Smoked (BBQ) Pork Ribs in my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, a few minutes prep and you're golden by dinnertime!

RIBS!  there's not a soul who doesn't love RIBS!!  PORK RIBS!

I prefer St. Louis cut to baby backs, I think they are meatier and tastier.  I got some on sale today so it's smoked/BBQ ribs for dinner!  I'm making my potato salad to go with and a large, icy cold, beer.

TRACY'S SMOKED RIBS (in an electric smoker)

Get your hands on some ribs and yank the membrane off the back, season them up however you like.  Today, I used:

salt

pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

smoked paprika

cumin

coriander

oil

rub it in all in

Throw in on preheated (225) (I have a Masterbuilt) smoker with apple wood chips (soaked) for about 4 hours. 

I keep top vent slightly open so the smoke draws through and I can tell when there's no more smoke.  I refill 2-3 times about every 90 minutes.  I don't like TOO much smoke so I don't smoke the last while. 

EAT

Here's the picture heavy INSTRUCTIONS and chit chat

RIBS! 

As always, I cut the back membrane off the ribs, cut them into hunks with scissors and toss them in an immaculately clean sink.  Why dirty a bowl?  

Sprinkle whatever dry spices you want on them and then drizzle with oil.  Rub it all in, I love that part, I feel chef-y and involved.  Considering there's nothing to DO while these things cook/smoke, I feel as though a good rub in the beginning makes me matter to the whole affair.  Leave them to rest about half an hour, luckily, that's about how long it takes the smoker to be up to temperature, 225. 

 

Throw them in the smoker, on different shelves, with loads of space between (I didn't take pics of that) and smoke them 4+ hours.  I am not going to test them before 3 1/2 hours. 

Go have some wine, make a side dish or get online and cyber chat with people you love and miss who are far away.

I tested and decided I wanted them to go longer so at 4 1/2 hours I pulled them.  We ate them like cavemen, here's some beauty shots.

I pulled from from the smoker and threw them on a sheet pan, I tore one and cut another so you could see the insides and how they were.  They are tender but don't fall off the bone, you have to bite them, you have teeth.  They are soft and unctuous and meaty and tasty and there's some crispy fat on the edges that sort of seeps in, yeah, they're crazy good.  I don't put sauce on my ribs but if you are so inclined, you can have sauce on the side after they are done OR you can thin some BBQ sauce and paint them about 30 mins before you are going to eat to let them glaze.

   



The man liked them, I got a fist bump and a "good ribs".  High praise around here indeed!  o_O

That's how I do ribs, pork ribs.  I am going to try a pork butt later in the week and make some bread for pulled pork.  My plan is to grab a nice fatty brisket next and smoke it about 24 hours then yank off the fat and make some burnt ends, you're going to want to be near me when I do that one! :)

Go smoke something,

/enjoy

Smoking meat and BBQ; I live in Texas, I should be pretty good at it by now.

I live in Austin, Texas.  Austin has the best music, the coolest people (me included!) and the best BBQ.  I wanted to try my hand at the BBQ part.  I think the best restaurant, for BBQ, in town is La Barbecue.  I dream about that pulled pork sandwich, truly I do.  I went for their opening and have been back whenever I can sneak over there.  I picked it for my birthday meal with a friend who flew in from Canada.  It was freezing that day.  I wore a screaming hot pink feather boa with my sweatshirt.  It''s how we do winter in Austin.

    

It's not far from another famous BBQ joint, Franklins.  I've had Franklins, it's all hype and a little bit of overpriced meat.  You want REAL BBQ in Austin?  you want ambiance, quality, delicious and a real live REASON to stand in a line?  Go to La Barbecue, seriously, the (local) others are duds.  I do have some solid suggestions for out of town joints to chow down, but, that's another post.  Today, it's about me.

I've done a bunch of BBQ crawls around the area, where you get up early and pile into trucks and drive from one location to the next sampling the best BBQ they have.  Yeah, I've had my fair share of meat coma days. 

ANYway, I make a pretty good brisket, in the oven.  I make pretty good ribs, in the pressure cooker then the broiler but I haven't smoked anything and I was starting to feel like less of Texan than I could be. 

I have no problem whatsoever with the electric smoker over a standard wood smoker.  It does the same thing as a classic smoker without the drama of keeping temperature.  It's sort of like having an assistant watch the temperature without having to give them any beer.  It's the same meat, my own rub and wood smoke, I don't feel as though it's a cop out at all. 

