Pork Ribs

[Captain 3 Droids]

@Rob Courtney, 

I’ve some nice pork racks (well they wouldn’t be awful) , what would you do for a successful bbq style recipe. steam first?..spices? dry rub? marinade?

Thanks

[Rob Courtney]

What are you cooking it in?

 

Oven, smoker, BBQ kettle?

[Captain 3 Droids]

1 minute ago, Rob Courtney said:

What are you cooking it in?

 

Oven, smoker, BBQ kettle?

Oven

[Rob Courtney]

1 minute ago, Captain 3 Droids said:

Oven

Good choice, as much as smokers and kettles are really good for flavour, a bit hit or miss  under or over cooking

 

I'm a fan of marinades, so for pork ribs I'd do this, working on a kilo of ribs, it is a marinade of honey, balsamic vinegar and rosemary with or without chilli

1/4 cup of honey ( muck around with honey types if you have to buy one, like yellow gum honey)

Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar and Tablesppon rosemary ( dried is fine)

At least a teaspoon of salt, generous with the black pepper

Clove of garlic...if you already have minced garlic, that is fine

1-2 tablesppons of olive oil, half a cup of water

If going a chilli, red or green birdseye, chopped finely

 

Score the fat on the back of the ribs, making a diamond pattern

Slice the garlic clove really thinly, and put cuts in the meat and put slices if garlic into cuts, or rub the mince garlic into cuts

Honey and balsamic in bowl, stir, add rosemary, salt and pepper, combine, if using chilli, add that

Put oil on roasting dish, palce ribs skinside down

Place a bit under a third of marinade on meat, rub in ( if you have a pastry brush, spread it with that but keep in mind, that is just another thing to wash  )

Cook for 20, take out, put some more marinade on, rub in (this is the time you'd use something else than your fingers, the marinade on the pork will be like napalm and it'll be a good 2-3 hours before you stop screaming)

turn the pork over and spread marinade on that side too so now you'd have a little less than a third of the marinade

Cook skin side up for another 20, take out and use the last of the marinade, both sides ( again, forgo the finger rubbing, I can't stress this enough)

Now cook skin side down pour water into pan to stop sauce from burning for the last 20 mins, at an hour at that temp, should be good but just test it to see how tender it is

serve with veggies, and by veggies, I mean potato  baked potato would be sweet with it

Drink a red or an ale with it, should go alright

[Rob Courtney]

Oh geez, I haven't done temps, pre heat the oven for at least 30 mins at 180 and leave that temp for cooking.

Sorry mate but if you wouldn't have taught me how to make great beer, I wouldn't have been drunk in the original post

 

[Eltham Brauhaus]

2 hours ago, Rob Courtney said:

Good choice, as much as smokers and kettles are really good for flavour, a bit hit or miss  under or over cooking

 

I'm a fan of marinades, so for pork ribs I'd do this, working on a kilo of ribs, it is a marinade of honey, balsamic vinegar and rosemary with or without chilli

1/4 cup of honey ( muck around with honey types if you have to buy one, like yellow gum honey)

Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar and Tablesppon rosemary ( dried is fine)

At least a teaspoon of salt, generous with the black pepper

Clove of garlic...if you already have minced garlic, that is fine

1-2 tablesppons of olive oil, half a cup of water

If going a chilli, red or green birdseye, chopped finely

 

Score the fat on the back of the ribs, making a diamond pattern

Slice the garlic clove really thinly, and put cuts in the meat and put slices if garlic into cuts, or rub the mince garlic into cuts

Honey and balsamic in bowl, stir, add rosemary, salt and pepper, combine, if using chilli, add that

Put oil on roasting dish, palce ribs skinside down

Place a bit under a third of marinade on meat, rub in ( if you have a pastry brush, spread it with that but keep in mind, that is just another thing to wash  )

Cook for 20, take out, put some more marinade on, rub in (this is the time you'd use something else than your fingers, the marinade on the pork will be like napalm and it'll be a good 2-3 hours before you stop screaming)

turn the pork over and spread marinade on that side too so now you'd have a little less than a third of the marinade

Cook skin side up for another 20, take out and use the last of the marinade, both sides ( again, forgo the finger rubbing, I can't stress this enough)

Now cook skin side down pour water into pan to stop sauce from burning for the last 20 mins, at an hour at that temp, should be good but just test it to see how tender it is

serve with veggies, and by veggies, I mean potato  baked potato would be sweet with it

Drink a red or an ale with it, should go alright

It seems to me that this would also work beautifully with a good leg of lamb, either on the rotisserie or in the oven.

