4th of July suggestions

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albert43

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 28, 2013
18
10
Southern California
Hey everyone! I need suggestions. I wanna do some grilling/smoking on the 4th that will have everyone wanting more. I'm a noob so I need easy recipes. I'm ready to hear suggestions and get some schooling on this subject. I'm using a 22.5 Weber Kettle.
 
Albert
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Do you have any idea what you want to smoke.If you are new to smoking or if this is a new grill. I would say start with chicken. It can handle temp swings better than most things. Reverse sear steaks are also great. Give us an idea of what your wanting to cook and we will do our best to make it turn out great.

Happy smoken.

David
 
Hey David, thanks for the response. I really want to make some ribs. I've made a rack before but it wasnt all that great. I guess my biggest problem was with the rub. Should I load the slab or be conservative with the rub? Another problem that I have is knowing how much charcoal to be using. I've tried the minion method by putting about 3/4 unlit (measured in weber chimney) and about 8 lit charcoal but that temperature never held steady(215-290deg). Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
Albert

You will need to use indirect heat. You can put the fire on one side and the ribs on the other side, You will have to control heat to get good results. You can add more charcoal every little bit to keep your temp where you want it. I would say 225 to 250 deg and you will be ok. I would use the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 method

Happy smoken.

David
 
Ribs Ribs Ribs. Our local store had some nice baby backs on sale. I picked up 2 racks, cause the wife is on vacation with our son and her side of the family. So it will be me and the dogs and  slow 2-2-1 baby backs. Happy 4th!!!
 
Hey everyone! I need suggestions. I wanna do some grilling/smoking on the 4th that will have everyone wanting more. I'm a noob so I need easy recipes. I'm ready to hear suggestions and get some schooling on this subject. I'm using a 22.5 Weber Kettle.
Others say ribs.  I say Huli Huli Chicken!  LOL  You marinade it in a soy concoction and then cook it on the kettle turning it over and over (huli huli = turn turn). They sell it on the side of the road in Hawaii.  I have driven to the other side of the Island to go to my favorite spot -- it's THAT good. I like to use thighs but I've seen half chickens used.

Marinade
  • 1/4 cup Soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Ketchup
  • 1/4 cup Dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Milk
  • 1/4 cup Pineapple Puree
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 inches Ginger root , minced to a paste
  • 2 tablespoons Rice wine vinegar
 
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You removed the dreaded silver skin, yes? I managed to incinerate a rack of ribs learning how NOT to do things. A month ago I finally took the plunge (minor plunge) and bought a "Smokenator 1000" which is essentially a baffle with a water reservoir -- works GREAT! No more campfire meals for me (ie black on the outside, raw in the middle)
 

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Great burgers: half chuck and half lamb (there's a Mid Eastern market that has EXCELLENT lamb nearby). Grind it yourself if you have to. The flavors together are out of this world, best burgers EVER. Add some bread crumbs, some Worchestershire sauce, a little kosher salt and gently mix with your fingertips. Then gently form patties. Build your fire to one side, since these things leak fat at a terrific rate. Drip pan territory. Messy, but they're worth it.
 
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Thanks guys! I'll give those a try. Today I'm going to practice on some ribs. I'm fired up the weber to hickory smoke half a rack of baby backs. I rubbed it with olive oil and a Memphis style rub. I put 30 unlit hardwood charcoal briquettes and 7 lit. I'm waiting to hit 225 to start smoking. I'm going to give the 2-2-1 method a try to see how that goes. I plan to wrap them with butter, brown sugar, and I'm going to add a bit of coca-cola. Should I add bbq sauce or not? Also since I'm using hardwood charcoal should I cut back on the hickory smoke?
 
Sounds like you have a plan.  I am more of a heavy smoke guy so I wouldn't cut back on the hickory.  Everything sounds good.  Indirect heat/smoke with a good foil sauce (I would suggest adding some butter to it though).  Check out Chef JimmyJ's recipe

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110881/foiling-juice-chef-jimmyj

It's terrific.  I use honey as the sugar but I bet brown sugar would be just as good.  2-2-1 is the perfect place to start and then tweak it accordingly.  Controlling the temp will be the biggest challenge.

