Smokers

[Archie Moses]

I have a Louisiana Pellet Grill and smoker. Worth every penny.

 

[LogGrad98]

I babysat a Traeger for a while, couple months while some friends moved. I liked it ok, but I found the fuel to be more expensive than my Weber and I didn't care for the smoke flavor, too harsh for me. Tougher to get a clean smoke, and for longer smokes it was just too much smoke for my taste. I wouldn't mind having one for quick smoking steaks for sous vide. Smoke them at a low temp for a half hour to get a good flavor on them and then sous vide, sear after with a torch. That works well. And it would be more convenient than charcoal. I just find I really like the flavor of charcoal better and that I have more control over the smoke output on my Smokey Mountain.

Over the weekend I low-temp roasted some rump roast and sirloin tip roasts for lunch meat. Cooked at 190 on my Smokey Mountain with white oak chunks for smoke. Took 4 1/2 hours to get them to 132, and when they came off and we thin sliced it the flavor was amazing and they were so tender, way better than store-bought lunch meat that has a chemically-salty flavor. I use my basic beef rub process, salt 24 hours ahead of time (dry brine) then course ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and this time hit it with some finely chopped rosemary (not powdered dry, but really finely chopped fresh) and fresh thyme, along with a light dusting of chili powder mixed with a touch of mustard powder, not too much, just enough to barely tell it was there. Used a spritz of water/Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce as a binder (1/2 cup w-sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and mixed into about 4 or 5 cups of water in a big spray bottle). But that all adds a lot to the flavor. I use the same spritz when I cook brisket and for wrapping brisket. Thin sliced we got about 6 pounds of lunch meat/whatever meat/cannot stop eating it meat for later. Froze 4 pounds of it, and made a basic open faced hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and grilled corn and asparagus and some jaeger sosse to top it off, and some rotkohl on the side. Half american diner, have german pub food. Was awesome. Still have a pound for sandwiches or whatever. Should last a couple weeks, and the frozen will last us maybe 6 months, then we do it again.

 

[Deleted member 365]

Not a fan of wet methods for ribs. Tend to lose the pork flavor and lean to heavily on the sauce and seasoning, and it can make the meat more mushy than tender. I just cook it 6 hours or so on my smoker at 235. I use the Weber smokey mountain with a water pan that I keep full throughout. It adds some humidity for good smoke penetration and bark formation, and helps keep temp steady as a heat sink. I prefer a stronger bark on my ribs, and the 321 method tend to soften the bark and muddy the flavors imo.

The last time I made ribs it was with a friend who hadn't had my ribs before. I asked him how he liked it and he said it was like a religious experience. He didn't even use any sauce on them. I always serve them dry with sauce on the side. Lots of time people just eat the ribs and ignore the sauce altogether.

Have you ever done beef ribs? I got some at Costco the other day and hope to smoke it over the weekend. Still reading about the best ways to do this. I’ve only done baby back ribs. Really want to try St Louis. Hopefully these beef ribs don’t suck. Fortunately, I got a pretty good deal at Costco so if it doesn’t work out I’m not out too much money.

 

[LogGrad98]

Have you ever done beef ribs? I got some at Costco the other day and hope to smoke it over the weekend. Still reading about the best ways to do this. I’ve only done baby back ribs. Really want to try St Louis. Hopefully these beef ribs don’t suck. Fortunately, I got a pretty good deal at Costco so if it doesn’t work out I’m not out too much money.

So beef ribs I will wrap in butcher paper just because the connective tissue can be a lot more persistent. Kind of the 3-2-1 but 2-3-1, with 3 in the butcher paper, uncoated butcher paper. Sometimes it ends up being 3-3-1 or 3-3-2 if they are stubborn. I still prefer low and slow if I have the time but they can take a bit longer. But they aren't my family's favorite so I don't cook them very often. Let us know how it goes!

I do keep the seasoning for beef ribs much simpler. For pork I have a serious rub recipe. For beef I prefer salt pepper garlic powder and Hungarian paprika, which actually has some flavor whereas the regular paprika you get most of the time is just for color. I use a mustard and vinegar base as a binder for beef ribs. I use a really light coat of vegetable oil for a binder for pork ribs.

For the record I much prefer st Louis cut ribs for pork so that's what I cook most often. But I really like to cut mine down from spare ribs so I can leave extra meat on them.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I babysat a Traeger for a while, couple months while some friends moved. I liked it ok, but I found the fuel to be more expensive than my Weber and I didn't care for the smoke flavor, too harsh for me. Tougher to get a clean smoke, and for longer smokes it was just too much smoke for my taste. I wouldn't mind having one for quick smoking steaks for sous vide. Smoke them at a low temp for a half hour to get a good flavor on them and then sous vide, sear after with a torch. That works well. And it would be more convenient than charcoal. I just find I really like the flavor of charcoal better and that I have more control over the smoke output on my Smokey Mountain.

Over the weekend I low-temp roasted some rump roast and sirloin tip roasts for lunch meat. Cooked at 190 on my Smokey Mountain with white oak chunks for smoke. Took 4 1/2 hours to get them to 132, and when they came off and we thin sliced it the flavor was amazing and they were so tender, way better than store-bought lunch meat that has a chemically-salty flavor. I use my basic beef rub process, salt 24 hours ahead of time (dry brine) then course ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and this time hit it with some finely chopped rosemary (not powdered dry, but really finely chopped fresh) and fresh thyme, along with a light dusting of chili powder mixed with a touch of mustard powder, not too much, just enough to barely tell it was there. Used a spritz of water/Worcestershire sauce/soy sauce as a binder (1/2 cup w-sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and mixed into about 4 or 5 cups of water in a big spray bottle). But that all adds a lot to the flavor. I use the same spritz when I cook brisket and for wrapping brisket. Thin sliced we got about 6 pounds of lunch meat/whatever meat/cannot stop eating it meat for later. Froze 4 pounds of it, and made a basic open faced hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and grilled corn and asparagus and some jaeger sosse to top it off, and some rotkohl on the side. Half american diner, have german pub food. Was awesome. Still have a pound for sandwiches or whatever. Should last a couple weeks, and the frozen will last us maybe 6 months, then we do it again.

