Peeled Knuckles?

motoeric

motoeric

Babbling Farker
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Location
huntingt...
Hi,


First off, I would like to thank the people that recommended Restaurant Depot. I stopped in yesterday (the Melville location). Great place.

Now onto the questions:

What are 'peeled knuckles'?

What are the recommended ribs for bbq'ing? I've tried spare ribs twice but they have seemed fatty.

Is there a specific 'cut' or type of brisket that I should be asking for?

My father has an old Meco charcoal water smoker. Are they any good? It's a bit small so I want to get something else, but would that work for smaller items?


Thanks!

Eric Devlin
 
What are 'peeled knuckles'?

answer: they are the meat around the bone in the ham of the hog. means that they are clean no fat or silver skin (meat only)
 
Well, 'peeled knuckles' are what I get when I get too close to the cheese grater, but that's just me.

I like doing spares, personally, but you might try baby backs. They seem less fatty to me, but I may be crazy. If you trim the spares to St. Louis style you can get rid of a lot of stuff that may be contributing to the fatty impression. I like to trim mine.

And I cook packer trimmed briskets exclusively. Some people do flats by themselves, but IMO the whole schmear is the way to go. You usually find packers in a cryovac wrap. Around here you do, anyway.
 
motoeric said:
Hi,


First off, I would like to thank the people that recommended Restaurant Depot. I stopped in yesterday (the Melville location). Great place.

Now onto the questions:

What are 'peeled knuckles'?

What are the recommended ribs for bbq'ing? I've tried spare ribs twice but they have seemed fatty.

Is there a specific 'cut' or type of brisket that I should be asking for?

My father has an old Meco charcoal water smoker. Are they any good? It's a bit small so I want to get something else, but would that work for smaller items?


Thanks!

Eric Devlin
Click to expand...

OK... I'll take a shot at this...

1. I'm guessing that they are pig's knuckles with the skin removed, but I could be totally off on this.

2. Your choice... I know, that's no help. I trade off between baby backs and spares. Spares are fattier, but if you trim them St. Louis style a lot of the fat stays with the tips (my favorite part, of course!). I think spares have more flavor.

3. I buy whole packer cut briskets. These have the flat and the point. The flat is the leaner portion that is usually sliced and the point is fattier but can be reseasoned and cooked a little longer and then chopped for burnt ends. It's like getting two different meals from one piece of meat. A lot of guys just cook flats.

4. The Meco and similar smokers work, but they aren't very good for temperature control. Do a search and you'll probably find a few guys that either have one or had one. Depending on your budget, the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) is a very good cooker that a lot of us use. Also, the Chargriller Pro or the Bandera or Brinkmann Smoke King Deluxe (BSKD) are good cookers but they are apparently getting harder to find. Others will chime in, I'm sure.
 
I did two 5# racks of ribs this weekend that I trimmed St. Louis style and then cut the remaining portion in to portion size 1 1/2" by 3" sections and cooked them just as long as the ribs. I was in a rush so it was three hours at 300. They came out great. only a few were still really fatty.
 
Ditto the "packer's cut brisket"; will have the fat cap, the point and the deckle, and if it is not in the cryovac, caveat emptor.
 
I'll toss 2 more cents into the pot.

If I'm forced to cook spares, I do trim them St. Louis style, I DO NOT wrap spares as I prefer the fat to drip away rather than soak into the meat. I agree spares have more flavor, but I don't like that flavor they have more of.
Try some baby backs, they're from higher on the hog and are less fatty and less gamey tasting, much better eating.
 
Pork knuckles or pig knuckles usually refer to fresh, uncured pork foreshanks[ front leg, below the picnic area] or hindshanks [the hock area of the rear leg or ham]. Mosty, at least around here, they are sold with the skin still attached. As scottd said, peeled refers to removing the skin, any surface fat, and the silverskin.

Like most butchery, I am sure there are different meanings in different parts of the country.
 
About ribs. Unlike kcquer I do like the flavor of spare ribs, and prefer to cook then untrimmed, if full fatty glory.
I do cook them with out foiling, allowing a lot of the fat to drip away, into the fire if possible [like in the BDS mod].
Having said that, I am mostly a backyard cooker, and I am the only one in my family that prefers spares, so I mostly cook back loin ribs.
Sometimes when we cook for a event, we will do St. Louis Trim spares because of the cost difference.

Brisket--I too prefer whole untrimmed packers, and for me I find that the extra weight does not increase the cooking time all that much.
 
As you can see from above, ribs are cook's choice. I do both, depending on price, time, cooker space, and if others have a say in what I'm doing. On briskets I've done both flats and packers, once again depending on time and cooker space.

I believe Solidkick has or had a Mecco smoker - perhaps he'll respond here soon. If not, shoot him a PM about it.
 
jt said:
I believe Solidkick has or had a Mecco smoker - perhaps he'll respond here soon. If not, shoot him.
Click to expand...

Damm jt, that's a little harsh isn't it?:twisted:

Kick's Mecco is electric where Devlin's is charcoal, but he may be able to add some info anyway.
 
kcquer said:
Damm jt, that's a little harsh isn't it?:twisted:

Kick's Mecco is electric where Devlin's is charcoal, but he may be able to add some info anyway.
Click to expand...
Ah, I see where you've been hanging around with some modern-day journalists, huh?

What kind of Mecco does Bigdog have?
 
wow I think I will just read for a while, I was on pork all this time. dam, I need a vacation.
 
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