 

[Robert Pretty]

Can't beat a good Weber Kettle or Smoker. The flavour of charcoal is the best. Just did a roast pork in the kettle last night. Crackling was awesome. The key is a good meat thermometer. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Robert Pretty

[Captain 3 Droids]

2 minutes ago, Robert Pretty said:

Just did a roast pork in the kettle last night. Crackling was awesome.

Can you post? 🐖😀

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

46 minutes ago, Robert Pretty said:

Can't beat a good Weber Kettle or Smoker. The flavour of charcoal is the best. Just did a roast pork in the kettle last night. Crackling was awesome. The key is a good meat thermometer. 

Agreed, I've been smoking using a Kamado Joe for many years until buying an apartment and the restrictions that go with that meant I had to sell it as it wasn't getting used often enough.  😭

Not to blow my own horn (who am I kidding, no one else will), I've even got to the point with BBQ'ing that I catered for a couple of events. The largest of which was feeding 180 people at a work Xmas party. Had the Kamado Joe going, two gas BBQs and a spit as well as a huge ham in my brothers oven which was the only one capable of fitting it in. Starting the day before, I cooked 2x 7-8kg briskets, 3 lamb legs, 1 lamb shoulder, 3 port butts and 1 whole rump which was done on the spit.

What a night that was, barely slept but it all went off without a hitch. Did 210 sliders in total, brisket, pulled pork and pulled lamb. One of the worst and best 36 hours of cooking in my life. Whew!

Anyway, now the point of this post, I now use my Webber Family Q to do all my low & slow, smoking as well as hot and fast. Also, can really recommend for the reverse sear method which is now pretty much my go to way of cooking meat except for steaks.

One thing @Captain 3 Droids  to add to @Rob Courtney's instructions, I do suggest removing the membrane from the back (bone side) of the ribs. This is easily done using a knife to lift up a corner and then with a dry paper towel for grip, just pull it off. More often than not, it will come off in a single pull. If not, just repeat on what remains.

Also, I cannot recommend enough dry brining after removing the membrane.

What is that you ask, well let me explain. Dry brining is basically putting salt on a piece of meat and then letting it sit, preferably in the fridge, for a period of time. Use a decent amount of salt, kosher if you can get it, otherwise any decent salt but try to avoid iodized salt Salt evenly on both sides and edges of the meat and then leave uncovered in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight and even up to 2 or 3 days depending on the size of the meat.

To give an example, a cut I have really enjoyed doing over the past few years has been rump cap (doing one this year for Xmas day with the in-laws and my son) which is also known as picanha in Brazilian cooking. I will dry bring for at least 24 hours prior leaving uncovered in the fridge. I then use the off-set cooking set up in my Webber Q which is basically an Al foil tray with small holes in it and a rack to sit on it.

I will then cook at 220-250F (104-120C) until I reach an internal temp of 120F (49C) and then remove, both the piece of meat and the off-set setup.

At this stage I should say that yes, I do use a bluetooth meat temperature and grill probe ( I use an Inkbird which cost me less than $100 for 3 meat probes and 1 grill probe) which helps this a lot by keeping track of internal temp of the meat plus grill temp. I recommend anyone getting at least a decent meat thermometer, preferably digital as the analog stuff isn't great quality generally.

After hitting the desired internal temp, I crank up the Q and wait until it gets as hot as possible. Once it is above 300C I will then sear the crap out of the meat, Once all sides are seared, take it off, let it rest a bit but not too long (resting is over-rated) then slice and serve.

You can do this in an oven and a hot skillet. Get the oven to 120 or a bit higher, place meat in, check for desired temp then take out and sear on a hot skillet. I've done this method when holidaying with family in an Air BnB and once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy.

As you can see from the pictures below, which really do speak for themselves I hope, the benefit of a reverse sear is that the meat is cooked all the way through evenly, there is no grey over cooked meat and being patient and letting the BBQ grill get as hot as possible for the sear to get that crust just right.

[Dustin Frothman]

2 hours ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Agreed, I've been smoking using a Kamado Joe for many years until buying an apartment and the restrictions that go with that meant I had to sell it as it wasn't getting used often enough.  😭

Not to blow my own horn (who am I kidding, no one else will), I've even got to the point with BBQ'ing that I catered for a couple of events. The largest of which was feeding 180 people at a work Xmas party. Had the Kamado Joe going, two gas BBQs and a spit as well as a huge ham in my brothers oven which was the only one capable of fitting it in. Starting the day before, I cooked 2x 7-8kg briskets, 3 lamb legs, 1 lamb shoulder, 3 port butts and 1 whole rump which was done on the spit.