I love reading your food posts. Always makes me hungry.

 

[Deleted member 365]

So beef ribs I will wrap in butcher paper just because the connective tissue can be a lot more persistent. Kind of the 3-2-1 but 2-3-1, with 3 in the butcher paper, uncoated butcher paper. Sometimes it ends up being 3-3-1 or 3-3-2 if they are stubborn. I still prefer low and slow if I have the time but they can take a bit longer. But they aren't my family's favorite so I don't cook them very often. Let us know how it goes!

I do keep the seasoning for beef ribs much simpler. For pork I have a serious rub recipe. For beef I prefer salt pepper garlic powder and Hungarian paprika, which actually has some flavor whereas the regular paprika you get most of the time is just for color. I use a mustard and vinegar base as a binder for beef ribs. I use a really light coat of vegetable oil for a binder for pork ribs.

For the record I much prefer st Louis cut ribs for pork so that's what I cook most often. But I really like to cut mine down from spare ribs so I can leave extra meat on them.

Do you spritz your beef ribs with apple juice? What do you put in with the ribs when you wrap them? I probably should’ve done more reading about this prior to buying them. The problem is I was hungry and saw a great deal at Costco and figured “ meh why not?” So im a bit nervous about doing beef. Why doesn’t your family like them as much as pork? Taste?

My neighbor did some St Louis ribs a few weeks ago. They were delicious. Recently I’ve grilled (not smoked) some picanha steaks. It’s this Cut famous from Brazil. That’s been really good. So tender and tasty. Almost like a filet:

 

[LogGrad98]

Do you spritz your beef ribs with apple juice? What do you put in with the ribs when you wrap them? I probably should’ve done more reading about this prior to buying them. The problem is I was hungry and saw a great deal at Costco and figured “ meh why not?” So im a bit nervous about doing beef. Why doesn’t your family like them as much as pork? Taste?

My neighbor did some St Louis ribs a few weeks ago. They were delicious. Recently I’ve grilled (not smoked) some picanha steaks. It’s this Cut famous from Brazil. That’s been really good. So tender and tasty. Almost like a filet:
View attachment 13058
View attachment 13057

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

 

[Deleted member 365]

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

Thanks for the tips. Let’s see how it goes!

 

[Deleted member 365]

I use a mix of apple cider vinegar, and water. I don't want to add too much too it and I prefer it less sweet. I don't spritz much, mostly just when I wrap it, then I spritz the meat and the paper and that is usually enough liquid for the wrap.

I also use a thermometer with beef ribs because they are thick enough usually, whereas with pork ribs a thermometer is almost useless because it's too close to the bone. I dry cook them at 250-275 temp in the smoker until about 170 degrees, then wrap until they hit 195 then unwrap and cook that last hour until they hit between 200-203. Kind of like brisket and pork butt they do better at higher temps at the end.

And beef ribs can take a lot longer than pork ribs, like a brisket. I've had them go 7-10 hours before they get to the right temps.

There are a few YouTubers that do great beef rib videos. One is called meat church. Another is mad scientist barbecue. One of my favorites is smokin Joe's barbecue.

My family like pork ribs better because of all the factors, tenderness, bark, overall flavor, just seems to be the preferred meat. Beef ribs can be tougher and more stringy even when cooked nearly perfectly. But they can also be incredibly beefy and flavorful so I cook them a few times a year and they still enjoy them.

Almost 3 hrs in

 

[Deleted member 365]

Temp done at 5 hrs on the dot. I thought it might take longer but maybe these just cook a lot faster than the “Dino” short ribs?

 

[LogGrad98]

Temp done at 5 hrs on the dot. I thought it might take longer but maybe these just cook a lot faster than the “Dino” short ribs?

View attachment 13066

Looks awesome!

 

[Deleted member 365]

Not a fan of wet methods for ribs. Tend to lose the pork flavor and lean to heavily on the sauce and seasoning, and it can make the meat more mushy than tender. I just cook it 6 hours or so on my smoker at 235. I use the Weber smokey mountain with a water pan that I keep full throughout. It adds some humidity for good smoke penetration and bark formation, and helps keep temp steady as a heat sink. I prefer a stronger bark on my ribs, and the 321 method tend to soften the bark and muddy the flavors imo.

The last time I made ribs it was with a friend who hadn't had my ribs before. I asked him how he liked it and he said it was like a religious experience. He didn't even use any sauce on them. I always serve them dry with sauce on the side. Lots of time people just eat the ribs and ignore the sauce altogether.

Okay!

This weekend is the weekend!

I got a small rack of some St Louis ribs from Winco. They had the regular value pack, which looked good. But with extended family out of town/busy with other things, I just didn’t want to waste a ton of meat. I plan on using the Holy Gospel all purpose rub. I’m thinking about letting it go at 225-250 for at least 2.5 hrs with hickory and a few cherry (maybe for color) pellets with a water pan. I don’t want to wrap it. I don’t want to do 321. I just want to let it go and see what happens. I get it’ll probably take more than 2.5 hrs but wanted to see what differences not wrapping will make. Bbq sauce will be served on the side.