Originally Posted by Delano:
The visual isn’t as important as the taste for me. I think smoke absorbs over time and if you cook faster, there’s less time to take in that flavor. I think your method looks great if you’ve got more flavors via the seasoning - if a simpler rub is used, the smoke flavor is more important and therefore a slower cook time preferred.
I think we all season, perhaps, more than we need to. That said, given that most of us use a binder, I do, and we let the ribs sweat a while, that thick moisture layer tends to grab a lot of smoke and flavor pretty quickly. I think of it almost being like pellicle on fish. And I do spritz with apple cider vinegar/water mix every 20-25 minutes
Wrapping that in foil (which I personally find better than butcher paper for the purposes of steaming) does it's job very well to set the texture and make sure the meat comes off the bone rather simply.
The sear at the end just resets the bark and provides a great appearance of the dish.
Either way I think these had plenty of smoke flavor and the shorter time it takes to make (~3 hours from coming out of the fridge to slicing to eat) was a huge benefit. She said, "How about some ribs" at 3:00pm, I'm posting pics at 6:15. Not too shabby IMO. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mlyonsd:
I use the old style electric bullet smoker. It doesn't have a thermostat and tops out at 250.
That dog hunts... It may take a little longer at 250, but crank that puppy up, perhaps add a smoke tube for added smoke, and use the oven in the house for the sear. I know this because I used to have a trusty Brinkman electric bullet smoker, I still have an electric Cuisinart vertical smoker, both are/were amazing.
Originally Posted by GloryDayz:
I think we all season, perhaps, more than we need to. That said, given that most of us use a binder, I do, and we let the ribs sweat a while, that thick moisture layer tends to grab a lot of smoke and flavor pretty quickly. I think of it almost being like pellicle on fish. And I do spritz with apple cider vinegar/water mix every 20-25 minutes
Wrapping that in foil (which I personally find better than butcher paper for the purposes of steaming) does it's job very well to set the texture and make sure the meat comes off the bone rather simply.
The sear at the end just resets the bark and provides a great appearance of the dish.
Either way I think these had plenty of smoke flavor and the shorter time it takes to make (~3 hours from coming out of the fridge to slicing to eat) was a huge benefit. She said, "How about some ribs" at 3:00pm, I'm posting pics at 6:15. Not too shabby IMO.
I'm not the expert you guys are, but this might be something for everyone. I began using bacon fat as a binder a couple years ago. I feel like it adds a little more smoky flavor. Ymmv. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Easy 6:
Do you have a go to cajun spice brand, or just make your own?
I use Rajun Cajun cuz it says it's a little lower in salt and I can add that as I please.
That's the problem with a lot of seasoning blends, they're all salt licks. You season as you cook then add one of those in and you've got yourself some high blood pressure. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pablo:
I use Rajun Cajun cuz it says it's a little lower in salt and I can add that as I please.
That's the problem with a lot of seasoning blends, they're all salt licks. You season as you cook then add one of those in and you've got yourself some high blood pressure.
So true, most brands of any kind of seasoning are waaay too salty... it can be easy to ruin a dish if you're not careful with most of them [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
I'm not the expert you guys are, but this might be something for everyone. I began using bacon fat as a binder a couple years ago. I feel like it adds a little more smoky flavor. Ymmv.
Interdasting... Do you warm it first? Either way, I LOVE THAT IDEA... Fucking brilliant... [Reply]
Originally Posted by GloryDayz:
Interdasting... Do you warm it first? Either way, I LOVE THAT IDEA... Fucking brilliant...
No, it's basically a paste. I fry/bake off a couple slabs of bacon, strain the grease while it's hot through a coffee filter, put it in a small mason jar and put it in the fridge to keep until I need it. Sometimes, if I have some old cooked bacon, I'll grind that, and put it in the bacon grease before I toss the jar in the fridge. It never actually gets hard, just turns into a spoon-able paste. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
No, it's basically a paste. I fry/bake off a couple slabs of bacon, strain the grease while it's hot through a coffee filter, put it in a small mason jar and put it in the fridge to keep until I need it. Sometimes, if I have some old cooked bacon, I'll grind that, and put it in the bacon grease before I toss the jar in the fridge. It never actually gets hard, just turns into a spoon-able paste.
I'm going to try it. And I agree, it might be the most flavorful binder ever. And might help keep the meat all the more moist...
Originally Posted by GloryDayz:
I'm going to try it. And I agree, it might be the most flavorful binder ever. And might help keep the meat all the more moist...
Thank you...
Welcome.
If you want to use the bacon fat as an oil, once you pour it into the jar, fill it to the top with warm water. Put the lid on, and give it a good shake for 20 seconds or so, then put it on the counter upside down for a few hours. All the remaining burnt bits will separate down into the lid.
Then put it in the fridge, and once the grease sets up, you can pour off the water and the burnt bits. To get rid of the remaining water, I sprinkle some salt on top. Just give it a stir before using so you don't get a super salty spoonful. [Reply]