I'm with Brent at 3.5 lbs., and I did see some spare ribs at the market this morning weighing-in at 3.66 lbs a rack...

On the smoker at 4PM/PST is 3.55 lbs of Tri Tip in a new type of rub and a batch of smoked BBQ beans. Using Hickory chips today:

Image


[Reply]

Bobby and Kelly, Tri Tips and Butts:-) Sounds good and looking good:-)
[Reply]

9 racks are off the smoker. 1 literally fell into 4 pieces, but the rest of them were pretty well intact coming off. It's such a shame to eat them dry, but it's the sacrifice I must make in order to comply with Atkins. :-)
[Reply]

Glad the cook turned out well Duane. I gotta disagree with ya though... I like mine dry. No need to sauce perfection!!!
[Reply]

The last thing I am is a ketchup or a steak sauce kind of a guy, but there's just a part of me that a good sauce is the perfect complement to the smoke.

That said, I was quite "boring" on the rub, only using salt, garlic, and black pepper. Didn't feel like mixing a ton of spices and a ton of pre-made rubs can't be used on Atkins because they contain sugar.

I've got 3 spares and 2 butts out of the freezer for my next smoke later in the week. :-)
[Reply]

Meat and beans finished around 7:30PM:

Image

Now, I'm not the best plater in the world, but...:-)

Image



[Reply]

That looks great, Mark! All of the food in this thread looks delicious!
[Reply]

I'm with you Brent.
[Reply]

Newbie question.
How do you guys get that bark to be so dark? Is it the amount of rub/mop? Is it the cooking temp? Time on the smoker?
[Reply]

Yes!!!:-)

Seriously though, it really is a combination of all of those things. I like a seriously dark bark on my pork so I add a pretty good coating of turbinado sugar after my dry rub is applied. The ingredients in your dry rub also make a big difference especially the amount of paprika and sugar.

The amount of smoke you allow the meat to get also makes a big difference. IMO one of the most common mistakes that less seasoned cooks make is to over smoke the meat. This will get the impression of having a really nice dark bark, but it is in fact the effects of creosote being deposited on the meat. When folks comment about something being too smokey this is what they are usually referring to.

Basically, to get a really nice bark you want to apply a quality rub, add a little turbinado sugar, smoke the meat at a low consistent temp, and if you foil, open the foil back up for 15-30 minutes at the end of the cook.

YMMV!!!!
[Reply]

Thanks, Brent. I had a feeling it was a combination of things.
I'll give the "turbinado sugar after the rub" technique a try.
[Reply]

Peter - I'll ditto what Brent said, plus add that don't worry too much about dark barks, it's not really in the Traeger's nature to create exceptionally dark barks as they burn very clean.

The color you have here:
Is excellent. I would think that more coarse granular ingredients in the rub and/or some sugar will give it some texture and you'll be set.

Since I keep dark brown sugar around, I just use it. I take it and dry it in the oven spread out in a layer on a 1/4 sheet pan, cook at 250F-ish for 30-40 minutes - stir once or twice. The high molasses content seems to give a nice texture and color.

Or you could try experimenting with wet rubs / slathers. A lot of my stuff is done with wet rubs / slaters. Lots of fresh garlic and herbs with some spices and oil (usually olive, but not always). The garlic roasts and browns on the outside of the meat for a slightly chunky texture.
[Reply]

Have some beans on the smoker - pics to come in a couple hours.
[Reply]

Spareribs on the kettle/ECB mod which I've been working on. Aside from the temp issues I experienced during the smoke test yesterday, the test cook came out pretty good.

Image
[Reply]

Interesting. Do you have any more photos of what you did in the mod?
[Reply]

I'm with Brent on this...

On the Tri Tip above, I used Ranchers Reserve All Natural "Cowboy Blend with Coffee" Steak Rub that was preceeded by a liberal dosing of Lea & Perrins Worchestershire sauce. And then a good dosing of Trader Joe's Organic Turbinado raw cane sugar:-)

3.5 hrs at 225* and pulled a smidge over 150*


[Reply]

Beans, 2 hours in
[Reply]

That looks delicious!!!
[Reply]

Those look amazing
[Reply]

it tasted as good as it looks..ya done well mate...:-)
[Reply]