Apple Butter Foiled Side Ribs Using The Smokenator

Wife made some Apple Butter that is sweet and juicy....this will be the second time I foil ribs with this stuff.

After 3 hours in the fridge rubbed with my mix of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, 5 different chili powders or flakes, roasted cumin powder, roasted ginger powder, ground up tubanado sugar and some ground allspice berries. I grind all the spices together using a large mortar and pestle:



Equipment used:



I have the smokenator loaded with Blue Bag Royal Oak and a chunk of hickory and cherry on top under the side holes. In the Akorn I have lit lump and a partially burned hickory chunk to add. Placing a preburnt chunk gives me clean smoke quick. Some might say "why not just use the Akorn"....so far I have found the Kettle gives a better smoke flavour.

Some lump and a chunk added:



As soon as the thin smoke arrives I toss on the ribs:



And settle down to wait, watch and have a cold one:



The mix of hickory and cherry in my nose is intoxicating.....love it I do:



I will add shots and include my wife's Apple Butter in the foil stage.

Edit:

The sauce....left to right....Jack Daniel's, Tiger Sauce, Rufus Teague Sweet and Spicy, Stubb's Honey Pecan, my home made Sweet Habanero sauce and Cider Vinegar:



The wife's apple butter:



I smoked the ribs at about 220f grate temp with the water pan loaded for about 2 hours then ramped up the temp to about 285f or so with the water pan empty and drabing with water/cider vinegar combo for about and hour to this result:



To the foil....about 3 tbsp apple butter and 1 tbsp cider vinegar:



Meat side down:



On the Kettle:



I'll add more shots when done.

Out of the foil after about and hour and a half at 280f or so:



Sauced on both sides:



After about 20 minutes:



On the plate:




They were some mighty tasty ribs boys. I saved the juices from the tinfoil - those pork juices mixed with the apple butter taste divine. Not sure what I am gonna use it for.....maybe mixed in with smoked beans or chili.

Smoke taste was clean. I attribute this to preburning most of the wood used in the Akorn first. I also added additional charcoal from the Akorn as well so there was less smoke from igniting charcoal than normal. I would usually add 5 hanfulls before foiling with this setup. The taste of the apple butter was not as prominent as last time I did this - due to a hotter than normal sauce no doubt. Next time I will go with less habanero sauce. Took some over to a fella across the street and he was impressed.