You can use mustard as part of a rub, but I like using canola oil. The mustard can overpower the other flavors in the dry rub mix. Canola oil keeps the meat nice and moist, helps the rub adhere to the meat, and doesn't overpower the other spices. You can use canola oil, then add some dry mustard powder to your rub if you like mustard flavor. Just a thought.

This is my first time with mustard. I can say that using olive oil on tri tip sucks. It takes the flavor away from the seasonings.

I don't use any liquid base on my ribs. I find dry rub sticks fine, and I'm not building a thick bark like on a butt or brisket.

I'm a sucker for bark. I never had mustard based ribs. Hopefully they turn out okay. I don't have a thermometer (which sucks ass) to see what temp is. Could be a fast process today

Toothpick or pull test, you don't need a thermometer for ribs.

Agree. Learn to test rib doneness by pulling on them.

I love the mustard on the ribs. And going with open moist heat at first (two hours), then wrapped in foil with apple juice (hour or so), then open again with honey (20 minutes) leads to some great ribs. I like them moist and almost fall off the bone...

Like pull the bones apart? If they're not done will it dry them out?

Pull the bones, if the meat separates you're there. Or probe through the meat, if it goes through with no resistance you're there.

I'll give it a try within' the next hour.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/04/ajevygeq.jpg


This is what I got going on to keep them moist. Along with a light mop of Gates sweet and spicy. Not much on the mop though. More spray than mop?

Sigh...

Okay, here's a mop sauce recipe that is damn near perfect for ribs/butt:

1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. apple juice
1/8 c. yellow mustard
1/8 c. brown mustard
1 t. hot sauce
1 t. salt
1/8 t. fine ground black pepper
1/8 t. garlic powder

That's all you are getting from me though.

And it's a mop sauce. Mop it. I use a wide paint brush to apply mine.

When the meat has shrunk to where you can see 1/2" or so of bone, grab 2 bones and gently pull them apart. You should have a little resistance, but the meat should start to separate from the bone.

Got it saved thanks for the tip

Is the "t" a teaspoon or tablespoon? I'd say teaspoon

I'll give it a try in about 30 minuets

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/09/04/y9asy3a6.jpg


Man, I'm not going to lie these were the best.

3 TBSP Lawry's garlic salt and seasoning salt

5 TBSP McCormick coarse ground pepper

4 TBSP Crushed red pepper

1 1/2 cup golden brown sugar


Equal parts apple cider vinegar and apple juice for moisture.


Wet mop 5 minuets before removing with Gates Spicy BBQ sauce. These were phenomenal.

The Gates saved them.

But a few tips for future reference:

First off, no more baby back/Danish cuts for the ribs. St. Louis cut is what you need, or you can just go full cut. The baby back/Danish cut is a complete rip off.

Next, buy some paprika. Also junk the Lowry's seasoned salt. (Just reading about the three tablespoons of seasoned salt on that rack made my mouth pucker.) Start playing around with a bit of cumin, thyme, all spice, basil, mustard powder, various chili powders, etc.

Your base is going to be equal parts of paprika and brown sugar. (For a large rack, 1/4 c. each will do.) From there, it's simply what you like in flavors. You'll need no more than 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt for a rack, and that's including regular salt and celery salt. Same goes for the black pepper.

Just polished off 2 racks with the wife and inlaws. Everyone agreed they were probably the best ribs we've had at least in a long, long time. Thanks!

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...29789058_n.jpg


I made this sauce, and while it was a little sweeter than I normally prefer, it was still outstanding. I did triple the hot sauce.

I don't know anything about cuts, especially rib cuts. The seasoning salt wasn't bad at all, as we couldn't taste it. Paprika has absolute "zero" flavor and is only used for color. I never found paprika tasteful. I will give you're ideas a try, as I keep an open mind.

Couldn't disagree more on baby/loin back vs st louis style ribs. Too much junk meat on st. louis.

Everything else, I pretty much concur. Black pepper is a matter of taste. I like it in my rubs.

