Smoking ribs

[nickman54 0]

Whose got the best recipe for pork ribs? Echos UDS thread caused me to go out and buy an electric smoker. Purists, please do not kill me to bad for going electric... I have two little children that want to follow their father everywhere I go, and cant drag them outside every time I have to babysit the smoker.

 

With all of that being said, what rub, what wood, and timing and temp do I need for pork ribs? Thanks

[VCDomer 68]

Whose got the best recipe for pork ribs? Echos UDS thread caused me to go out and buy an electric smoker. Purists, please do not kill me to bad for going electric... I have two little children that want to follow their father everywhere I go, and cant drag them outside every time I have to babysit the smoker.

 

With all of that being said, what rub, what wood, and timing and temp do I need for pork ribs? Thanks

 

Awesome. Congrats on the purchase. The one thing I would recommend if they are baby backs is to brine them for 12 hours minimum. Many dry rub recipes out there. Keep it simple though. Costco sells a sweet mesquite that is quite good. As far as wood goes, I am partial to hickory and apple. Soak the chunks for a few hours to maximize the smokiness. Your smoker should have a guide for the cooking temp. Ribs on a bone must be cooked lower than solid meats.

[nickman54 0]

Awesome. Congrats on the purchase. The one thing I would recommend if they are baby backs is to brine them for 12 hours minimum. Many dry rub recipes out there. Keep it simple though. Costco sells a sweet mesquite that is quite good. As far as wood goes, I am partial to hickory and apple. Soak the chunks for a few hours to maximize the smokiness. Your smoker should have a guide for the cooking temp. Ribs on a bone must be cooked lower than solid meats.

 

My brother came over today with three racks of baby backs. I just got done throwing them in some brine for the night. We are going to start them in the morning. I only have Pecan and Cherry for wood right now. Which do you think I should try?

[foreverirish34 11]

use cherry. I always use fruit woods for my pork "apple cherry or apricot" Use hard woods "hickory or misquite" for your beef. First I should say that I BBQ a lot and enter BBQ contests. After the brine take the ribs out pat them dry, then squirt just a lil frenchs mustard onto the ribs just enough to put a thin coat on them. I make my own rubs and always use a brown sugar base. So start with a good amount of brown sugar "this will ensure the crusty "bark" as it will carmelize and harden. Then I add dry mustard, pakrika, ground cumin, garlic powder, tiny amount of ciniminom, lil crushed red pepper and a lil ginger. I won a Competion with that rub. As for smoking some will tell you to foil them, those people are dumb. Just put the ribs on the smoker at around 250. Baby backs will take almost five hrs on the dot. Spare ribs take about 6. But its a feel thing, the skin should be pulling back on bone about 3/4 inch. Make sure you spray them using a spray bottle with apple juice once every hr. This will keep the meat moist and add to the bark. When you think that they are almost done like a 1/2 hr from being done put some bbq sauce on them. That should be all the bbq sauce on them, put some out on the side for the guest that don't know how you should eat ribs. Then when they are done let them sit for 20 mins. I have a killer BBQ sauce recipe if your interested. Remember check only once an hr. When your spraying it with AJ. anywhere around 5 hrs and you will have a great rack. Be careful very addicting!! Pm me any time or if you want my number and I can walk you through the process, don't feel bad my buddies hit me up all the time for advice. Good luck. and you will need to get really good at just using one hand. Because you should have a beer in the other one. I forgot you must take out the membrane on the back bone side it is a layer of skin that needs to be removed. I used a butterknife to get started then pull the rest by hand. you can google it if it a problem. But usually if you get them from Costco or sams club its already removed. you need to season your smoker before you cook in it. so fire up some wood chips and let that baby burn for 4 to 6 hrs. I literally have edited this post 5 times because I keep thinking of things I wish someone would have told me when I started out.

Edited March 15, 2014 by foreverirish34

[Donjuan 16]

Well this is making me want to fire up my smoker.