What a night that was, barely slept but it all went off without a hitch. Did 210 sliders in total, brisket, pulled pork and pulled lamb. One of the worst and best 36 hours of cooking in my life. Whew!

Anyway, now the point of this post, I now use my Webber Family Q to do all my low & slow, smoking as well as hot and fast. Also, can really recommend for the reverse sear method which is now pretty much my go to way of cooking meat except for steaks.

One thing @Captain 3 Droids  to add to @Rob Courtney's instructions, I do suggest removing the membrane from the back (bone side) of the ribs. This is easily done using a knife to lift up a corner and then with a dry paper towel for grip, just pull it off. More often than not, it will come off in a single pull. If not, just repeat on what remains.

Also, I cannot recommend enough dry brining after removing the membrane.

What is that you ask, well let me explain. Dry brining is basically putting salt on a piece of meat and then letting it sit, preferably in the fridge, for a period of time. Use a decent amount of salt, kosher if you can get it, otherwise any decent salt but try to avoid iodized salt Salt evenly on both sides and edges of the meat and then leave uncovered in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight and even up to 2 or 3 days depending on the size of the meat.

To give an example, a cut I have really enjoyed doing over the past few years has been rump cap (doing one this year for Xmas day with the in-laws and my son) which is also known as picanha in Brazilian cooking. I will dry bring for at least 24 hours prior leaving uncovered in the fridge. I then use the off-set cooking set up in my Webber Q which is basically an Al foil tray with small holes in it and a rack to sit on it.

I will then cook at 220-250F (104-120C) until I reach an internal temp of 120F (49C) and then remove, both the piece of meat and the off-set setup.

At this stage I should say that yes, I do use a bluetooth meat temperature and grill probe ( I use an Inkbird which cost me less than $100 for 3 meat probes and 1 grill probe) which helps this a lot by keeping track of internal temp of the meat plus grill temp. I recommend anyone getting at least a decent meat thermometer, preferably digital as the analog stuff isn't great quality generally.

After hitting the desired internal temp, I crank up the Q and wait until it gets as hot as possible. Once it is above 300C I will then sear the crap out of the meat, Once all sides are seared, take it off, let it rest a bit but not too long (resting is over-rated) then slice and serve.

You can do this in an oven and a hot skillet. Get the oven to 120 or a bit higher, place meat in, check for desired temp then take out and sear on a hot skillet. I've done this method when holidaying with family in an Air BnB and once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy.

As you can see from the pictures below, which really do speak for themselves I hope, the benefit of a reverse sear is that the meat is cooked all the way through evenly, there is no grey over cooked meat and being patient and letting the BBQ grill get as hot as possible for the sear to get that crust just right.

 

Bloody hell that looks magnificent!

That's it, I'm going to @Wazza_wantsbeer's place for dinner!!!!

[Eltham Brauhaus]

11 hours ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Agreed, I've been smoking using a Kamado Joe for many years until buying an apartment and the restrictions that go with that meant I had to sell it as it wasn't getting used often enough.  😭

Not to blow my own horn (who am I kidding, no one else will), I've even got to the point with BBQ'ing that I catered for a couple of events. The largest of which was feeding 180 people at a work Xmas party. Had the Kamado Joe going, two gas BBQs and a spit as well as a huge ham in my brothers oven which was the only one capable of fitting it in. Starting the day before, I cooked 2x 7-8kg briskets, 3 lamb legs, 1 lamb shoulder, 3 port butts and 1 whole rump which was done on the spit.

What a night that was, barely slept but it all went off without a hitch. Did 210 sliders in total, brisket, pulled pork and pulled lamb. One of the worst and best 36 hours of cooking in my life. Whew!

Anyway, now the point of this post, I now use my Webber Family Q to do all my low & slow, smoking as well as hot and fast. Also, can really recommend for the reverse sear method which is now pretty much my go to way of cooking meat except for steaks.

One thing @Captain 3 Droids  to add to @Rob Courtney's instructions, I do suggest removing the membrane from the back (bone side) of the ribs. This is easily done using a knife to lift up a corner and then with a dry paper towel for grip, just pull it off. More often than not, it will come off in a single pull. If not, just repeat on what remains.

Also, I cannot recommend enough dry brining after removing the membrane.

What is that you ask, well let me explain. Dry brining is basically putting salt on a piece of meat and then letting it sit, preferably in the fridge, for a period of time. Use a decent amount of salt, kosher if you can get it, otherwise any decent salt but try to avoid iodized salt Salt evenly on both sides and edges of the meat and then leave uncovered in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight and even up to 2 or 3 days depending on the size of the meat.