I got a new smoker delivered yesterday, a Masterbuilt 30' Smokehouse.  I followed the directions to put it together, which took about 10 minutes.  I followed the directions do the 'preseason' which took 3 hours of which 2 1/2 minutes of that time involved me directly.

This morning I decided it was time and I was ready to face the smoker and to enter my name into the ring of pretty damned good smokers in Texas.  Yeah, I planned on being ordained after one time.  I know how good bbq and good smoked meat SHOULD taste and what the texture SHOULD be like.  I know how to cook.  How hard could this be? :D

TRACY'S SMOKED CHICKEN (and a RACK OF BABY BACK RIBS)

INGREDIENTS and QUICKIE instructions

2 chickens, about 4 lbs (they were on sale at HEB)
1 small rack of babyback ribs (also on sale, I prefer St.Louis style but that'll be next time)
salt, pepper, smoked paprika, oil
applewood smoking chips
1 Masterbuilt 30' Smokehouse Smoker


Rub meat.  Smoke meat 4 1/2 hours (weight of each chicken) at 225 with applewood chips, refill once. 

That's the short version.

This is how *I* did it.  Right or wrong?  Doesn't matter, it's my version: 

LONG WINDED DESCRIPTION OF MY METHOD (with pics!) 

I turned on the smoker, set it to 225, and went inside. 

I washed and dried the birds and ribs.  I had a cup of coffee. 

THEN, I sprinkled liberally with salt and pepper and smoked paprika.  I drizzled oil lightly over them and rubbed the seasonings in well.  I put them on a tray and took them outside.  The smoker was at temperature.  I filled the water holder with 1/2  a small beer.  I put the chickens on racks and the ribs on top.  

   
I closed the door and put wood chips, half soaked and half dry in the groovy little in the wall wood chip delivery system and went back inside.  I set my iphone timer for 2 hours.

THEY say don't peek, I had to peek

They're coming nicely.  I took the temperature of one of the chickens, it was 150something.  It occurred to me that I cook chickens in the oven for 5 hours so why was I fussing over the smoker?  I closed the door, reloaded some dry chips and went back inside the house.  I my timer for 2 1/2 hours.  

That follows the general rule I'd read about, 1 hr per lb for meat.  

At the 4 1/2 hour mark I went outside with my big tray and opened the door. AMAZING. The smell the sight AMAZING.  I didn't think they'd be THIS good.  

The ribs; perfect.  A perfect slight smoke ring, the meat tender and juicy and doesn't fall off the bone, yet melts when you pull it off with your teeth, gently.  AWESOME.  I've never made any ribs so good. 

The chicken; perfect.  Tender, juicy, smokey.  I'm shocked at how juicy it was really.  Wow. 

I highly HIGHLY recommend this product and method... Wow.

   

  

just.  wow.  

enjoy
/tracy

Grilled Chicken, Fajitas

I think people over think food.  I think they worry about too many seasonings, too much futzing and are too concerned with timing, and coordinating courses. 

I think cooking, and food, are about joy.  Simple is always best.  My friend has a recipe for chili that he proudly states includes in excess of 38 ingredients.  Really?  Why?  There is no way it all matters, no matter how complex and sophisticated you consider your pallet, there's no way that number of ingredients matters.

Friday night, beautiful weather in Austin, Texas.  Husband won't be home till close to 8, as per usual, and Connor and I will die of hunger before then.  Enter fajita night.

There are few things a BBQ grill won't enhance. I have a gas grill but am just as happy to use charcoal.

When I was at the store today I picked a family pack of chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) and a I had a couple of breasts I'd boned out a few days ago.

In a big bowl I tossed all the chicken with some salt, pepper, a little oil. If you want to be chef-y, add cumin and garlic but I just wanted the flavor of chicken and the flavor of grill :)  In another bowl I tossed a couple red peppers, a green pepper, 2 zucchini cut length wise and 3 onions, cut n/s (through the stem so they stay together.

Preheat grill to 10,000 degrees.  Hot hot hot!

Char the vegetables and toss them back in the metal bowl with a cloth over them.  When you're hungry later, peel them, slice them and throw them on a tortilla with, oh look at that chicken!  Grill it high and hot hot hot.  Flip it a few times, let the edges get good and crunchy, crispy.  Toss the whole pieces of chicken and onions in another oven dish and cover it with foil.

Cook some tortillas, slice the meat and add some vegetables.  You will be very, VERY, happy and it didn't take any time at all, didn't matter when anyone could sit down, this is one of those 'it waits for you' meals.  Most excellent.