[nickman54 0]

First batch on this new smoker is all done. I only sauced half of them because I don't care for heavy BBQ sauce flavor. They are pretty damn good though. I have a few tweaks that I am going to do to my process the next round.http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af36/nickman54/photo_zps5d75067f.jpg' alt='photo_zps5d75067f.jpg'>

[VCDomer 68]

use cherry. I always use fruit woods for my pork "apple cherry or apricot" Use hard woods "hickory or misquite" for your beef. First I should say that I BBQ a lot and enter BBQ contests. After the brine take the ribs out pat them dry, then squirt just a lil frenchs mustard onto the ribs just enough to put a thin coat on them. I make my own rubs and always use a brown sugar base. So start with a good amount of brown sugar "this will ensure the crusty "bark" as it will carmelize and harden. Then I add dry mustard, pakrika, ground cumin, garlic powder, tiny amount of ciniminom, lil crushed red pepper and a lil ginger. I won a Competion with that rub. As for smoking some will tell you to foil them, those people are dumb. Just put the ribs on the smoker at around 250. Baby backs will take almost five hrs on the dot. Spare ribs take about 6. But its a feel thing, the skin should be pulling back on bone about 3/4 inch. Make sure you spray them using a spray bottle with apple juice once every hr. This will keep the meat moist and add to the bark. When you think that they are almost done like a 1/2 hr from being done put some bbq sauce on them. That should be all the bbq sauce on them, put some out on the side for the guest that don't know how you should eat ribs. Then when they are done let them sit for 20 mins. I have a killer BBQ sauce recipe if your interested. Remember check only once an hr. When your spraying it with AJ. anywhere around 5 hrs and you will have a great rack. Be careful very addicting!! Pm me any time or if you want my number and I can walk you through the process, don't feel bad my buddies hit me up all the time for advice. Good luck. and you will need to get really good at just using one hand. Because you should have a beer in the other one. I forgot you must take out the membrane on the back bone side it is a layer of skin that needs to be removed. I used a butterknife to get started then pull the rest by hand. you can google it if it a problem. But usually if you get them from Costco or sams club its already removed. you need to season your smoker before you cook in it. so fire up some wood chips and let that baby burn for 4 to 6 hrs. I literally have edited this post 5 times because I keep thinking of things I wish someone would have told me when I started out.

 

Well done.

[J.P. 0]

use cherry. I always use fruit woods for my pork "apple cherry or apricot" Use hard woods "hickory or misquite" for your beef. First I should say that I BBQ a lot and enter BBQ contests. After the brine take the ribs out pat them dry, then squirt just a lil frenchs mustard onto the ribs just enough to put a thin coat on them. I make my own rubs and always use a brown sugar base. So start with a good amount of brown sugar "this will ensure the crusty "bark" as it will carmelize and harden. Then I add dry mustard, pakrika, ground cumin, garlic powder, tiny amount of ciniminom, lil crushed red pepper and a lil ginger. I won a Competion with that rub. As for smoking some will tell you to foil them, those people are dumb. Just put the ribs on the smoker at around 250. Baby backs will take almost five hrs on the dot. Spare ribs take about 6. But its a feel thing, the skin should be pulling back on bone about 3/4 inch. Make sure you spray them using a spray bottle with apple juice once every hr. This will keep the meat moist and add to the bark. When you think that they are almost done like a 1/2 hr from being done put some bbq sauce on them. That should be all the bbq sauce on them, put some out on the side for the guest that don't know how you should eat ribs. Then when they are done let them sit for 20 mins. I have a killer BBQ sauce recipe if your interested. Remember check only once an hr. When your spraying it with AJ. anywhere around 5 hrs and you will have a great rack. Be careful very addicting!! Pm me any time or if you want my number and I can walk you through the process, don't feel bad my buddies hit me up all the time for advice. Good luck. and you will need to get really good at just using one hand. Because you should have a beer in the other one. I forgot you must take out the membrane on the back bone side it is a layer of skin that needs to be removed. I used a butterknife to get started then pull the rest by hand. you can google it if it a problem. But usually if you get them from Costco or sams club its already removed. you need to season your smoker before you cook in it. so fire up some wood chips and let that baby burn for 4 to 6 hrs. I literally have edited this post 5 times because I keep thinking of things I wish someone would have told me when I started out.

 

I am going to try this soon. I too have an electric smoker and love to try new things, meats, and recipes, being I have only had it for one and a half summers I am still trying to learn. Even though I am not the OP thanks for the tips. And could you PM me the recipe for that BBQ sauce please?

