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Barbecue Tricks

BBQ Tips and Tricks

Ribs

May 31, 2015 Featured

BBQ Ribs That Fall Of The Bone

playbbqribsSimple as one – two – three?  Actually this BBQ ribs trick is as easy as “three two one”.

The trick is to break down the low and slow cooking process into three easy to remember segments and add in some time spent wrapped in foil.

Works for gas grills… works for charcoal… even in an electric smoker. Or – gasp – the oven.

You start with a stable low and slow temperature on your grill while you prep the ribs – and we’re talking pork ribs here – with the rub of your choice.  We like pulling the membrane off the back with a paper towel for good grip and trimming them up “square or St Louis style here.”

With the grill temp set at 225 degrees F for the long cook you start with three hours of indirect heat on the grill.  This is when you’re going to get all the smoke flavor so use wood smoke via chips or chunks of wood (we like hickory or pecan) during this time.

After three hours you then use what they call the “Texas Crutch.”   It has nothing to do with Texas BBQ really. Simply put you wrap the ribs in heavy duty 321ribs.Still001aluminum foil.   The smoke should have done most of the flavoring it can and won’t penetrate much more at this temperature – so no more wood chips are needed.  Also before wrapping most pit masters usually add a cup of a sweet or savory liquid. Apple juice is popular. Some spritz it out of a spray bottle; others just pour some in . If you like sweet it’s a good time to add a layer of sweet. This is basically braising the ribs and will result in that fall off the bone experience. Try not to go too long (or too hot) in this stage or you can give the ribs a texture that becomes too mushy. In the backyard (with the exception of competition judges)  most of your guests will appreciate and rave about that fall off the bone bbq.

Finally unwrap the ribs and cook on indirect heat for one more hour adding layers of sauce as you allow the more dry heat to tighten up the surface of the ribs and create a firm bite. Shellac, glaze, or char for your desired finish. More sugar in the sauce will burn faster.  They continue to get more succulent but by adding a nice bark you can avoid the meat from actually falling of the bone before getting to the plate.

It’s a fool proof trick for barbecue ribs your guests will rave about. The three two one method is a barbecue trick that works and it’s even easier to remember.  Watch it here: BBQ Ribs Fall off The Bone

https://barbecuetricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/fall-off-the-bone-ribs-small.mp4

June 23, 2013 Competitions

Rib Cook Off

rib cook offRib cook offs are plentiful during the summer months.  There’s not a big thrteshold to entry.  Pay the fee and cook.  However if you REALLY want to have a chance at winning a Rib Cook off you need to know how to correctly present your ribs to the panel of judges to insure a top score on appearance.

Rib Cook offs usually are judged by the categories taste, tenderness and appearance.  Taste is the the toughest to nail.  Tenderness can be perfected with a disciplined and scientific approach to the cook.  The judges want the bite to come off the bone clean with a gentle tug and have the bone quickly turn white underneath leaving a perfect half circle bite mark (not fall off the bone as most people think).

The appearance criteria and rules differ with different sanctioning organizations (in KBCS you can us garnish – others do not allow).

The weekly podcast http://GrateTV.com took a deep dive into boxing BBQ ribs for the perfect Appearance score and Jack Waiboer walked us through the method to his Rib cook off madness.

“Appearance is the easiest category to get right,” he says and shows us a real KCBS box at a competition at Sams Club in South Carolina.

Also remember you can’t mark the box in any way.  You are not allowed any pooling of sauce and please make sure there are no hairs in the box.  Even basting brush hairs will kill your appearance score at a rib cook off.

Other common mistakes include late turn in (submitting your rib box after your allowed time) and not including enough samples for each of the judges on a table.  Waiboer talks about six or eight in this video. Your specific contest will tell you an exact number of judges you’ll need to feed.  Just one bone short will knock you out of the running to win.

Remember for appearance judging the taste of the ribs makes no difference to your score.  Too many times a great tasting submission will lose a competition due to just being dumped in the box.   It happens in almost every professional judged rib cook off.

Waiboer also says one barbecue trick to help see any imperfection in the final minutes is to take a close up photo of the box and  scan it for something you may have missed.  It helps take a step back from the table and also serves as a nice piece of research history when reviewing scores or planning your next competition.

Taste and tenderness can be perfected over time but appearance is something you can nail down in your first rib cook off or competition.  Watch the video and tell us in the comments if you have a trick to winning a rib cook off.

 

January 10, 2013 Recipes

3/2/1 Ribs – A Pitmasters Trick

The 3-2-1 method for ribs seems to be very popular in competition circles.  It’s a barbecue trick that has really caught on.

321 ribs in foilThe trick is to follow the 3-2-1 as time frames.