Nice job guys. All those ribs looked real pretty. Lots of good eatin goin on everywhere!
I like a rub called "Blues Hog." I get it at Hy-Vee. It's from a guy who lives up by Mark Twain Lake between Hannibal and Moberly, MO.

I usually add a few things to it, like a little brown sugar, some Old Bay seasoning and some garlic powder. But it's pretty damn good just by itself too.

http://blueshog.com/website/main.html

BBQ is the new 75 yards in the air.

Junk meat? After five hours of smoking, coming off pork ribs, there is no such thing as junk meat.

It's all personal preference though. I just don't see the logic in paying extra for having all the meat trimmed off.

However, if you are presenting for a competition, you better be serving St. Louis cut ribs.

From Meathead's excellent site:

http://www.thesmokerking.com/images/...RackOfRibs.jpg

http://www.trim-rite.com/images/st-l...e-ribs-373.JPG

http://www.hopcottmeats.ca/uploads/2...ackPrkRibs.jpg

I personally prefer the spare ribs. (See my previous photos in this thread from yesterday. That's what got smoked.) But I like a little meat on the bone.

Here is a very informative and detailed site on BBQ. Lots of information, though, in the end, it's all about what you end up happy with:

http://www.amazingribs.com/

OK, so who has a band saw to separate the SLC part of the spare so that it's an SLC cut? I'm game for most things, but breaking out the hand saw or hack saw just isn't where I'm going anymore... But I'll sure as hell as the Hy-Vee guy to hook me up...

Now, once you "separate" them, what do you do with the non-SLC part. They seem to be the larger part actually...

I make that cut with a cleaver. The cut off section still goes on the smoker but of course doesn't cook as long.

Most butchers, even grocery store butchers, should be able to cut the spares down for you.

You can use the bottom section for making rib tips. Hack through them to get 2" sections and cook them like that. (Pulling out the cleaver will make you a happy man.) Crock pot or oven cook that section/parts as a finger food thing.

And, in all honesty, you can just go ahead and smoke the whole spare. Use a deba type knife (pic below - my defacto rib prep and finish knife) to butter through the gristle on the bottom and you've got a massive, extremely tasty hunk of rib goodness.

Great link. I'm enjoying that site.

If you dig BBQ, you should have Meathead's site on your favorites list. A lot of stuff there on just about everything related to BBQ.

Ok, so I did my cook over the Labor day weekend. A brisket, a couple of butts, all turned out fantastic. What I did for leftovers was a new experiment and I highly recommend it. I took the brisket burnt ends, chopped some up more fine, put them in a skillet with provalone cheese (think philly cheesesteak), hollowed out a sourdough roll, added bbq sauce, and placed my new creation into the bun. I present to you the Kansas City Cheesesteak sandwich. It was one of the best things I've ever eaten. It is in pic 3

I found this many-page article interesting... I think I'm going to try this soon!!

http://bbq.about.com/od/ribs/ss/aa010607a.htm

This is page 6 and 7. Interesting!

"(6) When cooking a rack of ribs, you want it limited to the actual bone section of the ribs. Well above the ribs (or below if you are looking at the pig) is a section of meat filled with cartilage, little bones (the Chine bone) and connective tissue. You can identify this area with one basic rule: Bones don't Bend. If you try to fold the ribs in half lengthwise like a tall book, you will get a good idea where these sections meet. You can also find it by looking for a long line of fat that runs lengthwise along the rack. This doesn't always help because you can't always find it.

(7) The biggest problem with this step is that the point of separation between these sections is not a straight line, but if you stick to the rule (Bones don't Bend) you will have no trouble locating and cutting away this rib tip section. Now you have a rack of ribs. Just ribs. If you look at the picture below (or at your newly trimmed rack of spare ribs), there are three pieces of meat. You should know what to do with the ribs. As for the other pieces, these are great morsels of meat that you can use in other dishes (on some racks this is actually a lot of meat). Prepare these rib tips and serve them as appetizers. Personally, I grill then relatively fast, cut them into bite sized pieces apply sauce and serve before the actually rack comes off the smoker."

Interestingly enough, I'm not a fan of rib tips but I also prefer a St Louis cut to baby backs...

anyone have a recommended rib rack for a 15" bullet smoker? or are they all the same?

