BARDSLJR

Yup, I had been meaning to do this for a while, but I didn't have much to say....

Hey all, through an accident- I was stuck on the phone with Directv's so-called "technical assistance" group during the "wrapped" hour and ...mirable dictu- they actually turned out BETTER. So here's the story: Here is how I do it. It is a variation on the classic 2 hours in the open, 1 hour wrapped, 1 hour to finish recipe. *(This is for bablybacks. For St. Louis style ribs, it is 3/2/1.) I start the ribs out by bringing them to room temperature and sprinkling a heavy dusting of Dizzy Pig's* ( https://dizzypigbbq.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoppgD8X3mtmkuOC3NaN79iW5Y4Ntwk2r-eGpBscy4HDy2ZRqFkA) Dizzy Dust on the ribs, and spritz them down with a little water spray to help the rub sink into the meat. I put them in the smoker at 225 for 2 hours. For the wrap, I use aluminum foil, place a couple of bats of butter in each foil package, with brown sugar and again a heavy spiritizing of water or apple juice. They go meat side down in the foil- I find this helps them stay more moist and tender. Then back in the smoker for 1 1/2 hours. Then unwrapped, and finished in the smoker for 30-45 minutes. We prefer to serve our barbecue sauce on the side. BTW, I know there are as many barbecue sauce recipes out there as there televangelists in Texas, but I included mine and some side notes for your reading pleasure. I usually use applewood for smoking pork, sometimes mixed fruitwood, and post oak or hickory or a combination for beef. Since I increased the wrapped time from 60 to 90 minutes, and decreased the finishing time, my ribs are coming out much more juicy, and tender, but still very much done. Of course, I am here in Denver, at 5600 Ft, and our altitude, our humidity, etc, can make a difference.

Well, I think you're right about the 3/2/1/for St Louis style ribs but for babybacks I always understood it was 2/1/1. Be that as it may, I think we agree that these formulaic recipes are not based on any real experimentation or culinary science. Yesterday I found that 2 hours open, 1 1/2 hours wrapped, and about 30-45 minutes unwrapped to finish worked great for me. BTW, I have heard a lot about how good the KKs are at retaining moisture, and that may be, but we are up here in Denver where the humidity level is usually somewhere in the 20's, so a pan or two of water in the KK lower level works well for me here.

Okay, second try with a different browser....

I made perhaps the best version of babyback ribs, ever, yesterday, partially by accident, partly on purpose. Okay, so most of use the 2/1/1 method for babybacks, right? I have been experimenting with lengthening the amount of time the ribs spend moist-cooking in foil and decreasing the amount of time in the smoker after unwrapping-, so, instead of 2-1-1, more like 2- 1.5- .75. Yesterday I intended to leave the ribs extra long in the foil for cooking, and then I got stuck talking to Directv technical assistance (problems getting the remote to pair with my Bose soundbar) and probably moist-cooked the ribs for more like an hour; then I shortened the final unwrapped part of the cook to maybe 30 minutes. These were THE BEST ribs I have ever made, honestly. It brings up another broader issue: why do we believe that all these recipes are exactly designed for the dish they are cooking? Why is almost anything you bake at 350*? Why not 361, or 342, or 373? Why do we measure all our timing in very even increments? Why not 22 minutes instead of 30? Where is it written that everything must be in even hourly increments? Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts about this? For some reason the forum will not let me attach a photo this morning, so please take my word for it that the ribs were beautiful and delicious.

I got a 7lb lamb roast from Costco this afternoon and planned to cook it on my 32" KK this weekend. I've cooked a lot of roasts on the KK, but never a lamb roast. So, I imagine there are some of my KK peeps out there who have experience with this: recommendations, tips, instructions, recipes?

I think the freezing is an interesting idea. As for the smoke concern, perhaps one of the reasons this worked for me this time is that I used a 2/3rd-1/3rd mix of apple and cherry wood, and neither of those has a very strong flavor; if I had used oak or hickory the results might have been very different, e.g. , perhaps that creosote-like aftertaste.

Well, I am very pleased to report that it turned out GREAT. Maybe the best I've done yet. Good smoke and delicious, crunchy bark. Moist and tender. Everything I could want in pulled pork. We made sandwiches for dinner on big Hawaiian buns- mine with a coleslaw base and some good Johnny Harris's barbecue sauce. It was make-your-eyes-roll-to-the-back-of-your-head-and-see-god good. Haven't had that experience since the last time I wen to LA Barbecue in Austin and had the brisket sandwich. I think this is the recipe for me from now on. Interesting that there was such a variation in cooking time required for each of the four shoulders. I suppose variations in size and weight and maybe moisture content are the explanation, but one was at 203* at exactly 10 hours, as planned, and the last one took 11 1/2 hours to reach that temp. Interesting..... Since we had the smoker going, threw a chicken- halved- and a few breasts on there for good measure. Haven't tasted any of them yet.

I should also mention that I prepared the pork shoulders the night before, with a heavy dusting of Dizzy Pig's Crossroads southern rub mix, then rewrapped and back in the fridge overnight. It will be interesting to see how the bark comes out on these shoulders.

Perhaps of interest, and from one of my favorite periodicals (I subscribe only to Texas Monthly, Esquire, and the NY Times)..... https://www.texasmonthly.com/recipe/mimsys-crunk-coleslaw/ Daniel Vaughan is a gem, BTW.

Thanks, Tony, how are things in Iowa? We have a beautiful day in the 70s here n Denver today. It has been a long time....I just posted a note about today's cook effort.

Well, it has been a long time since I have visited the Forum, and even longer since I have posted, but yes, guys and gals, I am still alive and cooking. So, my best friend is coming in from Baton Rouge tomorrow for the week, and although Lee and Debbie love barbecue, he doesn't have a smoker and doesn't want to do it himself, so I am going to send him home with probably at least a whole pork shoulder, cut into serving sizes, vaccum-sealed and frozen. Happily, it reheats rather nicely, and especially since it is in a vacuum package already, sous vide is the preferred method. I got the smoker all prepared last night so I could start this morning around 8 for a 9 or 10 hour cook and got things going around that time. I don't know if anyone else does this, but I put my meat in the cold smoker first and then start it up- as Meathead Goldwyn tells us in his great book, "Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling", meat only absorbs smoke up to the point the surface temperature reaches 135* (F), so why not put your meat in the cold, in the cold smoker, and then start things up so you get the benefit of all that start-up time? Why wait until the smoker is at cooking temp goal (in this case, 270*)? Why not let the meat warm up gradually? So here we are at 8 AM (ish), the smoker just getting going, with four pork shoulders (thank you, Costco!): we are going to eat well, and and so will several of my neighbors, my two daughters and their families, and my friend Lee is going to go home with several pounds of, I hope, excellent smoked pork shoulder for pulled pork. It is now 10:45 and according to my Fireboard software, the shoulders are now somewhere around 120*, on their slow journey to 203* by late afternoon sometime. It's nice to be back, y'all.

Nice job! I am very impressed!

Good tip, Dono, thanks!

I'll be there. Anyone else going?