Beauty shots!

 

     
It's all happily sitting and waiting, I have some fresh tomato and some beautiful avocados what I'll slice up and add when I make the tortillas.  Ah, grilled dinner in the palm of my hands.  You'd hardly know it's only for 3!

The veggies all slices up... I love the charred ends of the onions.  Connor is a purist, meat, cheese, sour cream. I'm a little bit of everything sort of girl.  The grilled zucchini rocked!
   

more, just because
 

Go grill something.

/enjoy

RIBS

Baby back ribs are a joy and there are few people who would say otherwise.  I like my ribs moist with a slight char and not too much sauce.  I like the meat to fall off the bone with little to no prodding (although purists will finger wag).  Generally a bbq, particularly here in Texas,  implies there are a number of things happening simultaneously and many cooks and many different meats cooking on numerous grills.  I have seen many a rib lost in the shuffle, the brisket is always king here and like the quintessential older sister gets all the attention and fan fare (Marsha Marsha Marsha!) which results in the ribs ending up a overcooked/undercooked dry hunk of meat with bones in it.

I like to mess with my ribs as little as possible; they are manna from heaven after all.  Then, I try to leave them to do their “ribby” thing; some foods don’t need you as much as you think.

I remove the membrane from the back of the ribs before you do anything, it’s easy to do, slide a knife under the end rib bone and grab the membrane with your fingers and pull back straight and hard.  Rub the ribs with a heavy course of salt and pepper and rub in your favorite bbq sauce.  Not too much, just enough to make it moist and give it a good rub in.  I live in bbq alley in Texas so the choices of sauce are truly overwhelming!  Pick one you like, not too sweet, and stick with it. 

Two slabs of pork ribs, on sale at HEB for $7/each, that'll work.  Open then and toss 'em in a sink so you can attend to them without the risk of them slipping out of your hand and onto the floor *experience speaking here!  

You see on the back its slippery and shiny, that's the membrane we don't want.  Make a slit along the bone on one end and stick your knife tip under the membrane.  It's thin and very tough.

  

Ease your knife tip the length of the slit and ease the membrane up so you can get a grip of it.  Tear it back the length of the ribs.  It should come in one piece, if not repeat the process.  It's paper thin and sounds like paper ripping when you pull it back.  When it's ripped off, you can see the exposed meat and fat - THAT is flavor darlings, not that tough membrane.  If you've never been a membrane remover, I think you'll notice a difference in tenderness and ease of cutting and eating the ribs.

  

Dry the ribs and salt and pepper liberally on both sides then rub on some of your favorite sauce.
  

Ahhh, look at my darlings all wrapped up and ready for the grill, or the oven, I'm not telling you which way I'm doing them today ;)  

Once salted and peppered (heavily!) wrap each slap in foil, TIGHTLY, and toss it on the cold side of the grill for about 2 hours.  No need to attend to it but if you feel obligated to participate, flip it once or twice.  It’s a low and slow moment here, ribs are cooked slow, eaten slow and that is one of the reasons they make me a happy soul, there's joy in slow.

You can spend your time cooking burgers, making slaw, having a beer, sitting on the porch with a book or chatting with good friends.  There's loads of things to do while this is happening.  

After 2 hours, carefully unwrap the ribs, coat them with your favorite Sticky Bbq sauce and lay them on the grill to char around the edges. 

Today, I cheated and did them in the oven because I wasn't sure about my propane levels and had no charcoal.  I broiled them for a few minutes to get the bark.  No, there's none left. 

Straight out of the oven, after 2 hours at 275, they are a bit pale.  I leave them in the foil and rip off the top, helps with cleanup, trust me.  I leave them to sit for a few minutes to firm up a bit and then spread a little bbq sauce on them.  

  

Five minutes under the broiler and they're starting to look good.  I brush them again and broil for a few minutes.  I do this twice.
  

Oh baby, that's what I'm talking about!  I sliced them into double rib hunks, serve them up to your waiting audience and then wish you had made more.  

Tonight I made them with grilled corn, also a cheat.  Bake the corn, in the husk, on a sheet pan in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  You can remove the silk AFTER it's roasted and it slides right out.  I serve it still in the husks and it keeps it warm, although like the ribs, there's none left.

I'm going to blow my horn a bit and say I pretty much am the finger licking rock star at dinner tonight! 

I'd wax poetic for longer but, um, I have fingers to lick ;) 

 /enjoy!!