BBQ Thread

I said... HOW MUCH?
 
skidadl said:
Sorry dude I missed that. I'm in the dirty burban while my wife drives in Austin. Yikes!

I don't know...40?
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I can do $38.50 and not a penny more.
 
Alright, guys. Ribs are on.

The dial thermometer I have sitting on the grill reads 260 degrees, which is 30 degrees hotter than I should have it. I've 80% closed the top and bottom vents and hopefully the temp comes down eventually.

i didn't brine the ribs, but did soak the wood chips overnight. The butcher took the membrane off for me.

i covered half of the lower grate, the half where the water pan sits on top off, with aluminum foil. I didn't cover the top grate with foil.
 
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Don't brine ribs. But I hope you did use a good dry rub. The store bought ones are ok, but I prefer homemade.
 
When should I switch the spots of the ribs on the grate? I'm shy of 2 hours now.

i don't plan on flipping the ribs - any reason I should?
 
pdom said:
When should I switch the spots of the ribs on the grate? I'm shy of 2 hours now.

i don't plan on flipping the ribs - any reason I should?
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Are you using a rib stand? If so I rotate mine after an hour, leave on another hour, then spray them with apple juice and foil them for 2 hours, then unwrap and finish for 30minutes to an hour until the bark cracks when you pick them up with tongs
 
jsmith6919 said:
Are you using a rib stand? If so I rotate mine after an hour, leave on another hour, then spray them with apple juice and foil them for 2 hours, then unwrap and finish for 30minutes to an hour until the bark cracks when you pick them up with tongs
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Naw, no rack stand. Just sitting on the grate.
 
pdom said:
Naw, no rack stand. Just sitting on the grate.
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I'd just rotate them after an hour or so depending on the temp fluctuation across the grill.
 
NoDak said:
Don't brine ribs. But I hope you did use a good dry rub. The store bought ones are ok, but I prefer homemade.
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Yeah, never brine ribs.
 
pdom said:
Naw, no rack stand. Just sitting on the grate.
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Like jsmith said, rotate them about hourly, but the most important part is foiling them for an hour or 2 once you have the smoke in them. They will dry out otherwise.
 
What a feast. Thanks, everyone for bearing with me, and I wish I could've had you all over to enjoy together.

with one rack, I did no preparations while the other rack had a spicy rub applied the night before. Both turned out better than I would've expected for my first time. Easily better than the ribs you'd get at diners and even better than some BBQ restaurants.

the meat didn't fall off the bone (my preference), but could be pulled/bitten off cleanly. I'm most proud of seeing the smoke ring.

Some takeaways:
1. I underestimated how long the charcoal would last. One chimney full was plenty and I didn't need to add any new coals. I had to stoke the pile a bit halfway through to better mix the lit coals and the unlit.
2. The ribs ended up being on the grill for 5 hours, 15 minutes. Next time, I'll probably pull the ribs off 20 minutes earlier as I think I lost some juiciness. Some bites were perfection, while others were a bit dry.
3. Use less rub. I covered every speck of meat with rub. I'll probably use 30% less next time.
4. The thermometer is the MVP. If I didn't have that thing, there's no way I would've achieved the same results.

Questions:
1. Did the wood chips make a difference? Do the wood chips assist in the smoking/cooking, or are they just for flavor?

When I first started, for the first 1 hour there was white smoke that escaped every time I pulled off the lid. For the next 4 hours, no smoke. Losing visible smoke worried me, thinking that the coals were dead - that thermometer kept me from doing shit other than adjusting the vents. I ended up adding a second handful of wood chips after 2 hours.

2. When do you guys add the rub - the night before, a couple hours prior, right before throwing the ribs on the grill?
 
pdom said:
What a feast. Thanks, everyone for bearing with me, and I wish I could've had you all over to enjoy together.

with one rack, I did no preparations while the other rack had a spicy rub applied the night before. Both turned out better than I would've expected for my first time. Easily better than the ribs you'd get at diners and even better than some BBQ restaurants.

the meat didn't fall off the bone (my preference), but could be pulled/bitten off cleanly. I'm most proud of seeing the smoke ring.

Some takeaways:
1. I underestimated how long the charcoal would last. One chimney full was plenty and I didn't need to add any new coals. I had to stoke the pile a bit halfway through to better mix the lit coals and the unlit.
2. The ribs ended up being on the grill for 5 hours, 15 minutes. Next time, I'll probably pull the ribs off 20 minutes earlier as I think I lost some juiciness. Some bites were perfection, while others were a bit dry.
3. Use less rub. I covered every speck of meat with rub. I'll probably use 30% less next time.
4. The thermometer is the MVP. If I didn't have that thing, there's no way I would've achieved the same results.

Questions:
1. Did the wood chips make a difference? Do the wood chips assist in the smoking/cooking, or are they just for flavor?

When I first started, for the first 1 hour there was white smoke that escaped every time I pulled off the lid. For the next 4 hours, no smoke. Losing visible smoke worried me, thinking that the coals were dead - that thermometer kept me from doing shit other than adjusting the vents. I ended up adding a second handful of wood chips after 2 hours.

2. When do you guys add the rub - the night before, a couple hours prior, right before throwing the ribs on the grill?
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No problem, glad they came out good.
1. Wood chips are for the smoke/flavor. Also the optimum smoke is when it's just the really thin blue smoke that is difficult to even see at times http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_wood.html

2. On ribs I rub mine, wrap them in plastic wrap, and leave them in the fridge the night before
 
Nice work, Phil.

The chips are for the smoke and smoke ring. You don't want to over smoke though. If you do that you will end up with a sour taste. I don't add more smoke but that is just me.

I usually add rub the night before.
 
Very nice, Phil. They look great. I usually only add chips for the first couple of hours with ribs. Once you wrap there is no need to anyway because the smoke can't really get into the meat at that point. It looks like you did really good for your first time. Also, I add the rub the night before as well.
 
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