First Rib Smoke

[MrJaba]

Morning all,

So I attempted my first rack of ribs this Sunday and it turned out pretty well. I was using some new charcoal;
http://www.bridgebrooke.co.uk/barbies-r ... rcoal.html
Which, although really tricky to get lit, held temperature pretty well and lasted a long time too. In the end I had to use some Big K briquettes in the bottom of the chimney starter to get enough heat to get these things lit.

I used applewood chips from Makro soaked then wrapped in a foil pouch with holes in to get some woody flavour in. I was following the Big Bob Gibson Rib Recipe from their book which involved 4 hours on the grill at 250f then painting it with their championship red sauce then back on the grill for another 20 minutes.

I'm still a little confused by the cuts of ribs over here, I asked for spare ribs and they showed me some puny not very meaty little things and I asked for something a bit meatier and they pulled out a huge rack which didn't quite seem to have full ribs in and had a lot of belly meat on it. Damn expensive too I thought, £14 per rack. Is there a special thing to ask for instead of a rack of st louis cut ribs?

So with this rack I was a little confused as the membrane came off in bits, but seemed to go under some fat so I pulled that off and it still seemed to go under more meat and I left that bit on... not sure if that's right or wrong. Then I applied the dry rub, which I'd made and put in a spice shaker which was brilliant.. and the other thing I tried this time was... gloves! They were so much better than bare hands as the rub stuck to the meat, and not me

Well, they turned out really well, juicy, moist, great flavour, still had some bite to them, but I'm still a bit disappointed because all of my Q' so far with pork has had the same flavour to it, and I'm not sure whether it's the charcoal (which was why I tried this new stuff) or the rubs (all from Big bob gibson) or the wood (applewood). So I think I'll try a different wood next and a different rub on the next rack of ribs.

Pics!



What is this flappy bit?

[keith157]

Sadly in the UK you are well and truly stuck unless you have a butcher who is offay with US butchery terms. What you ended up with is what are known by most butchers as King Ribs. Yes they are King expensive, as basically you are buying a belly of pork with a bit of trim cut off. Over the summer most of the supermarkets did baby back ribs (where the pork loin chops come from) but they had little real meat on them, you can still get hold of them in some stores.
I'd suggest taking a couple of hours with a good cup of tea or coffee and peruse this site for ribs and see what others do.
Your pics are really great, as to the flavours next time try a basic salt, pepper & garlic rub, over Hickory. That's what I used last time and it gives the pork flavour a chance to shine. There are more rubs then days to use them so a lot will have similar ingrediants, try going back to basics, it will still be edible.

[MrJaba]

So are US baby backs different to what we have over here? From what I've read people say they seem to have a lot of meat on them? Different breed of pig?

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Really looking forward to trying to cook the second rack! I think I'll try the 3-2-1 or similar method and aim for a darker brown in colour, not quite sure how though.

Wondering if I send the butcher a picture of what I'm after St Louis style cut they'll know how to do it? Are they just squared off in the rib cage or something?

[UKEgger]

Hey,

Your Butcher should be able to prepare them for you if you explain what you need, my 2 butchers actually knew what I wanted so no explanation necessary

If you google how to cut St Louis syle ribs you will find many you tube videos etc, the below is pretty good as well

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/pork ... _cuts.html

[keith157]

So are US baby backs different to what we have over here? From what I've read people say they seem to have a lot of meat on them? Different breed of pig?

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated. Really looking forward to trying to cook the second rack! I think I'll try the 3-2-1 or similar method and aim for a darker brown in colour, not quite sure how though.

Wondering if I send the butcher a picture of what I'm after St Louis style cut they'll know how to do it? Are they just squared off in the rib cage or something?

American meat animals are grown bigger then in the UK, I rely on Harry Soo for that comparison, not just historical references. As to baby backs few butchers would leave extra meat on the bones hoping someone would want them losing money on the pork chops. However most would cut some with more meat on them if asked BUT you will pay a premium price for them. The same goes with St Louis or spare ribs

[Saucy Pig]

I seem to be struggling now to get hold of babybacks. Was getting them from supermarkets over the summer, and like you said, didn't have much meat on them, but at least they were there.
I've approached pretty much all my local butchers and they wont sell them as they'll lose money from not selling them as chops.
I believe I can get some from Costco but a 100 mile round trip is not something I can manage when I feel the need for a rib.

[keith157]

As I type both Asda & Tesco have ribs in and Morrison's should have them even through the late Autumn/Winter

[MrJaba]

Excellent, will have to pop in and grab some as I definitely need some practice on em!

[Saucy Pig]

Forgot to actually mention that those ribs looked great at the end.

Nick

[MrJaba]

Thanks Nick! Much appreciated. I did another set of the same ribs the weekend after, no photos sadly, but this time using the 3-2-1 method and a different sauce & rub and they turned out even better!