[Rocketsan 770]

Is an electric smoker a good option for someone who's never done it?

[nickman54 0]

Is an electric smoker a good option for someone who's never done it?

 

IMO, yes you don't have to babysit the temps as much. I've tried a cheaper charcoal smoker years back and I couldn't keep the temps consistent enough to get good BBQ. Ymmv. I will admit someone that knows charcoal can most likely get better flavors just because charcoal is king.

[echo88 74]

IMO, yes you don't have to babysit the temps as much. I've tried a cheaper charcoal smoker years back and I couldn't keep the temps consistent enough to get good BBQ. Ymmv. I will admit someone that knows charcoal can most likely get better flavors just because charcoal is king.

 

Nice work man! Next up, you gotta try pork shoulder. I've got a killer recipe for that.

 

Not sure if your smoker has a water basin (mine does), but it works wonders for retaining the moisture. Instead of using all water, I will mix water with the marinade/brine.

 

Also, once you have smoking down to a science, you should try making your own wood chips. I make bourbon and whiskey flavored chunks that are hands down my favorite.....

[indyirishdad 0]

Nice work man! Next up, you gotta try pork shoulder. I've got a killer recipe for that.

 

Not sure if your smoker has a water basin (mine does), but it works wonders for retaining the moisture. Instead of using all water, I will mix water with the marinade/brine.

 

Also, once you have smoking down to a science, you should try making your own wood chips. I make bourbon and whiskey flavored chunks that are hands down my favorite.....

 

My wife makes pork shoulder. It is the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. Great call.

[echo88 74]

One more thing: since it's an electric smoker, mixing in lump charcoal with your wood chunks will give it a more authentic taste....

[nickman54 0]

One more thing: since it's an electric smoker, mixing in lump charcoal with your wood chunks will give it a more authentic taste....

 

This is a good idea, I'm going to do this on my next batch. Would you mind sharing your shoulder recipe if you have time? Oh and my smoker does have a water basin, when I did this batch of ribs I dumped apple juice in it. I think I'm going to add another basin though because it evaporates faster than I would like.

[echo88 74]

This is a good idea, I'm going to do this on my next batch. Would you mind sharing your shoulder recipe if you have time? Oh and my smoker does have a water basin, when I did this batch of ribs I dumped apple juice in it. I think I'm going to add another basin though because it evaporates faster than I would like.

 

Water basins are amazing, but just remember that when you refill the water, the temp will temporarily drop for 2 reasons:

 

1, the door has to be opened

2, it will take some time for the burners to warm the water up.

 

Won;t make a big difference, but some guys make the mistake of seeing that the temp dropped and turning up the heat. Next thing you know, its been cooking at 275 instead of 220 for God knows how long.

 

Stand by for recipe....

[echo88 74]

Get an 8-10lb. pork shoulder from a local butcher shop or a higher end grocery store like Wegman's or Whole Foods.

 

Take the shoulder out of the wrapper and put it in a large 2 gallon ziploc bag with ~1 gallon of water, 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of salt. This is the brine I use.

 

Refrigerate overnight inside of a large aluminum disposable tray with 4 inch sides.

 

I recommend soaking your wood chips overnight in a large bowl too. Some guys are good with just an hour or so, but I have found that I get better smoke this way. See below for wood chip specifics.

 

In the morning, take the pork out of the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Save the aluminum tray because this is what you're going to put the shoulder in once it's done smoking.

 

Put the dried off pork back in the aluminum pan. Put some latex gloves on (I use medical gloves) and slather the entire shoulder in a liberal layer of Honey Dijon mustard. This actually doesn't give the shoulder much mustard flavor, but rather serves as "glue" for the rub that results in a crispy bark once it's finished cooking.

 

Now you're ready for the rub. This rub requires you to crush some fennel, coriander, and peppercorn so if you have a mortar and pestle---great. If not, you can put them in a ziploc bag together and smash them with whatever is available.

