That's right... Fred Flintstone Beef Ribs!
Industrial man --a sentient reciprocating engine having a fluctuating output, coupled to an iron wheel revolving with uniform velocity. And then we wonder why this should be the golden age of revolution and mental derangement. -- Aldous Huxley
We live in a digital age, but the earth and humanity are analog, with our diurnal rhythms, ebbing and flowing and our refusal to conform to theoretical models.
Smoking meat, like most things in life has a science, but the process can only be perfected by art, that maddeningly unquantifiable pinnacle of human accomplishment.
The biggest mistake is taking them off too early. Don't do that.
The charts will give you temperatures. The charts will give you times. But only a human being using subjective stimuli and atavistic judgment can tell when the ribs are done.
Basic BBQ Rub from The Big Green Egg Cookbook:
3 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sage (the book says cloves, but I don't like them)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Combine all ingredients and mix well
How to prepare the ribs:
* Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs and discard
* Brine them for 12-24 hours in a mixture flavored with the BBQ rub or seasoning of your choice
* Rinse them after brining to get all the salt water off, then apply the rub
* I smoke 'em at around 200 degrees, usually 5 hours or more. Pecan, Oak, Apple and Cherry are all good woods to smoke these with
* Take 'em off, eat 'em, maybe with some corn on the cob (cooked on the grill still in the husk for 15 minutes after soaking them in water), and wash 'em down with a good microbrew of your choice.
Basic BBQ Rub from The Big Green Egg Cookbook:
3 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sage (the book says cloves, but I don't like them)
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Combine all ingredients and mix well
How to prepare the ribs:
* Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs and discard
* Brine them for 12-24 hours in a mixture flavored with the BBQ rub or seasoning of your choice
* Rinse them after brining to get all the salt water off, then apply the rub
* I smoke 'em at around 200 degrees, usually 5 hours or more. Pecan, Oak, Apple and Cherry are all good woods to smoke these with
* Take 'em off, eat 'em, maybe with some corn on the cob (cooked on the grill still in the husk for 15 minutes after soaking them in water), and wash 'em down with a good microbrew of your choice.