To give an example, a cut I have really enjoyed doing over the past few years has been rump cap (doing one this year for Xmas day with the in-laws and my son) which is also known as picanha in Brazilian cooking. I will dry bring for at least 24 hours prior leaving uncovered in the fridge. I then use the off-set cooking set up in my Webber Q which is basically an Al foil tray with small holes in it and a rack to sit on it.

I will then cook at 220-250F (104-120C) until I reach an internal temp of 120F (49C) and then remove, both the piece of meat and the off-set setup.

At this stage I should say that yes, I do use a bluetooth meat temperature and grill probe ( I use an Inkbird which cost me less than $100 for 3 meat probes and 1 grill probe) which helps this a lot by keeping track of internal temp of the meat plus grill temp. I recommend anyone getting at least a decent meat thermometer, preferably digital as the analog stuff isn't great quality generally.

After hitting the desired internal temp, I crank up the Q and wait until it gets as hot as possible. Once it is above 300C I will then sear the crap out of the meat, Once all sides are seared, take it off, let it rest a bit but not too long (resting is over-rated) then slice and serve.

You can do this in an oven and a hot skillet. Get the oven to 120 or a bit higher, place meat in, check for desired temp then take out and sear on a hot skillet. I've done this method when holidaying with family in an Air BnB and once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy.

As you can see from the pictures below, which really do speak for themselves I hope, the benefit of a reverse sear is that the meat is cooked all the way through evenly, there is no grey over cooked meat and being patient and letting the BBQ grill get as hot as possible for the sear to get that crust just right.

As they say in Australia it looks like you cut off the horns, wiped its arse and threw it on the plate. With apologies, its way to rare for me but hey we are all different thank god. Makes life interesting.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

11 hours ago, Eltham Brewing House said:

As they say in Australia it looks like you cut off the horns, wiped its arse and threw it on the plate. With apologies, its way to rare for me but hey we are all different thank god. Makes life interesting.

I have a Irish mate who says something similar along the lines of... "he likes his steak done rare enough that a good vet could get it back on it's feet again"

But I do have to say@Eltham Brewing Housedon't let the colour fool you, it's actually a good medium rare. Doing a reverse sear is quite a bit like cooking sous vide, that is meat placed in a warm water bath (sealed in a plastic bag with the air removed of course) over a long period of time. The meat is actually cooked well but doesn't get that grey because it isn't exposed to high heat. Gray meat is actually tough, overcooked meat.

I actually cooked that picanha for about 2 and 1/2 hours before searing. It keeps it very moist and very tender, especially for a cut with low marbling like any of the cuts from the rump.

My Dad was a butcher his whole life starting as an apprentice at aged 14 in his Mum's butcher shop as she and his Dad were also both butchers. He is well retired now as his Birthday was only 2 days ago and he turned 79 but he was still working as a butcher until age 75. Anyway, he always said rump was his favourite of all the cuts because it has the most flavour but was the hardest to cook well because it has low internal fat (marbling) content. He would often over-cook it on the BBQ but that's because they were cut into steaks. When I started BBQing on the Kamado and had him try a whole rump or the rump cap like above, to him it was like nirvana.

[Captain 3 Droids]

19 minutes ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

.. "he likes his steak done rare enough that a good vet could get it back on it's feet again"

Love it.

Correct me if I’m wrong but a number of people the “red” liquid on cutting/resting is blood however I believe it to be meat juices eg “myoglobin” 

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

100% correct @Captain 3 Droids

It is definitely not blood but myoglobin which comes from the cells of the muscles. As someone who has worked in both an abattoir (not long as I really struggled with it) but for several years at a meat packing plant whilst going to Uni, the whole blood from cooked meat is a myth that really annoys me. If you see a cow slaughtered, and it's not a pretty sight, you will see that virtually all the blood in the animal is removed at that time... and there is an absolute shitload of blood.

Interestingly, myoglobin is also the same material that gives that pink "smoke" ring around meat when it has been smoked low & slow. The myoglobin will bind with nitric oxide (NO) from the smoke and the NO allows the myoglobin to stay pink rather than darken when exposed to heat. Myoglobin goes grey when cooked and that's why steak is over-cooked when it is grey in colour.

The science of cooking (and BBQing) is amazing, similar to the science of brewing with a lot of crossover.

As an advid BBQ'er and now brewer, I love the science behind it all, researching it and trying to separate fact from fantasy or fallacy and of course, the grey areas in between.

By the way, if anyone wants to get into American style BBQ'ing or just want to understand how to cook meat better, I cannot recommend highly enough Meathead and his website, https://amazingribs.com/

Everything you wanted to know about cooking meat and more. His recipes are tried and tested, his rubs, uncomplicated but just work really well and can be tweaked and changed to suit your own tastes.