I’m with you Mn.
If you DGAF about BBQ then the rest of this is going to be boring af. Hell it might be even if you’re into BBQ.
I’ve tried numerous national prize winning rubs/techniques, but when it comes to ribs I’ve found I can’t beat good ol’ dalmation rub, smoke, no sauce. So good.
I don’t do the 3/2/1 or 2/2/1...just 3-4 hours at 225-250 completely indirect heat...no wrapping with butcher paper...no foil. I’ve found when a toothpick slides through the meat between each bone like hot butter, they’re slightly overdone (by competition standards) but are exactly what most regular people want: “Meat falling off the bone ribs”
If you can figure out the toothpick feel of the stage *just* before the hot butter stage, you get the juicier bite with more “chew” that competition judges look for.
Also gotta look at how much the meat is receding from the bones. If the meat is receding and it’s not passing the toothpick test just remember some pigs (like people) are just tougher than others. So at that point you kinda have to cut bait or you end up with rib meat jerky.
A trick (like all this other stuff you probably already know) is if you cook some ribs to the “too tender” point, flip them upside down to cut them and it’ll be far cleaner looking than the other way.
As far as cooking today the loin cooked in about 2:45 and the duck in 3:15. I was kinda figuring 3:00 and 3:30. I got a wild hair and set up the smoker differently by opening the deflector plate nearest the fire box and then using drip pans full of hot water underneath the food at the far end.
I did this because:
1) I have found you smoke or grill poultry, the drippings burning off will make everything on the cooker taste like burnt poultry grease unless you use a drip pan.
2) I thought it would pull the heat and smoker up and over the food before it had to drop down on the left end to exit the chamber.
Even with the same size fire that normally produces 225f on the pit’s thermometer, it was reading 325-350. I realized it was because the heat was shooting straight at it due to the arrangement of the deflector plate.
However my probes were only reading 225-230 when laid on the grate above the water filled drip pans.
Ultimately they ended up cooking slightly faster than I expected based on my pre-cook readings. But I kinda figured this might happen because the water underneath them would get hotter and thus contribute to higher temps at the grate than what I was reading earlier.
Frankly I was glad it apparently cooked at a higher temp because it crisped the skin on the duck and perfectly caramelized the glaze I put on the loin.
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