Thread: Sausage and Smoke Cooking

Just thought I'd share what was sent to me---------I love mine!

http://marketing.thermoworks.com/pub...f68581f2b24864.

Thinking about doing a brisket next weekend, as it's my son's last time home before going to at least a 2-year posting in Japan. WalMart of all places has choice grade packers of about #15 on sale often for $2.98 a pound. Funny how many friends my boys have when I'm cooking barbecue.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Thinking about doing a brisket next weekend, as it's my son's last time home before going to at least a 2-year posting in Japan. WalMart of all places has choice grade packers of about #15 on sale often for $2.98 a pound. Funny how many friends my boys have when I'm cooking barbecue.

I made my living with an International Corporate Grocery Chain and I firmly believe that you should 'Shop where you work as it makes good business 'CENTS'. So when Wal-Mart came to town I never shopped there.

I've been retired for a bit over 3 years and I finally decided to check Wal-Mart out. While it's clear across town I will try to make a list of things that I need and make a trip a couple of times a month.

Back to meat-I found that the $2.98 per pound was what mine wanted for choice brisket which is even less than what I paid when my local store was over stocked.

I also found that they carry what I consider 'REAL PORK RIBS' and those are ribs that are whole and not trimmed off to make the 'St. Louise Style'. Trimming is a damn waste of perfectly good ribs!

Anyway here's what I'm talking about.



I'll be seasoning these early on Tuesday as my youngest daughter and the two grand children are coming for lunch and supper. Lunch will be home made Bean and Bacon Soup and sandwiches on homemade bread. Supper will be the ribs cooked on the Traeger, baked beans and either corn on the cob or fresh green beans and apple pie made with my canned apples pie mixture.

As I posted above I had purchased a full side of pork ribs to cook in my newly acquired Traeger. The cook was today.

My youngest daughter and the two grandkids were coming for the day and supper but they HAD to leave no later than 6 pm as there was a small circus in town and she, the kids along with her mom were going to attend and the event started at 7 pm. So I had to have things ready to eat by 6 pm.

I removed the side from refrigeration, then drained the fluids and patted it dry with some paper towels. I then removed the membrane from the ribs and as much 'silver skin' and fat as I could--(my daughter has this 'thing' about fat) .

Tc had sent me some pork rub to have a go with so I applied a light but even coating on the rib side along with a sparse sprinkling of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (I've found I like it far better than Morton's) and let it set at room temp until the salt was dissolved. I then flipped the side over and repeated the seasoning and left it at room temp to marinate.

After an hour had passed I started the Traeger. (I also did something that Tc had told me about/I'd also put an aluminum pan under the rack and filled it with cider vinegar and left it for the cook).

After the smoke started appearing from the open door I closed the door and raised the temp to 225 degs and allowed it to come to temp then placed the ribs bone side down on the rack. This was at about 9 am.

I didn't bother checking until around 11 and all was well. I did spray some cider vinegar on the ribs just out of habit/even though there was still plenty of vinegar in the small pan.



A quick peek here and there and a quick spray of vinegar but otherwise I just let it go.

At about 2:45 pm my daughter got a call and her mom couldn't go so my daughter's husband would be going instead so the timing had to be stepped up as she would have to drive the 15 miles to their home to pick him up and then drive the same distance back to get to the circus in time for the show.

So I pulled the side and wrapped it in heavy foil and added a bit of apple juice to help steam and flavor the ribs and put it back in at 225 degs.

At 4:00 pm I pulled the wrapped ribs from the Traeger and then placed it back in After applying some BBQ sauce to the rib side.



I damn near forgot to take a pic of the meat side before the BBQ sauce---



At 4:45 pm



We were ready to eat at 5 pm and the ribs were perfect! (Pull off the bone/'NOT fall off the bone). My daughter commented on how they were the best ribs she'd ever eaten.