 

Dry Rub:

 

1 Tbsp Morton's Season All Seasoning Salt

1/4 tsp sea salt (or table salt)

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1 Tbsp crushed fennel seeds

1 Tbsp crushed coriander seeds

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1.5 tsp crushed black peppercorns

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

 

After you've crushed everything up and mixed the rub together, don your gloves again and rub the entire mixture over the shoulder, covering every bit of it. You shouldn't have any of the rub left. Let the pork get to room temperature before you put it in the smoker--I always use this time to get the smoker ready.

 

Wood Chips: For pork, I use apple, pecan, or Jack Daniels chips (JD can be bought in the store even tho I prefer my own). As I said before, you can mix with lump charcoal for an authentic taste...just don't use much.

 

Water Basin: You can either use all water or your brine mix + water.

 

Get your smoker leveled out at 215-220 degrees. Using the gloves again, put the shoulder on a rack lined with aluminum foil (because cleaning a smoker sucks). *It is very important that you place the pork with the fat on top! This lets the fat melt down into the roast instead of dropping into the pan.

 

Every hour or so, spray the shoulder liberally with a small mist bottle (2 part apple cider, 1 part peanut oil, and 1 part apple cider vinegar.

 

Should cook for about 12 hours. Be sure to check the water basin after about 6 hours to replenish if needed.

 

When the pork is done, the internal temp should be about 195-200 degrees and the entire outside should be covered in a dark brown/black crust. Do not remove the roast with tongs because it will fall apart. I get two new latex gloves and carefully grab the pork with both hands to transfer it back to the large aluminum pan.

 

Let it rest for about a half hour on the kitchen counter. You won't even need a fork to pull it apart. I serve it on sandwich rolls/buns with a thin slice of gouda cheese, but shoulder can be served any way you like....

 

Hope it turns out well!

Edited March 19, 2014 by echo88

[nickman54 0]

Get an 8-10lb. pork shoulder from a local butcher shop or a higher end grocery store like Wegman's or Whole Foods.

 

Take the shoulder out of the wrapper and put it in a large 2 gallon ziploc bag with ~1 gallon of water, 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of salt. This is the brine I use.

 

Refrigerate overnight inside of a large aluminum disposable tray with 4 inch sides.

 

I recommend soaking your wood chips overnight in a large bowl too. Some guys are good with just an hour or so, but I have found that I get better smoke this way. See below for wood chip specifics.

 

In the morning, take the pork out of the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Save the aluminum tray because this is what you're going to put the shoulder in once it's done smoking.

 

Put the dried off pork back in the aluminum pan. Put some latex gloves on (I use medical gloves) and slather the entire shoulder in a liberal layer of Honey Dijon mustard. This actually doesn't give the shoulder much mustard flavor, but rather serves as "glue" for the rub that results in a crispy bark once it's finished cooking.

 

Now you're ready for the rub. This rub requires you to crush some fennel, coriander, and peppercorn so if you have a mortar and pestle---great. If not, you can put them in a ziploc bag together and smash them with whatever is available.

 

Dry Rub:

 

1 Tbsp Morton's Season All Seasoning Salt

1/4 tsp sea salt (or table salt)

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1 Tbsp crushed fennel seeds

1 Tbsp crushed coriander seeds

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1.5 tsp crushed black peppercorns

 

After you've crushed everything up and mixed the rub together, don your gloves again and rub the entire mixture over the shoulder, covering every bit of it. You shouldn't have any of the rub left. Let the pork get to room temperature before you put it in the smoker--I always use this time to get the smoker ready.

 

Wood Chips: For pork, I use apple, pecan, or Jack Daniels chips (JD can be bought in the store even tho I prefer my own). As I said before, you can mix with lump charcoal for an authentic taste...just don't use much.

 

Water Basin: You can either use all water or your brine mix + water.

 

Get your smoker leveled out at 215-220 degrees. Using the gloves again, put the shoulder on a rack lined with aluminum foil (because cleaning a smoker sucks). *It is very important that you place the pork with the fat on top! This lets the fat melt down into the roast instead of dropping into the pan.

 

Every hour or so, spray the shoulder liberally with a small mist bottle (2 part apple cider, 1 part peanut oil, and 1 part apple cider vinegar.

 

Should cook for about 12 hours. Be sure to check the water basin after about 6 hours to replenish if needed.