I put mustard on, but not enough to taste. I use about 10% of what you did, just enough to get the rub to stick, but not enough to taste.

We couldn't taste the mustard, so I'm sure it was unnecessary to use that much. They turned out great, next time I'll let them cool a bit before cutting. That was my only downfall.

Sometime folks add more than just enough to keep the rub on because the vinegar in the mustard help tenderize the meat. But if they were good, it's ALL good!

Because pork and beef aren't the only things that work on a grill.

Portabella mushrooms marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then grilled, then stuffed with peppers, onions, garlic and eggplant sauteed in a white balsamic and wine reduction. Burgundy soaked goat cheese and focasia crumbs added and topped with a square of feta.

Not to toot my own horn, but HOLY SHIT!!!! this was good.

I don't care much for portabello mushrooms but I love your recipe. I've used something very similar with lamb chops before.

Can you add a few more details... After I wipe the drool offamyface, I'm gonna try it!

This.


Give some step by step directions for us slow people. I'd like to try this

yes, me too. I dig grilled portabellas. I usually use them instead of burger on a "hamberger" with roasted red peppers and pesto sauce.

Rub the mushrooms in herbs, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and let it soak into the shrooms a bit. (Oregano, basil, parsley, a little rosemary, thyme and marjoram with salt and pepper - fresh ground preferred.)

Make a balsamic and wine reduction to about 2 tablespoons from a 1/4 cup of each. Add a touch of olive oil then sauteed the veggies (this time I used some white eggplants, onions and bell peppers, though I've used squash and zucchini as well) in it until al dente.

Shred up some goat cheese (right now I'm really digging the Drunken Goat, which is really tasty):

http://forevercheese.com/wp-content/...at-380x500.jpg

and add some bread crumbs, an egg, a little salt and pepper and stir in the veggies. I think I also threw in some chives or green onions as well.

Grill the shrooms direct on both sides until the start to soften, stuff them and put them back on the grill but off the heat (indirect) for about 20 minutes or so. Put the feta on the top for the last five minutes.

That's at least how I did it this last time. Turned out great.

That looks like aged cheese. Have you ever though of using fresh goat cheese? Wouldn't be as sharp but would also have a completely different texture. Also makes the feta unnecessary because they're pretty similar in terms of flavor.

Curious if you guys buy any pre-made rubs or if you just make your own?

I like the KC BBQ Rub from Weber actually but I can no longer find it in town.

I make my own rubs simply because I like to control the ingredients. A lot of store bought rubs are loaded with sugar and salt, not that bbq should be healthy, but I like to be able to control some of that and play around with different flavor profiles at the same time.

EDIT: I do keep some Blues Hog dry rub on hand in case.

Blues Hog is the shiznit.
Go back a couple pages for a link.

I did the pre-made ones once because two extra families showed up for a football game. All I can say is nobody died. In fact, the originally uninvited ones got "my" ribs and the rest of us ruminated on the others.

Seriously, they weren't bad, but they just didn't have any love behind them...

http://www.pitch.com/fatcity/archive...be-a-cut-above

Broadway Butcher Shop aims to be a cut above
Posted by Jonathan Bender on Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 10:32 AM

The lean times may be ending for Kansas City's butchers. Broadway Butcher Shop is planning a soft opening this Wednesday at 3828 Broadway, most recently the temporary home of the adjacent Gomer's.

"We wanted something that was good for the neighborhood," says Jim Coley, the midtown Gomer's wine director. "I love what Alex [Pope] is doing [at Local Pig], but there isn't anything like that here."

And so Coley and the folks at Gomer's went out and found themselves a butcher.

"We went out and shook the trees, and Greg [Madouras] fell out," Coley joked while standing in the nearly completed shop last Friday.

"Butchers don't grow on trees," Madouras fired back. "We cut meat."

Madouras got his start as a grocery-store sacker growing up in Stanley, Kansas. At the age of 18, he was offered the chance to learn how to butcher, and 28 years later, he's still in the business. A number of the men in his family have cut meat. His grandfather, Harold, was a butcher, and his great-uncle, Valentine Niebergall, worked for Hormel Foods from its inception. With the Broadway Butcher Shop, he thinks he can remind people why they need a butcher in their lives.

