I must have angered the BBQ gods!! -HELP!

[Chiles]

After taking a several month break, I fired up my Old Hickory this weekend for a group of about 30 people at my house. I told everyone that I was experimenting with different rubs and sauces. This was purely a practice run.

Chicken - Using Jumpin Jim's method, I nailed it. Crispy skin theighs with Head Country sauce. Nice and juicy, mild smoky flavor. Cooked at 300 degrees with white oak and a little hickory.

Briskette - Pretty good - Cooked for 7 hours at 225 until it reached 200, foiled with a little apple juice and then let rest for a few hours in a Cambro's before slicing. Used Head Country rub.

Pulled Pork - Very good, super tender. Cooked for 12 hours at 225 over white oak and hickory. Two butts were rubbed with Head Country, two were rubbed with Dizzy Pigs course grind. Once they hit 195 I foiled them with a little apple juice and held them in the Cambro's until they were ready to serve.

Ribs - The worst I have ever made. 9 racks of baby backs that were rubbed with mustard and award winning Magic dust. Cooked at three hours over white oak and hickory. Then coated them with Sweet Baby Ray's and foiled them in a pre-heated cooler for two hours. An hour before serving, I pulled them out of the foil and back on the smoker at 300 to let the sauce firm up and added a few extra layers of sauce. I would not serve the ribs and threw away 5 rack.

The ribs never started pulling from the bone (had to chew the meat off) and were starting to get dry. Here is the worst part.... While the initial taste was fine but then there was a really bad after taste. It was a kind of clackity filmy after taste that lingered and even made my mixed drink taste funny. I can almost still taste it.

What could cause a taste like this when nothing else had it? Too much smoke? The wrong combination of two award winning products?

Help!!

 

[big dude]

Don't think you cooked long enough, especially if you were running at 225*. For BB's, I run 250-275, smoke for 2 1/2 hours, foil for one 1 hour (still on smoker), then glaze and cook to right doneness for last 1/2 - 1 hr (depends on smoker temp, meat, etc). So that's 4-4 1/2 hours all at 250-275 and I've had some that took yet another hour.

 

[Chiles]

That would certainly address the dryness and not pulling off the bone. I'm thinking higher heat as well. That's why I cook the chicken at 300 because it stays more moist and obsorbs less smoke. To me, too much smoke on chicken is not good.

So what about that lingering aftertaste?

 

[Bruce B]

You might want to look at the rub. From what I've seen there are mixed reviews on the Magic Dust rub recipe that is widely available, it is not the same one used in Mike Mill's restaurants. Second thought would be how much rub did you use; heavy, light, etc.

Just a guess, but that's where I would start.

 

[Chiles]

I bought the rub from Mike Mills himself. I met mike a few years ago and see him every year at the Big Apple BBQ. Last year I bought his Old Hickory smoker that he was doing a demo with at the festival.

I did put on an even coat, but no more then I have with Head Country. Maybe a good rub in the hands of a novice is not a good thing.

Whats your opinion on the cooking temp and time?

 

[Hillbilly1]

Smoke em at 250*, 2 hours, foil fer 1 ta 1 1/2 then sauce an cook fer another 1/2 ta 1 hour or till they bend nicely when ya pick em up with tongs an the meat has pulled back a bit.

 

[Unity]

Smoke em at 250*, 2 hours, foil fer 1 ta 1 1/2 then sauce an cook fer another 1/2 ta 1 hour or till they bend nicely when ya pick em up with tongs an the meat has pulled back a bit.

Works for me.

I had a rack of spares a couple weeks ago that I cooked just like that -- and they were dry and tough compared to what I'm used to. After working that through my head for a while I ended up blaming the meat.

--John

 

[Bobberqer]

I bought the rub from Mike Mills himself. I met mike a few years ago and see him every year at the Big Apple BBQ. Last year I bought his Old Hickory smoker that he was doing a demo with at the festival.

I did put on an even coat, but no more then I have with Head Country. Maybe a good rub in the hands of a novice is not a good thing.

Whats your opinion on the cooking temp and time?

Chiles who????lol you coming to town this year.. i'll bring more hats a t shirts for the crew

 

[Hillbilly1]

Sometimes ya just get a tough rib. Ain't nothin ya can do fer them cept feed em ta the dog. Had a batch once took him two days ta knaw up!

 

[Chiles]

Yeah, but 9 racks of tough ribs??? Its the funny taste that I am trying to figure out what when wrong.... I can work on the dryness and toughness. This is killing me.

 

[Cliff H.]

Your smoker is gas fired right ?

Are you burning a good flame color ?

 

[john pen]

My BB's usually go 4 to 5 hours (no foil...personal choice) in the wsm, 220 to 250 degrees. Mopped and flipped around every half hour or so depending on the amnt of alcohol involved..

 

[Chiles]

Yes, the Old Hickory is gas assisted.

The pulled pork, Chicken and briskett all came off perfect. I really think they ribs got too much smoke. I remember putting two big fresh pieces of hickory (which has been sitting for a while) on top of a big piece of white oak.

My gas flame blows right on the wood box to create smoke and once lit, the gas only comes on when it drops below temp. It self regulats and damn well should for what these things cost.

I had folks tell me that the pulled pork and chicken were with out a doubt some of the best they ever had that day. Its hard to believe that the Ribs turned out the way they did and they came off the same smoker. But, I put on the ribs after I pulled off the briskett and butts.

Does too much smoke on ribs leave a filmy taste in your pallett?

 

[Unity]

No idea, Chiles. I hope your description is the closest I ever come to it.

--John

 

[bigwheel]

"Sweet Baby Ray's."

There ya went and answered your own question. That stuff would flat gag a gut wagon maggot. Try Texas Rib Ranger Spicy in combo with a little Orange Blossom honey as a glaze. Just glaze once or you will kill out your other spices. Make sure they are done by trying to tear the meat between two adjacent bones in the middle of the and don't never sauce em up and put in the box. Atfer they are done put them in there then drag em back out and hit em with the sauce the last 15 mis or so. Make sure to cook em meat side down the entire time without jacking with em. Thats all I know. Hope this helps. Apologies for being redundant but I have tole this story about a hundred times. I guess nobody ever listens.

bigwheel

 

[Chiles]

Well,
I'm gonna give that a try. I've cooked dozens of racks and never had this happen. I just know that I've got to get this right before my next KCBS (Que and Cruz) event.

I feel like a golfer that has lost his swing.

-Chiles
The humble one.

 

[bigwheel]

Should be just the ticket for KCBS. It gets them tender without getting them mushy. Now Texas folks likes em mushy as cooked in foil. Be sure to let them rest in the insulated container for at least an hour or two. Works of spares anyway. I dont cook ribs with curvy bones. After you get them cut for turn in hit em with a little mo rub on all sides.

bigwheel

 

[DJ]

I dry rub only, cook at 235-250* bout 4.1/2 hrs and never foil til I take em off and put in the warmer. Not a fan of wet saucing 'em anyway, but if I did, it would not be with SBRay's.
dj

 

[bigwheel]

Yeppers I bought a jug of SBR's once upon a time. Honey flavor I think. Musta been a heck of a sale on it. Anyway I could tell at first sample it was not fittin for man nor beastes so I stick it in the icebox. Planning to feed it to the yet future ex yankee Son in Law from PA. Wow..wouldn't you know he wouldn't eat it either? Now that has got to be some nasty stuff cuz he would normally eat the horns off a billy goat. Hung onto it for two years cuz I dont like to waste stuff...but finally throwed it in the trash.

bigwheel

 

[Captain Morgan]

while SBR is very popular, I can't stand the stuff..