 

When the pork is done, the internal temp should be about 160 degrees and the entire outside should be covered in a dark brown/black crust. Do not remove the roast with tongs because it will fall apart. I get two new latex gloves and carefully grab the pork with both hands to transfer it back to the large aluminum pan.

 

Let it rest for about a half hour on the kitchen counter. You won't even need a fork to pull it apart. I serve it on sandwich rolls/buns with a thin slice of gouda cheese, but shoulder can be served any way you like....

 

Hope it turns out well!

 

Thanks, I need to get up to our local Amish surplus store, they have spices in bulk. I will probably try this in a couple of weeks.

[Rocketsan 770]

Get an 8-10lb. pork shoulder from a local butcher shop or a higher end grocery store like Wegman's or Whole Foods.

 

Take the shoulder out of the wrapper and put it in a large 2 gallon ziploc bag with ~1 gallon of water, 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of salt. This is the brine I use.

 

Refrigerate overnight inside of a large aluminum disposable tray with 4 inch sides.

 

I recommend soaking your wood chips overnight in a large bowl too. Some guys are good with just an hour or so, but I have found that I get better smoke this way. See below for wood chip specifics.

 

In the morning, take the pork out of the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Save the aluminum tray because this is what you're going to put the shoulder in once it's done smoking.

 

Put the dried off pork back in the aluminum pan. Put some latex gloves on (I use medical gloves) and slather the entire shoulder in a liberal layer of Honey Dijon mustard. This actually doesn't give the shoulder much mustard flavor, but rather serves as "glue" for the rub that results in a crispy bark once it's finished cooking.

 

Now you're ready for the rub. This rub requires you to crush some fennel, coriander, and peppercorn so if you have a mortar and pestle---great. If not, you can put them in a ziploc bag together and smash them with whatever is available.

 

Dry Rub:

 

1 Tbsp Morton's Season All Seasoning Salt

1/4 tsp sea salt (or table salt)

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1 Tbsp crushed fennel seeds

1 Tbsp crushed coriander seeds

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1.5 tsp crushed black peppercorns

 

After you've crushed everything up and mixed the rub together, don your gloves again and rub the entire mixture over the shoulder, covering every bit of it. You shouldn't have any of the rub left. Let the pork get to room temperature before you put it in the smoker--I always use this time to get the smoker ready.

 

Wood Chips: For pork, I use apple, pecan, or Jack Daniels chips (JD can be bought in the store even tho I prefer my own). As I said before, you can mix with lump charcoal for an authentic taste...just don't use much.

 

Water Basin: You can either use all water or your brine mix + water.

 

Get your smoker leveled out at 215-220 degrees. Using the gloves again, put the shoulder on a rack lined with aluminum foil (because cleaning a smoker sucks). *It is very important that you place the pork with the fat on top! This lets the fat melt down into the roast instead of dropping into the pan.

 

Every hour or so, spray the shoulder liberally with a small mist bottle (2 part apple cider, 1 part peanut oil, and 1 part apple cider vinegar.

 

Should cook for about 12 hours. Be sure to check the water basin after about 6 hours to replenish if needed.

 

When the pork is done, the internal temp should be about 160 degrees and the entire outside should be covered in a dark brown/black crust. Do not remove the roast with tongs because it will fall apart. I get two new latex gloves and carefully grab the pork with both hands to transfer it back to the large aluminum pan.

 

Let it rest for about a half hour on the kitchen counter. You won't even need a fork to pull it apart. I serve it on sandwich rolls/buns with a thin slice of gouda cheese, but shoulder can be served any way you like....

 

Hope it turns out well!

 

As Tom Waits said on Closing Time: "I think that I just fell in love with you..."

[foreverirish34 11]

i usually take my pork butts out at 195 to 200. Sounds like a good recipe echo.

[echo88 74]

i usually take my pork butts out at 195 to 200. Sounds like a good recipe echo.

 

LOL now that I think about it, I may have mixed up the temp with another recipe. Truth be told, I don't even use a thermometer anymore because it's always perfect right at 12 hours.

 

Depending on who you ask, anywhere from 190-200 is the right temp range....

 

Thanks for catching that!

Edited March 19, 2014 by echo88