juice. A number of years back we participated in a BBQ competition in the public safety wing. The night before when we walked around we noticed that a ton of the serious competitors had play sand in their drip pans. When we asked about it and the loss of added flavor they asked "Exactly how much flavor do you think is imparted to the meat by steam?" My electric smoker now has sand in the drip pan and I can't tell a difference.

And as long as you get your injection and rub right you'll find pork shoulder to be a whole lot easier. I like an injection of 1/2 real apple juice, 1/4 soy sauce, 1/8 Worcester sauce and 1/4 hot sauce. Another one I've done is pineapple juice with just enough soy sauce to turn it a medium brown. Did that for a luau themed party for my wife's work and they loved it. I just did a rub of salt & pepper and during the last two hours of smoking I put pineapple slices on the pork for added effect. One of our summer grill favorites is a takeoff of that. Take a pork chop and cut it into cubes, then soak it in a mixture of pineapple juice and soy sauce like above for a few hours. Cut a whole pineapple into similar sized cubes as the pork and alternate pork and pineapple cubes on a skewer. Grill till the pork is done, pair it with one of the tropical themes rice mixes available and enjoy.

Good to know about the water pan. I thought something from the juice may be mixed into the steam.

(07-08-2018 08:22 PM)miko33 Wrote:  

(07-08-2018 08:01 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(07-08-2018 07:42 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Today I made 3 racks of baby back ribs on the Weber Kettle. I kept them whole and used a rib rack. All 3 racks totaled around 9 lbs. I smoked at a target temp of 250 deg and ended up keeping them on the grill for 5 hours. I went with a Memphis dry rub I found on the net, drip pan was a mixture of water and apple juice. Mopped them with a mixture of cider vinegar, yellow mustard and some salt. Also used pecan wood chunks during the first 2 hours of smoking plus I ditched the Kingsford original for some Royal Oak hardwood briquettes.

I'm quite happy with the results. They weren't fall of the bone tender but they were plenty tender and had a nice smoke ring. I'm not a huge fan of using a rib rack, but I had to do so out of necessity since I was serving 10 people. I grilled bbq chicken legs too, but that was on a regular gas grill. I couldn't bring myself to eat the ribs Memphis style so I sauced them a little.

I bought a roughly 9 lb pork shoulder to try out next. Ribs are a lot easier to do now, so onto the next protein to master via smoking.

Waste of apple juice. A number of years back we participated in a BBQ competition in the public safety wing. The night before when we walked around we noticed that a ton of the serious competitors had play sand in their drip pans. When we asked about it and the loss of added flavor they asked "Exactly how much flavor do you think is imparted to the meat by steam?" My electric smoker now has sand in the drip pan and I can't tell a difference.

And as long as you get your injection and rub right you'll find pork shoulder to be a whole lot easier. I like an injection of 1/2 real apple juice, 1/4 soy sauce, 1/8 Worcester sauce and 1/4 hot sauce. Another one I've done is pineapple juice with just enough soy sauce to turn it a medium brown. Did that for a luau themed party for my wife's work and they loved it. I just did a rub of salt & pepper and during the last two hours of smoking I put pineapple slices on the pork for added effect. One of our summer grill favorites is a takeoff of that. Take a pork chop and cut it into cubes, then soak it in a mixture of pineapple juice and soy sauce like above for a few hours. Cut a whole pineapple into similar sized cubes as the pork and alternate pork and pineapple cubes on a skewer. Grill till the pork is done, pair it with one of the tropical themes rice mixes available and enjoy.

Good to know about the water pan. I thought something from the juice may be mixed into the steam.

The drip pan is just that,,,,,something to catch the drippings and prevent them from flaring up on the heat source causing uneven temperatures. Unless you are using the drip pan to make some sort of gravy just use sand. I've even got to the point to where I just scrape the top layer off after use and only change the entire pan every 3rd smoking. Best thing is that on the stuff that takes longer to smoke you don't have to worry about refilling the pan before it goes dry.

(02-21-2018 04:16 PM)miko33 Wrote:  Thanks for the input everyone. I have to get a smoker or a kamado grill to make life easier!

I have used Adrenaline BBQ’s Slow n Sear with great results on my Weber 22.5. Did some ribs and my first ever shoulder. Was awesome

Interesting. I've read alot and people always tell you to have water and cider in it. Never sand.

Sorry, but unless he's putting water in the sand, he's wrong. The purpose of the "drip pan" is not just for catching drips. It is also to add STEAM. You don't want to BBQ on just heat. You want MOIST heat. I'll agree that the apple juice is *possibly* a waste of apple juice, but at the least, the water is beneficial.

Hey miko, if you are serious about stepping up past the Webber, and you don't want to break the budget, might I suggest:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Oklahoma-Joe-...3=&veh=sem

It will require some augmentation, which there are a ton of youtubes about. Mostly just smoke and heat diverters to arrive at a balance across the width of the grill.

(07-08-2018 09:48 PM)geosnooker2000 Wrote:  Sorry, but unless he's putting water in the sand, he's wrong. The purpose of the "drip pan" is not just for catching drips. It is also to add STEAM. You don't want to BBQ on just heat. You want MOIST heat. I'll agree that the apple juice is *possibly* a waste of apple juice, but at the least, the water is beneficial.

Hey miko, if you are serious about stepping up past the Webber, and you don't want to break the budget, might I suggest:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Oklahoma-Joe-...3=&veh=sem

It will require some augmentation, which there are a ton of youtubes about. Mostly just smoke and heat diverters to arrive at a balance across the width of the grill.

Thanks for the link. I'm not able to pull the trigger on something in the near term, but want to in a couple of years.