  • Smoke ribs for 3 hours naked (the ribs naked… but you can be naked too if you want)
  • Wrap the ribs in foil and return to grill for 2 hours (add a bit of liquid maybe brown sugar)
  • Unwrap and put the ribs back on for 1 hour to firm up the crust or “bark”

That’s it.  It’s a simple road map but worth noting that “your mileage may vary” depending on the exact heat of the cooker (base numbers assume holding a stable 225 degrees F) and the size of your ribs.  Practice with your key smoker to get it like clockwork.

I put the method to music.  Give it a look… 2 minutes to brand 3-2-1 into your brain.

January 3, 2013 Featured

Hand and Tooth Pick Temperature BBQ Trick

Grill Marks

Grill Marks

Don’t have a meat thermometer and need a way to know just the right time to pull the steaks off the grill?  Use this simple BBQ Trick that we call the OK Handy method for using the ball of your thumb to determine if your BBQ meat is Rare/ Medium / or Well Done.   It’s easy… plus how to use a toothpick to test the doneness of ribs.  More on the tip HERE or watch the video here.

February 4, 2011 Cook

BBQ Rib Prep Tips

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Click to Play
Spare ribs are often considered one of the crown jewels of BBQ.  Many times, when you buy a large slab at a store like Sam’s or large groceries, will come vacuum packed as one slab with a large additional portion still intact.  This piece is typically trimmed away for competition barbecue to create a more attractive and showy “St Louis” cut.  Basically trimmed to a long and uniform rectangle of ribs.
After the cook removes the membrane they apply the rub.   Check the video Pitmaster Jack Waiboer displays a quick trim and rubdown.
Two tricks / tips:  Dont trim off excess on the ends.   Use these to taste test to see if they’re done.  Also keepand prepare the rib tips or brisket portion for an additional taste test (or snack).
Here’s a look at Rib prep with Carolina Pitmaster’s Jack Waiboer. Basic St. Louis cut.
Tags: bbq, barbecue, barbeque, ribs, pork, cookoff, grilling

January 23, 2011 Cook

Rib Membrane Removal Tip

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How to quickly and easily remove the slippery membrane from a rack of ribs. ; Barbeque fanslike to remove the silver skin for better seasoning penetration.
Tags: bbq, barbecue, barbeque, ribs, billwestbs, membrane, cooking, grilling

January 21, 2011 Gadgets

Yoshi, Y’all See And Rib Peeling

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Click to Play

From http://GrateTV.com Tips for prepping ribs and peeling the silverskin membrane. ;Is
Tags: yoshi, yoshiblade, bbq, barbecue, barbeque, meat, billwestbs, ribs, cooking, grilling, jack waiboer

June 25, 2010 Featured

Rack Em Up & Chopped vs Pulled – Grate TV

Chopped Or Pulled Pork? Chipotle to add a kick? Rack Your Ribs with this space saving bbq gadget.

From BBQ Podcast site GrateTV This is the second episode of our BBQ show recently renamed GrateTV (previously MeatheadsTV). Viewers question the benefits of chopped vs.pulled pork for competition and the backyard. Plus we look at a solid Rib Rack and a secret ingredient that can fire you up. Hosted by Jack Waiboer from Carolina Pitmasters and our very own Bill West.

October 8, 2009 Featured

Creating Perfect Ribs in Your Smoker

By Joe Johnson

In all honesty, I love ribs, but I hate the ribs that the vast majority of establishments serve. Rarely do I get ribs that are done properly as most tend to be either dry and leathery, or soft and mushy. Worst part is, most of these establishments believe that slathering the ribs in a barbecue sauce will bring them back to edible status. Well they are wrong…all it serves to do is add to my frustration by making the meal messy.

While very few, if any, chefs, pit masters, or home-cooks strive to achieve a leathery finish, you do hear the statement that “falling off the bone” is the way to go. While I agree that tender and soft is the ultimate goal, any competition rib that completely falls off the bone is considered completely over-done. A truly perfect rib will adhere to the bone, but fall off when tugged. So my goal with this post is to show you how to achieve a perfect rib at home. The key to good ribs has four components – the rub, the smoke, the heat, and the time. Let’s begin with the rub.

The point of using a rub is to develop a flavor base and to create a crust or bark on the ribs. Depending on where you go and whom you talk to, the rubs you have to choose from will reflect regional influences. Some will be hot and spicy, whereas others will be sweeter. I am partial to the Pork and Poultry Blend from Caroline’s Rub, which has a more typical Texas flavor – more savory than sweet. I like sweet, don’t get me wrong, but I prefer my ribs with more kick than candy, so I let my wood choice add the sweetness. Before applying the rub, the first thing I do is remove the thin skin that covers the back side of the ribs. Using a filet knife, I loosen it from one end, grip it with a paper towel, and then pull it off in one easy motion. While you don’t absolutely have to remove this skin, taking a few extra seconds to do so will definitely improve the tenderness of your final outcome. I then rinse and thoroughly dry the ribs, and follow that with a thorough coating of my chosen dry rub. How much you use, will entirely depend upon you. I like a thicker coating, some will prefer less. Next take the coated ribs, and tightly wrap them in plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 3 hours. This will give the rub time to penetrate and flavor the ribs. Once the ribs have sat, remove from the refrigerator and allow them to return to room temperature before putting on the smoker.

