Ribs and shoulder, advice please.

[rigchris]

Hello!

So, I got my new WSM 47CM, and have been waiting patiently to use it. Well, the time has come!

Just this very morning, I got a 3 and a bit Kilo lump of pork shoulder, and two packs of baby back ribs, from http://www.devonrose.com/ and looking very good.

http://goo.gl/qsIYI9

http://goo.gl/FM31Cf

And plan on using Dizzy pig Dizzy rub on all of it.

I've done a few shoulder joints before (on the OTP), but never ribs. I was after some advice on timings, and any other helpful tips you might have.

The should has a massive fat cap on it, so i'll be triming that off first thing, then i think i'll throw it back on the joint when it's on the smoker.

[BRUN]

ive done ribs twice now on my WSM, the second time they were better than the first

unless your ribs are really meaty, the 3-2-1 method is too long and they will dry out, last Saturday I did a 2-1-1 and they were really good

2 hours with just rub on them, meat side up, then into some foil with brown sugar, maple syrup, apple juice and butter, meat side down, for 1 hour, then an hour uncovered meat side up, brushing with sauce every 10 minutes in the last half hour

the meat didn't fall off the bone but came away cleanly when bitten

[ConorD]

Brun is right about the timing but just work on the times as guides not hard and fast. The thing to look for are that you get the colour that you want from the ribs at or around the 2 hour mark (don't be afraid to run them longer if they are meatier or the temp has been messing you around - I like to cook mine at 250f as it gets the colour going a bit darker in that shorter time period).

When you foil them again an extra half an hour or so won't hurt them and I generally don't put them back on after just left the sauce sit on the rib as they cool in the opened foil.

I did a bunch of baby backs and spares recently together and the baby backs were 2/2.5-2 (open - foiled) wit the spares going for roughly 3-3/3.5. Even amoungst the spare ribs the times varied as some were done about 20/30 mins before the rest.

The image looks like spares so aim for 2.5 and just check the colour after 2hrs. The important element for the tenderness of your rib is the foiling section so again foil with 2hrs in mind and check after 1.5-2.

More than any other meat ribs are trial and error and I have chewed my way through some tough ribs where I tried to follow times and not feel.

[rigchris]

So, got up this morning, the weather looked perfect for BBQ. Got the shoulder all trimmed up

http://goo.gl/2nkIjh

Then covered in rub

http://goo.gl/2ccmCi

The ribs took a bit of work, getting the membrane off, but got there eventually

http://goo.gl/A4W5EI

And, of course, the one set of ribs that got sacrificed to the floor gods

http://goo.gl/jQ8hbm

Then, after getting everything set up, just about to tip the coals into the WSM, when the first spits of rain started. Luckily, my old fishing umbrella was in the shed, so out that came, and saved the day.

http://goo.gl/RI1YbF

Currently, the thunder and lightning seems to have stopped, so hopefully that's it for the day.

The ribs are (to me, at least) a little on the thin side, so i was going to 2-1-1 them, maybe a little longer than that, as it didn't get up to temp for some time.

As an aside, whats the best way to get the burn going? I used an upturned chimney starter full, and just dumped them into the middle, and on top. I was reading today on the virtual bullet site to put the lit coals in the basket, then fill it up with un-used coals. Opinions?

[BRUN]

when trying to get the membrane off, use some kitchen roll between your fingers and the membrane, it really helps to grip it

I also had weather issues last Saturday, id move all those chairs and the kettle bbq to within 1m of the WSM to act as a bit of a wind shield, it will help keep the temps up, or even move the WSM to nearer the shed but now its running id be tempted to leave it where it is purely for safety reasons

id have definitely just rinsed the floor ribs lol, they are getting cooked afterall

[derekmiller]

Chris.
For firing up my WSM57, I put in 2 chimneys of unlit, dig a hole by moving the charcoal to the side with my hands, then put in to the hole, 3/4 to a full chimney of lit.
Derek.

[rigchris]

So, the ribs. I left them on longer than i intended, because i've been having trouble getting the temps up.

So, I thought they looked ready, but just took one piece off, as a tester

http://goo.gl/7SCcX1

Cut them up, looking good

http://goo.gl/abp41O

Taste test = Pass!

http://goo.gl/kbce09

Got the rest of them off, cut them up, and ate a good chunk. The rest can cool and go the fridge for tomorrow. Now all I need is the shoulder to cook. Currently at 158, with the smoker at 243, and holding steady with everything full open. Just set off a fresh batch of charcoal, going to chuck it on when i foil it up.

Hope this won't take too much longer!

[BRUN]

At 158 I'd imagine your a few hours away

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[ConorD]

It will be a pain but be patient as you will hit the stall (if not already).

[rigchris]

well, the grill reached a peak of about 245F, but then kept dropping, it fell down to 220, with the pork at about 170, so i threw in the towel, and finished it off in the oven. It was odd, because when i lifted the middle out, the charcoal looked to be burning really well. I don't know, maybe i just didn't start with enough burning, maybe the charcoal wasn't the best? I've got some big K lumpwood charcoal on order, so we'll see what happens next time.

The pork is currently sat resting, still wrapped in foil, leaking delicious juices, into the best smelling cool bag ever! Depending how drunk i get, i might just leave pulling it till the morning.