Well, I'll tell you what, Ted... you come on over, and we'll make our first brisket together. How about that? It'll be the first official meeting of The Blind Leading the Blind Club. lol :eusa_clap
My First Try at Ribs
- Thread starter tish
- Start date
Well, I'll tell you what, Ted... you come on over, and we'll make our first brisket together. How about that? It'll be the first official meeting of The Blind Leading the Blind Club. lol :eusa_clap
Yes, they're done, and have already been et! lol I didn't have any fancy rubs at all here, so I just mixed together some of what powders I already had on hand... onion, garlic, paprika, sea salt, and pepper.
To the tell the truth, I think I've got a lot of improving to do. If I'm going to critique my own food, I felt they were too spicy/salty, and they were underdone. Not so underdone that I got sick from them, but underdone nevertheless.
I held up the one end of them with a pair of tongs to see if they'd "crack", and what they did was to bend all the way over so the long end was pointing straight down to the ground. I thought that must be what they look like when they "crack", but apparently not, because they could have gone longer on the smoker.
Remember, I've never had real bbq. I've only had it in restaurants, and I've a feeling that wasn't real bbq. And I've never seen anyone cook real bbq before. So I'm really flying blind here. Anything I'm making is my first ever taste of real bbq except for that brisket that Santa Brethren brought for my son when he was here before Christmas. (it was delicious BTW)
So, whenever I go to cook anything, I have to depend on the books I've been reading and my fellow Brethren/Sisthren to get me through. And my own trial and error, of course. Next time, I'll cook 'em until they point to the ground, and then I'll cook 'em some more. Sooner or later, I'll figure it out, I guess. :wink:
I wanted to do a pork butt first, but couldn't find one. I'm going to have to keep looking. I guess it's not something you generally find in the supermarkets here. I'll check our BJ's warehouse. They'll probably have something. If not, I can always drive across the state line and go down to Baltimore, MD. They have a restaurant depot down there. I'm hoping there's a way I might be able to get meat there. I'm told you have to have some sort of food business license, but Harvard and I volunteer at a soup kitchen here in York. Maybe we can finagle something.
ray:
NorthwestBBQ
somebody shut me the fark up.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2009
- Location
- Everett, WA
This is a pic of the "crack." They will start to tear but will not break. If your ribs "broke" they may have been over done. Ribs that are overdone tend to be dry and tear off in hunks easily from the bone. Hence the term, "fall off the bone" :becky:
You know, someone did tell me about the toothpick test. But I didn't use it after looking at that poor slab of ribs pointing straight to the ground, I figured they were done. Wrong!!! :doh: Next time!
This is a pic of the "crack." They will start to tear but will not break. If your ribs "broke" they may have been over done. Ribs that are overdone tend to be dry and tear off in hunks easily from the bone. Hence the term, "fall off the bone" :becky:
Yeah, see? Mine didn't look like that. No, they were definitely underdone. Live and learn. I just hate to spend what little I've got on meat that I'm gonna ruin, if ya take my meaning? But that's ok. I'm not discouraged. I'll keep trying 'till I get it right. We've all got to learn somehow. Some just take a little longer, is all. That would be me. :becky:
Great job Tish!
Thanks, Bob! To tell the truth, even overspiced and underdone, I could tell a big difference between these and the ones in the restaurant. It smelled and tasted of apple and cherry smoke. The ones at the restaurants I've been to never did. I liked that smell and that taste! I wanna do more again soon! :thumb:
NorthwestBBQ
somebody shut me the fark up.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2009
- Location
- Everett, WA
You did great for your first try. You will do better next time. :clap2:
I'm having a ball! lol Of course, it's one of those "everything that can go wrong will" kind of things. But I just keep on plugging along while I'm laughing at myself. This time around, it was ok because I've been feeling a little stronger, and was able to do it, screw ups and all. Next time I'm having another stretch of good days, I'm gonna try and do that pork butt!!! :clap2:
Thank you, brother Michael. That's high praise coming from you, and I value your opinion. :-D
I will, I will, I will!!! :thumb:
The best part of this hobby is that even your mistakes end up being pretty good :-D
The bend test is a good indicator, but as you discovered, ribs can bend like they are supposed to but still not be quite done. I look for visual clues like pull back on the bones plus the feel/bend, and I use a toothpick between the meat. If all three say they are done, then they probably are
Thanks, Ronelle! Next time, I will definitely look for the "triple play" in making a decision as to whether or not they're done. And I'm gonna get some real rub, too. I want to try the Yardbird BBQ rub. They sell it in Harrisburg at the Bass Pro Shop. Next time I'm up that way, I'm gonna stop and get some. Can't believe when you buy it online, the shipping is more than the rub. Can't be doing that kind of thing at least until I'm working again. So, as soon as I get some, I'll be looking for the next cook! :-D
El Ropo
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Great job on the first rib cook, but honestly looking at the pic it appears they could of used a bit more time, maybe 30 minutes or more.
You'll get the hang of it though, ribs are easy once you figure out how you like 'em. Gotta make sure they render out and develop a nice bark for tenderness and texture. Look for shrink on the bones as an indicator of how well the meat is cooking. If you don't see extended rib bones, the rack is probably not done.
A visual example:
The top rack is pretty much spot on, you can see the nice pull back on the rib bones. The bottom rack was a bit more meaty, and could of used a bit more time to finish. They were both delish, but the top one was a lot more tender and juicy.
You'll get the hang of it though, ribs are easy once you figure out how you like 'em. Gotta make sure they render out and develop a nice bark for tenderness and texture. Look for shrink on the bones as an indicator of how well the meat is cooking. If you don't see extended rib bones, the rack is probably not done.
A visual example:
The top rack is pretty much spot on, you can see the nice pull back on the rib bones. The bottom rack was a bit more meaty, and could of used a bit more time to finish. They were both delish, but the top one was a lot more tender and juicy.
BJ's definitely has butts, and I've gotten them at Giant before too. If you don't have a membership at BJ's, let me know, I can always meet you there. They have the best prices on ribs too, St. Louis or BB.I wanted to do a pork butt first, but couldn't find one. I'm going to have to keep looking. I guess it's not something you generally find in the supermarkets here. I'll check our BJ's warehouse. They'll probably have something. If not, I can always drive across the state line and go down to Baltimore, MD. They have a restaurant depot down there. I'm hoping there's a way I might be able to get meat there. I'm told you have to have some sort of food business license, but Harvard and I volunteer at a soup kitchen here in York. Maybe we can finagle something.