"I want to bring back something that was lost," Madouras says. "I want to educate my customers and have them come back and tell me how everything was. I want to build a relationship with them."

Madouras has been renovating the space since July, remodeling everything except the pressed-tin ceiling. A black and silver deli case hums just to the left of the front door. It will be filled with meats and cheeses, including Madouras' own smoked turkey that he'll slice to order. In the coming months, he expects to add house pastrami, corned beef and rotisserie chicken. Madouras had previously run Greg the Grilling Guy, a catering business that focused on smoking. Today, he's teaching his skills to Josh Johnson, 27, a former co-worker at Price Chopper.

"Butchers are getting older. This is about the next generation," Madouras says. "It's about doing things the right way."

The butcher shop has a smoker out back that is filled with fruit or hardwood depending on what's being smoked. A counter with the cash register, which is in the process of being delivered, was constructed from reclaimed barn wood and decorated with pieces of Madouras' family history. His grandfather's bicycle hangs suspended on the wall behind the counter, and a tabletop radio sits adjacent to a deli case that will hold steaks, lamb, veal and Duroc pork.

"Everything we do will be old-school," Madouras says. "The difference for us will be in service and skill."

Madouras will smoke slab bacon, sliced to the thickness you request. He has plans for maple bacon and jalapeno bacon. A third case will hold sausage and ready-made dinners: bacon-wrapped scallops and asparagus, beef pinwheels and chicken roll-ups.

"Everybody has brats made with brown sugar and pineapple," Madouras says. "We just want to do something different."

That means white wine and red wine sausage made with a blend of meats with natural casing. In addition to poultry (pieced and whole chickens from area Amish farmers, turkeys), a case along the far wall will have fresh seafood. Madouras has a steamer that can be used to prepare shrimp on-site.

A stand-alone freezer will have scallops, shrimp and wild game depending on availability. Madouras has plans to stock kangaroo, elk, emu, venison and alligator. The retail space next door, the area that previously held the craft-beer fridges at Gomer's temporary store, will be stocked with dry goods, charcoal, wood, knives and potentially a line of smokers. Madouras will also be selling his own rubs and marinades.

"Nobody has a sharp knife these days," he says. "And the two things you need when you get married are a pickup truck and a sharp knife."

The Broadway Butcher Shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 816-931-2333 (BEEF), and the website (which is not yet live) is broadwaybutchershop.com.

"One of us will always be here until we close," Madouras says. "I want people to know what it was like to have a neighborhood butcher shop."

I have a smoking question and figured we might as well bump this thread up. There was some good info in here last year that I used quite a bit.

I'm going to a friend's house for opening day. Here on West Coast time that means 10 a.m. kickoff. I am going to smoke a pork butt for some pulled pork sandwiches, but due to time constraints and not being at my house, I'm going to have to do this the day before.

Given the butt size I will be using it will likely take 9-10 hours to get it up to a temp of 190.

My question is how do I store this and re-heat it the day after so that the meat doesn't get dried out and tastes as close to coming off the smoker as it can be instead of microwaved leftovers?

Leave it whole, reheat it wrapped in the oven (I'd use an aluminum pan with the cooking juices), pull & serve.

Temp of the oven when reheating?

275-300 until the internal is where you want it

this will get me fired from this thread (yes i know, you want to smoke it):
slow cook that pork butt in a slow cooker. no, it won't have the "same" taste you're looking for. but if you're not at your house, do it in a slow cooker. i've got a recipe around here somewhere that i could post if you want it.

hot sauce, your fav bbq sauce, and a few other things i can't remember off the top of my head. it does wonders for pulled pork sammiches.

That's not BBQ :facepalm:

i know. that's what i said, SON............(shakes head).

Reported.

The whole ****ing point of this thread is BBQ....son.

actually, it says smoking in the op. not bbq. i'm not hear to fight. was just offering another option.

(p.s. i know smoking is usually intended for bbq, but that's not always the case)

can't we all just get along? SON!