While the rub adds an immediate kick of flavor, the smoke you choose will work to complement the rub, and add that flavor we all recognize as barbecue. With meats such as pork ribs, I like to kiss the meat with smoke from pecan and cherry woods. The pecan is very similar to hickory in flavor, without the strong bite that can sometimes overpower the lighter meat of the ribs. The addition of cherry wood to the mix serves to work with the pecan to sweeten the meat.

Next factor for success is heat. While there are a thousand ways to cook ribs, many of which yield a truly great product, I prefer slow smoked ribs. Nothing gets my blood pumping like the smell of slow smoked barbecue. I have always found that higher temperatures result in tougher ribs, so my goal is to maintain a low heat level of around 215F to 225F in the smoker (or in your oven at home). This temperature range has yet to fail me. Once I have the smoker where it consistently holds the temperature within this range, I will place the ribs standing in a rib rack, inside for cooking.

Finally, the last factor for creating successful ribs is the cooking time. While many folks insert a thermometer in their ribs to determine doneness, I prefer simply watching the bones. For an average rack of baby back ribs, you can assume a cooking time of between 3 ½ and 4 hours at the temperatures I recommend. The easiest way for me to determine if my ribs are done is to perform two steps, starting with the first at the 3 hour mark – look at the bones. If I have a good ¼ – ½ inch of bone showing, I then perform step two, which is to take a toothpick and insert into the meat. If it slides through will little resistance, like going through butter, the ribs are done. You will want to watch them closely as they will go from done to overdone fairly quick.

Once cooked, I like to let the ribs rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juiced to evenly distribute themselves within the meat, which will keep things tender and moist. Like I said earlier, I don’t like messy, so I tend to serve the ribs dry, with a side of my favorite barbecue sauce for dipping.

Following this method has consistently provided me with ribs that are succulent, moist, and truly satisfying.

Joe Johnson is a proud Texan and founding partner and chief pit-master with Caroline’s Rub, where he is in charge of product promotion and development for their line of gourmet dry rubs, smoked salt, and Texas chili seasoning.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Johnson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Creating-Perfect-Ribs-in-Your-Smoker&id=193036

September 9, 2008 Featured

Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

This barbecue sauce recipe didn’t really come close to winning any awards with competition judges. Likely because of the strong kick of heat provided by a dose of chipotle and cayenne. It just crossed the line out of “mainstream” in the heat department. A few judges seemed to love it with high ranks for chicken and ribs and all of our B-B-Q Tricks home samplers were ready to take a bath in the stuff. It’s that good.

The best thing about this “Almost Award Wining Sauce” is that it’s a perfect sweet heat finishing sauce that will caramelize perfectly as the finishing touch to ribs and chicken. Feel free to temper the heat by dropping the cayenne or chipotle.

2 tbs. Vegetable Oil
1 large clove of Garlic (crushed/minced)
1 medium Onion minced
1 Chipotle Pepper (from can) minced
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Ketchup (we use Heinz)
2 tbs. Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
5 tbs. Dark Molasses
3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper
2 tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce (we use Texas Pete)

 

Print
Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 to two cups

Serving Size: 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Almost Award Winning BBQ Sauce

This is my Go-TO sauce for everything. Too spicy for a competition but it did win third in wings (no too shabby) but just right for my family. It has enough sugar to provide ribs and chicken with the perfect smoky char.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 large clove of Garlic (crushed/minced)
  • 1 medium Onion minced
  • 1 Chipotle Pepper (from can) minced
  • 1 tsp. Chili Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 cup Ketchup (we use Heinz)
  • 2 tbs. Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)
  • 5 tbs. Dark Molasses
  • 3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground Black Pepper
  • 2 tsp. Hot Pepper Sauce (we use Texas Pete)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a deep sauce pan and then add garlic and onions until they soften.
  2. Next add all peppers and heat for 20 seconds before stirring in the remaining ingredients.
  3. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until thickened to your liking.
  4. If desired: When cooled strain to remove chunks (garlic and onion).
  5. Stores air tight refrigerated for approx. 6 days.
3.1
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Hey Y'all... Thanks for stopping by. I'm Bill West. I blog about BBQ and occasionally country music. When it comes to BBQ I try to find solid time saving tips and tricks to make the grilling life a bit easier. It's life hacking for the backyard cooker. Read More…

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