I guess I should have taken this pic outside so the color balance would be similar to the others but I hope it does justice to the way the meat came out.



One of the things that I've enjoyed most from this Forum is; Members Helping Members.

Tc, Dave and others have taken time out of their very busy lives to share their knowledge and experiences to help me become better at not only BBQ but baking and cooking. I'll never be a 'Pit Master' but hopefully everyone who leaves my table will leave not only full and satisfied but having enjoyed a wonderful taste experience.

A Sincere Thank You to all you have helped me; It means far more to me than you may ever know

Turned out nice Roy!
Look at that smoke ring, mmm.
We did ribs up here tonight as well. Daughters special birthday meal request from her daddy.
Got off work at 1 just to get home early enough to fire up the kamado and give them a good 4 hr cook time.


My sisters been having our mom up for a few weeks so they came down to join in the celebration. Lots of ribs to share between family.
Simple birthday meal of ribs, salad, and bread, oh and cheese cake for dessert, again, her request..
Cheers!

Mike not only do your ribs look fantastic, but so does the entire spread!

I believe that you work in a Pork Processing Plant. I was wondering if you could help me with a problem I have with the Pork Ribs that are generally seen for sale in the meat markets/at least here in the States. They are the 'cut off ribs/Saint Louis Style' where the bottom has been sawed off. They also sell the same cut but as 'Extra Meaty' which to my mind means that they left the meat side of the bacon on and did something else with what remained.

Why do the processors cut off the bottom of the ribs? If you look at the picture from my today's cook I've outlined where they basically cut the ribs that I find in the stores and only the top portion is sold:



As far as I'm concerned that's the best part of the rib. They are meaty and when cooked properly they are tender and delicious.

Any thoughts on this would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for considering my friend. :

Yes I am in pig deconstruction Roy and get my pork products at a very good discount.
The St Louis cut is basically a marketing ploy to make side ribs look like back ribs.
We cut the extra curve off the sides and remove the second meat cap on purpose to visually make the side look more palatable. They are easier to serve and handle since they are narrower. But st home?? Who cares. Buy a full side and they may not look as pretty as back ribs but they taste the same. IMO.
From wiki
St. Louis-style spare ribs are cut in a particular way with the sternum bone, cartilage and rib tips removed so that a well-formed, rectangular-shaped rack is created for presentation. This cut of ribs, formalized by the USDA as "Pork Ribs, St. Louis Style," allegedly originated with numerous meat-packing plants located in the region in the mid 20th century and put into the policy by a diehard fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.
Cheers.

"Pig Deconstruction"

Thanks for the info--May the Smoke Be With You---

Gentlemen-I will take a half rack of each of your excellent-looking ribs! Roy, I was at WalFart today checking out those $2.98/pound choice grade briskets too. I almost took home a 13-pounder, but I need to wait until I have more family home than right now.

As for the different cuts of pork ribs, I don't work in "Pig deconstruction" (though I did work my way through college at a nearby Stouffer Foods plant, at least part of the time in the meat room). Anyway, I used to cook the full-sized spare ribs, though I had trouble fitting them on my 22" Akorn kamado, and they would get done unevenly between the long flaps of meat and the thicker meat near the center. I switched to St. Louis cut because, marketing ploy or not, I could get 3 racks on my rib rack on my Akorn, and I had no complaints taste-wise!

I am now cooking baby backs, as they are thick and delicious, and again, they fit on my Akorn.

Oh, and we like falling off the bone here.

Many years ago I worked in pig deconstruction.

I was in the sanitation area and worked directly with the USDA.

I had to convince them that the plant was ready every morning!

What would you tell someone when asked what your job was.

I have thought of this many times over the years.

The head table had many functions but one of them was to remove the snout.

An air cylinder with two prongs and a foot pedal.

A good job that paid the bills and necessary to do for most people that don't want to think of such things.

But when you met another parent at a PTA meeting and they ask you what you do for a living how would you answer that?