When I see a product I haven't seen before, I am a sucker for trying it. While in a good butcher shop in Penticton, BC, I saw Rufus Teague barbecue sauce. I couldn't resist buying a bottle of Whiskey Maple. I decided to try them on some basic spareribs in my usual method so I could see how the different sauce went.
I pulled the silverskin off a rack of ribs.
I used some Louisiana Grills Sweet Rib Rub on both sides of the ribs.
I put it in the pellet smoker at 230 F using apple pellets.
I sprayed the ribs with apple juice every hour or so.
Here I have to confess to stupidity. I like my ribs fall off the bone. She Who Must Be Obeyed likes them chew off the bone. We have compromised and bite off the bone. I find cooking to an internal temperature of 195 to 200 F before brushing with sauce gives me the sweet spot we both like.
This cook, I put my Blue Therm Duo probe in and cooked to 195 F. I always double check with my Thermapen in a couple of locations. This time, I didn't double check. I have no idea why, I was just stupid. With moving the ribs around, the probe had levered towards the surface. I didn't use my Thermapen until the end and the internal temperature was only 180 F. I could have cooked longer but the missus prefers ribs with more chew so I just went ahead and brushed the sauce on.
I smoked for 20 minutes and brushed with sauce again and gave it another 20 minutes in the smoker.
I pulled the ribs and cut them into sections.
The Verdict
She Who Must Be Obeyed said these were perfect. She loved the chewiness and said the sauce was excellent. I found the ribs were too chewy for my taste although they were cooked well and had a nice chew, I like them just a bit more tender. As for the sauce, I really like it. There wasn't so much maple that it overpowered but just had a nice undertaste you could note but still enjoyed the mild spiciness of the sauce. It also had a good acid balance for the sweetness. The spice level was not really hot but gave some tang. All around, this was a successful smoke despite my stupidity.
Disco
I pulled the silverskin off a rack of ribs.
I used some Louisiana Grills Sweet Rib Rub on both sides of the ribs.
I put it in the pellet smoker at 230 F using apple pellets.
I sprayed the ribs with apple juice every hour or so.
Here I have to confess to stupidity. I like my ribs fall off the bone. She Who Must Be Obeyed likes them chew off the bone. We have compromised and bite off the bone. I find cooking to an internal temperature of 195 to 200 F before brushing with sauce gives me the sweet spot we both like.
This cook, I put my Blue Therm Duo probe in and cooked to 195 F. I always double check with my Thermapen in a couple of locations. This time, I didn't double check. I have no idea why, I was just stupid. With moving the ribs around, the probe had levered towards the surface. I didn't use my Thermapen until the end and the internal temperature was only 180 F. I could have cooked longer but the missus prefers ribs with more chew so I just went ahead and brushed the sauce on.
I smoked for 20 minutes and brushed with sauce again and gave it another 20 minutes in the smoker.
I pulled the ribs and cut them into sections.
The Verdict
She Who Must Be Obeyed said these were perfect. She loved the chewiness and said the sauce was excellent. I found the ribs were too chewy for my taste although they were cooked well and had a nice chew, I like them just a bit more tender. As for the sauce, I really like it. There wasn't so much maple that it overpowered but just had a nice undertaste you could note but still enjoyed the mild spiciness of the sauce. It also had a good acid balance for the sweetness. The spice level was not really hot but gave some tang. All around, this was a successful smoke despite my stupidity.
Disco