Well it sure as hell doesn't say crock pot...son

NO.... son! :harumph:

Uh, why not just time it so that it is ready about the time you are fixing to head over?

So if I leave my house at 9 a.m and this takes about 10 hours to smoke, I should start it at 11 pm and stay up all night to tend to the coals?

A REAL pitmaster would :D

Depending on your smoker, it should hold temp overnight. Pork is pretty forgiving and can handle some temp fluctuations.

Worst case, you could also pull it, put it in an aluminum pan, add some moisture and reheat in the oven.

Well yeah. It is going to be a Saturday night. Smoke meat and drink beer all night. Hell, even better idea: take your smoker over to your friend's place and do it over there. That'd be a great time.

:Pimp:

I'm too ****ing old for that staying up late shit.

And I sure as hell ain't putting that nasty smoker anywhere near my car.

:shake:

Pussy. :p

Ideal way is smoke overnight then faux cambre until the party.

I'm thinking maybe just getting an electric smoker next time for simple ease of use. I could let that baby run over night and not have to **** with it like I do with the charcoal smoker I use now. Would this be a sacrilege of the smoking community?

I'm not sure what brand of smoker you currently have, but you should be able to get at least 8-12 hours of consistent temps with a charcoal smoker. I overnight smoke all the time and sleep like a baby demon angel through the night.

I use electric for exactly this reason.

Although you should be able to get stable temps, as was already said. Make that your next goal while smoking: stable temp control.

Just a cheap Brinkmann vertical smoker. It spikes super ****ing high and then the coals seems to die out around 6 hours. There are really no vents on this thing to regulate and holding a consistent temp that is low enough (225) here in Phoenix has been tough to do.

I also just feel weird leaving the smoker/coals burning in my back yard all night. Should I not be paranoid about that?

Yea it's been tough, although the last time I did it, I had some increased success but had to check everything a few times an hour.

I think an electric smoker with a self monitoring temperature gauge would be pretty ****ing easy to maintain that slow/low temperature I need! Not to mention just adding some coals and wood to the box near the element to get the best of all worlds when smoking.

Picked me up a pellet grill today. Should make for some great food.

Yeah, no air vents can be a problem for regulating temps, I can see why you need to monitor it. I suppose you could invest in a thermometer that has range settings so if your temps spike it alerts you, however I would just upgrade to a better smoker. As far as coals burning overnight, as long as you aren't smoking on a flammable surface, it's no worry. Charcoal reacts the same whether you're sitting in your recliner watching the game or lying in your bed getting some sleep.

Good luck.

There might be some websites out there with mods for that smoker to improve temp control.

You don't have to cook a pork butt whole. I had a time constraint last weekend and cut one into 6 pieces. Smoked it for 2.5 hours, foiled it, then cooked it for another 2 hours. It was perfect to pull. So, you could just get up pretty early, say 4:30, smoke the cut up butt, go back to bed, wake up about 7:30, foil it, and then just take it over hot off the smoker and pull it for sammys at your friends house. Thats what I'd do.

What wood pellets should I buy for beef, pork, fish, etc? I've heard oak is good for beef. Mesquite is strong, and fruit woods are usually the way to go. Anybody know what is best?

I would reserve the stronger ones for beef like mesquite and hickory. Fruitwoods are good for pork, as well as milder woods like oak and maple.

For anyone just starting out smoking, I always give the same advice. Keep a journal. Document things like the wood, rub, cooking method, etc. There are a lot of different ways to smoke good meat. Personal taste and actually being able to track what you did that gave you the results you liked helps.

Conversely, because there are so many different ways to get it right, you can get away with "winging it" alot. If you aren't that particular, just try something different from the web every time.

Thanks. I plan on writing stuff down as I go. I'm doing kc strips tonight on it. From what I'm reading you can smoke them at 225 degrees for 20-30 minutes until internal temp of 110-120. Then it says to jack the temperature to the high stage (400-450) for 1-2 minutes per side for searing, remove at 130-140 depending on how you like it.

I love a mixture of apple and cherry wood for anything pork.