I haven't smoked on a grill in a few years but one thing just hit me.....  If you can hold 225 then the 2-2-1 method is pretty close.  IMO, if you are more in the 250-275 range I would cut back the foil time to 1.5 hrs and then check them after the first 30 minutes during the last hour.

Add your bbq sauce when you unfoil them and return them to the grill to let them tighten up from the braising they get while in the foil - unless you added it to the foil juice then I would say just them tighten up and they should taste like your sauce.

Happy smoking and good luck.
 
 
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Thanks Jax. The temp has been holding steady a little higher than I had hoped. It's holding steady at 240. Should I stick to the 2-2-1 method or should I shorten my times? What should I be looking for?
 
Thanks Jax. The temp has been holding steady a little higher than I had hoped. It's holding steady at 240. Should I stick to the 2-2-1 method or should I shorten my times? What should I be looking for?

To me 240 is ideal for ribs....do the 2 hours...look em over....if the meat is starting to shrink away from the bone tips you're on your way. I would at least do the 1 hour in the foil with some apple juice or white grape juice. Check them with a toothpick when you unfoil them. If the toothpick slides in like butter they're done....you might just need 10 or 15 minutes to crisp them up at the end or they could need that whole last hour to get tender. Also if you pick up the rack with tongs and it bends real easy that means done.... Keep an eye on em that last hour. To me , that's when you can dry them out. Good luck!
 
To me 240 is ideal for ribs....do the 2 hours...look em over....if the meat is starting to shrink away from the bone tips you're on your way. I would at least do the 1 hour in the foil with some apple juice or white grape juice. Check them with a toothpick when you unfoil them. If the toothpick slides in like butter they're done....you might just need 10 or 15 minutes to crisp them up at the end or they could need that whole last hour to get tender. Also if you pick up the rack with tongs and it bends real easy that means done.... Keep an eye on em that last hour. To me , that's when you can dry them out. Good luck!

Sounds good. I'll be on the lookout. Another question I have is if I were to smoke 3-4 slabs on a rack, once I wrap them would I put them back on the rack or would I stack them? I don't think it makes sense to have all the juices on only one end of the slab.
 
If you can hold 240, I would smoke them for two hours.  The first "2" in 2-2-1.

Foil them for at least one hour.  I figure it will take closer to 1.5 hrs (the second "2" in the 2-2-1), but Hambone is right - they are ready to come out of the foil when a toothpick goes through the meat very easily.

Then take them out of the foil and put them back on the grill.  Sauce them, if you wish.  Seeing how you are doing a trial run, I would suggest not putting anything on them to see what your ribs taste like at this stage.  You can decide what flavors you want to add to them on the next smoke.

The third stage is the make or break part of the equation and where (like Hambone said) that most people dry their ribs out.  They are still cooking down deep next to the bone, but the rest of the meat is drying out and tightening up.  You need to find the point where they are cooked to your liking.  Mine are usually done somewhere between the .5 hr mark and that 1 hrs mark (the "1" in the 2-2-1 method)

Hope this helps.
 
They were pretty damn good! I'm sure I can step up the rub flavor because this one was a generic Memphis style rub but they were pretty tender and had a nice smoke ring. I regret not taking pictures, I was just too excited and hungry.
Since it was only one slab it was easy to wrap and set them on the grill. I'm wondering what to do if I have a few slabs going at once. Do I need to wrap them individually or should I wrap them together? Also since ill be using a rack due to space restrictions, if I do wrap them individually do I stack them or put them back on the rack? It just doesn't seem right to have them on their side with liquid in the foil.
 
My temp didn't drop below 225 and didn't go over 240. 30 unlit hardwood charcoal briquettes with 8 lit. I added 5 briquettes in the last hour just to be safe. I don't think I needed them though.
 
Glad to hear you had success!  As to the foiling part, I agree with Anylizer about foiling each rack individually.  I have not used a rack since I started foiling so hopefully someone else will chime in and give you some suggestions on that.  One thought is that since they are not taking on smoke during the foil stage, you may want to consider doing that part in the oven.  Then return them to the rack during the last stage.  I have done the second stage in oven (as heat is heat) when I was having to do more than one batch of ribs at a time in my smoker.
 
 
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