I love the St. Louis cut better than baby backs or loin backs. They're from the lower portion of the pig's rib cage so it has a bit more fat and connective tissue. They need to smoke a little longer to render the fat but they are worth it!
Have them warm up to room temperature as you heat the smoker. Pat down your ribs and turn them upside down. Remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. Your body can't break it down and no amount of cooking will make it go away. It just stays there like plastic so I recommend removing it. I use the end of a spoon or fork to separate it enough I can grab it with a paper towel. Be careful not to tear it as you pull it off.
Take your favorite mustard and brush a coating around the rack of ribs. This will make your bark around the ribs. After you apply your mustard then cover the ribs with the Pork Dry Rub (see previous post). Add as much or little you'd like.
Heat the smoker to 225 Fahrenheit. I recommend a charcoal/wood smoker. I use oak because I have a lot around the house (Stick with fruit and nut bearing trees and you'll be fine). Make sure the oxygen is limited so the wood doesn't catch on fire; you only want it to smolder. Any smoker will cook the meat but I like the rich, robust smoke flavor from a combustible heat source, but of course to each their own!
Smoke the ribs for about 3 or 4 hours. The internal temperature should be 185 Fahrenheit when finished. Grab the ribs with your tongs in the middle and pick them up. The ribs should start to make a U shape and the top should crack a little but the meat should NOT fall off the bone. Wrap in foil for 20 minutes so they are cool enough to cut. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 23
Boston Butt/Pulled Pork
This an easy recipe that is relatively inexpensive and is a crowd-pleaser.
Brine:
8 ounces molasses
9 ounces pickling salt
around 2 quarts of water
Buy an 8-10 pound bone-in pork Boston butt or butt shoulder roast. Place it in the brine the night before you plan to smoke it (let it soak at least 8 hours). The butt needs to be fully submerged in the brine so add some water if necessary. You will need a kitchen scale (around 5-10$ on Amazon) because you want to go off of weigh instead of volume. Pickling salt dissolves in cold water so I recommend using it. Also, molasses dissolves in cold water and it won't lump up like white sugar.
Remove the butt from the brine and pat dry and cover with your Pork Dry Rub (see previous post). Let it warm up to room temperature as your smoker is heating.
Heat the smoker to 225 Fahrenheit. I recommend a charcoal/wood smoker. I use oak because I have a lot around the house (Stick with fruit and nut bearing trees and you'll be fine). Make sure the oxygen is limited so the wood doesn't catch on fire; you only want it to smolder. Any smoker will cook the meat but I like the rich, robust smoke flavor from a combustible heat source, but of course to each their own!
Smoke the butt with the fat cap down and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 Fahrenheit. Meat won't absorb additional smoke past around 160 Fahrenheit so it is better to wrap it so it stays moist. Remove the butt from the smoker and wrap it in foil. Place it back on the smoker with the fat cap down and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 195-200 Fahrenheit.
Let it sit for 20 minutes to cool off so you can shred the meat. You should be able to remove a "clean" bone easily. Enjoy!
Brine:
8 ounces molasses
9 ounces pickling salt
around 2 quarts of water
Buy an 8-10 pound bone-in pork Boston butt or butt shoulder roast. Place it in the brine the night before you plan to smoke it (let it soak at least 8 hours). The butt needs to be fully submerged in the brine so add some water if necessary. You will need a kitchen scale (around 5-10$ on Amazon) because you want to go off of weigh instead of volume. Pickling salt dissolves in cold water so I recommend using it. Also, molasses dissolves in cold water and it won't lump up like white sugar.
Remove the butt from the brine and pat dry and cover with your Pork Dry Rub (see previous post). Let it warm up to room temperature as your smoker is heating.
Heat the smoker to 225 Fahrenheit. I recommend a charcoal/wood smoker. I use oak because I have a lot around the house (Stick with fruit and nut bearing trees and you'll be fine). Make sure the oxygen is limited so the wood doesn't catch on fire; you only want it to smolder. Any smoker will cook the meat but I like the rich, robust smoke flavor from a combustible heat source, but of course to each their own!
Smoke the butt with the fat cap down and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 Fahrenheit. Meat won't absorb additional smoke past around 160 Fahrenheit so it is better to wrap it so it stays moist. Remove the butt from the smoker and wrap it in foil. Place it back on the smoker with the fat cap down and smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 195-200 Fahrenheit.
Let it sit for 20 minutes to cool off so you can shred the meat. You should be able to remove a "clean" bone easily. Enjoy!
Brisket/Burnt Ends
Burnt ends are my favorite type of BBQ. They take a long time but are worth the wait!
Buy a full packer brisket 11-14 pounds. Typically you can find them at Walmart but you can ask most any butcher if they have any before they carve them up. A full packer brisket will have a fat cap, flat and point.
Trim all the accessible hard fat from the brisket. This is found on the side of the brisket and runs between the flat and the point. Trim the soft fat (fat cap) to no more than 1/4 inch thick. I usually cut most of it away so the dry rub will hit the meat. Apply the Beef Dry Rub to the brisket. No need to apply it to the fat cap if you leave 1/4 inch as it won't penetrate to the meat.
Heat the smoker to 225 Fahrenheit. I recommend a charcoal/wood smoker. I use oak because I have a lot around the house (Stick with fruit and nut bearing trees and you'll be fine). Make sure the oxygen is limited so the wood doesn't catch on fire; you only want it to smolder. Any smoker will cook the meat but I like the rich, robust smoke flavor from a combustible heat source, but of course to each their own!
Smoke the brisket until the flat reaches an internal temperature of 165-170 Fahrenheit. Remove the brisket from the smoker and separate the flat from the point. There is a thin fat vein that separates the two pieces. It will separate easily with a knife and no real cutting is necessary.
Let the flat sit for 20 minutes so you can handle it. Cut it against the grain in pencil thick slices and serve.
Take the point and apply the Beef Dry Rub (see previous post)to the freshly separated side. Return the point to the smoker. This will be your burnt ends. I wrap it in foil so it stays moist. Smoke the point until it reaches an internal temperature of 195-200 Fahrenheit. Let it sit for 20 minutes so it will be cool enough to work with it. Cut in cubes and serve. Save the aus jus in the foil and spoon it on top of the burnt ends. Enjoy!
Anatomy of a packer brisket, compliments of http://www.thepickledpig.com/
Beef Dry Rub
I no longer use this rub. I'll leave it here if people still do. I've found a simple salt and pepper rub works best on beef!
1/8 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
3/4 tablespoon onion powder
3/4 tablespoon garlic powder
3/4 tablespoon cumin
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Combine ingredients and mix well.
1/8 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
3/4 tablespoon onion powder
3/4 tablespoon garlic powder
3/4 tablespoon cumin
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Combine ingredients and mix well.
Pork Dry Rub
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and grind them in a grinder (we use a cheap coffee grinder). Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. This will cover roughly 2-3 slabs of St. Louis Pork Ribs.
I recommend using whole spices when possible because they retain their potency longer than pre-ground seasonings.
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds and cumin seeds and grind them in a grinder (we use a cheap coffee grinder). Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. This will cover roughly 2-3 slabs of St. Louis Pork Ribs.
I recommend using whole spices when possible because they retain their potency longer than pre-ground seasonings.
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