Quick BBRib 'PREP' Question _ for today's cook!
 

I need some Brethren comment for today's cook. Last night I seasoned and applied rub (Spicewine's Hen & Hog _ sugar-based) to two racks of loin-end BBRibs (total ~ 6 lbs). They were in the fridge overnight and I pulled them this morning to add a 50/50 mixture of mustard and Worcestershire ... then more Hen & Hog rub. I will cook in about 3 hours. Are there strong feelings out there about:

1) cover again or uncover (plastic wrap) for this last 3 hours?

2) keep refrigerated until cooking or leave out to start up to room temp?

Maybe these issues are trivial, but perhaps some have had definitely better or worse results from these final steps. I will surely appreciate any advice.

Regards,

Cold meat will give you a better smoke ring. And i would keep them covered so my milk does not taste like mustard. I hate mustard!

.... crud !!! Even covered all night with plastic wrap, the strong rub effect knocks me down when I open the downstairs frig. I bet my sourdough starter is going to give me bread that tastes like Hen & Hog and mustard!

Thanks ... I'm staying with cold for now.

Leave in the fridge. No need to risk any food-borne illness.

I agree!

I keep my ribs covered and refrigerated until about 30 minutes before cooking time.

.... thanks for the help! 30 minutes to lighting up the lump and hopefully a relaxing 5-6 hours of great smoke floating around.

I pull ribs out of the fridge at least an hour before I'm going to cook them. You are about to hit them with 3+ hours of heat and smoke.

I also marinate chicken on the counter-top, not in a fridge, so I've been known to live dangerously...

I also marinate chicken on the counter-top, not in a fridge, so I've been known to live dangerously...[/quote]

Sounds like Russian Roulette!:eek:

30 minutes resting time sounds about right. Wraping the ribs in plastic for three hours at the end of the cook will make the meat shrink from the bone and the meat will fall off when you pick it up. If you like your ribs that tender then go ahead and wrap'em up. I don't wrap the ribs anymore unless I'm up a against a deadline then wrapping them will help them cook a little faster. You might try wrapping them for different amounts of time to suit your taste. Good luck.

90 mnute pic
 

... needed to insert temp probe (fatty) so took a pic. This is my homemade 3-level grate set-up ..... drip pan with apple juice on bottom and just above lump, one rack BB's on 2nd level, other rack, trim, fatty on top. I still have room for a smaller (follding leg) grate above these if needed.

Temp is holding nicely at about 240*F, chunks of cherry wood scattered throu lump ..... smells great!

More later.

Making me hungry.

Not really - It would truly be risky if I didn't cook the chicken properly. Food-borne pathogens/illness (with the exception of prions) are a risk that typically relates to under-cooked food. If I were serving chicken tartar, I'd be very concerned about food handling practices both prior to and after grinding the chicken. By monitoring the temperature of the chicken while cooking, and making sure what I'm serving is fully cooked, I have eliminated most if not all of the risk. Now if I could just be sure that they weren't mixing animal and human carcasses into the feed the chickens eat ;-p