A few more questions for the group

[bluejaybbq]

First and foremost, the new SmokinTex smoker arrived today :D, unfortunately my order for Bill's rub has not yet arrived :( . Until the rub gets here, I've got a $500 shiny boat anchor sitting on my deck.

A few random questions:

1. I read Bill's recipes he sent me when I ordered the rub. They look great, but he doesn't mention anything about his 3-2-1 method. Why do you think that is?

2. When you smoke a prime rib, do most of you also smoke it, or cook without the smoke? How does Bill's rub taste on the prime rib?

3. My first try at smoking will be Bill's spare rib recipe. Is there anyway of knowing when they are done other than when the meat tears away from the bone? Should I be using a remote thermometer on ribs and cook to acertain temp?

4. The consensus here seems to be to serve the BBQ sauce on the side. What are brands you've tried and can recommend? Has anyone ever tried Cookies BBQ sauce?

5. Is there a type of knife that is best for cutting the ribs, slicing the brisket, etc or will any old knife do?

Have a great weekend everyone, and Bill, send me that rub!!

[Buckeye]

First and foremost, the new SmokinTex smoker arrived today :D, unfortunately my order for Bill's rub has not yet arrived :( . Until the rub gets here, I've got a $500 shiny boat anchor sitting on my deck.

A few random questions:

1. I read Bill's recipes he sent me when I ordered the rub. They look great, but he doesn't mention anything about his 3-2-1 method. Why do you think that is?

2. When you smoke a prime rib, do most of you also smoke it, or cook without the smoke? How does Bill's rub taste on the prime rib?

3. My first try at smoking will be Bill's spare rib recipe. Is there anyway of knowing when they are done other than when the meat tears away from the bone? Should I be using a remote thermometer on ribs and cook to acertain temp?

4. The consensus here seems to be to serve the BBQ sauce on the side. What are brands you've tried and can recommend? Has anyone ever tried Cookies BBQ sauce?

5. Is there a type of knife that is best for cutting the ribs, slicing the brisket, etc or will any old knife do?

Have a great weekend everyone, and Bill, send me that rub!!



1) tha 3-2-1 iz a method fer when u do ribs. 3 hrs nekkid.....2hrs in tha foil....1 hr nekkid agin ta firm 'em up (add yer glaze or sauce tha last 30 min. or so)

2) never dun a prime rib...so I can't help ya there......but we smoked one at QFest II with Bills rub and that puppy came out righteous! :D

3) az fer tha ribs bein dun.......tha meat drawin up on tha bone iz a good indicator...but not alwaze meenin' they are dun. Dependin' on yer temp....they kin take from 5 1/2 hrs- 7 hrs. When I pick my spares up in tha middle an they start ta "break" (not fall apart dun)..... that's my indication. Cut off a bone an see how tha meat comes off tha bone......I like mine with a lil "tooth" to it...but the meat shood come off tha bone cleen.

4) sauce on tha side..... experimint with "doctoring" up other brands til you come up with sumthin you like.

5) jus make shur your nife iz sharp.....don't wunna tear tha meat. A 10"-12" Granton edge shood be good enuff fer slicin briskits.

[Mac]

A good sharp, heavy duty Chinese cleaver also works very well for what you want to do! :wink:

[Woodman]

Prime rib with smoke and TexasBBQRub are awsome. I ate the ones at Q-fest, and have done one that way at home. As for the knives. Get a 12 " Granton edge slicer for brisket, a good set of cleavers for pork, and a 12" Cimitar for ribs. Forshner or Messermeier are good , cost effective models. The Knife merchant.

[TB]

I love Bill's rub, but if I'm out, I mix my own or use Tony Chatchery's cajun seasoning. Google BBQ rubs or search here for rub ideas.

Prime rib is great with or without smoke. I cook at higher temps (325) to get the end cuts more done than the middle for folks at my house who like overcooked meat. :roll: Above 300F I use rubs without sugar. But slow and low is fine for prime rib also.

[danj217]

regarding the knives, i bought a 12" graton slicer made by forschner through a web site texas law recommended, cutleryandmore.com It turned out to be one of the places where i found it the cheapest and got the knife right away. I cooked a brisket for new years and put that puppy to work. It's the best I've used. Also used it for some ribs. I love it.

[david brace]

A good sharp, heavy duty Chinese cleaver also works very well for what you want to do! :wink:
I agree with Mac...I use my cleaver for practically everything from prep work to heavy cutting of thicker meats and chicken parts (but not for slicin)

DB

[gordo]

bluejaybbq- for me the secret to when ribs are done is by watching the bones, watch how much the meat pulls back, gently twist the bone to check how lose it is from the meat, if you pick up the rack and the bone at each end looks like they are gona fall out- the rack is done in my book...
as for the knife for slicing brisket and ribs, my choice is electric, you will get clean cuts every time, very important if you happen to cook it till its too
tender or over cooked a bit....cant help much with the prime rib, but the one at qfest was outstanding!... Good luck with your new smoker, go have some fun with it!!...
gordo

[herper]

the prime rib with Bills rub at Qfest ll was ok I guess. :D :D :P :P :P definetaly better with smoke. for side sauces I tried some recipes till I found close to what I wanted then tweaked them to taste. then started to do my own recipes
Herper

[Michiana Mark]

I bought a 14 in granton edge Forschner for brisket. It's a little big but it works great. For ribs I use my ( ok Woodman I can hear you laughing) 6 in. curved stiff boner, also a Forschner. All from www.cutleryandmore.com. Great prices, fast service.
Prime rib with smoke and Bill's rub, excellent.

[Woodman]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Big Mike]

Hey Bluejay,

With the smoker temp at 225, it would usually take about 5 1/2 to 6 hours for my spares to get done in my Smokin Tex.

Since the ST is sealed up fairly tight the humidity level inside is higher than a traditional pit. Because of this you may want to try cooking without the foil. Or, do some with and some without foil to see how each turns out. I never used foil so I don't know how much of a difference it will make.

I would only use about 4oz of wood in the wood box for your first smoke. It really does not take much in the ST. I don't know how much of a smoke flavor you like, but 4oz is a good starting point and you can adjust up or down from there. I would use 4-5oz of Hickory if I was doing two or three racks of ribs or one butt. If I was doing two butts or more, I would use 8oz of Hickory.

I don't sauce my ribs either. I do put a lite glaze of sauce on them for about the last 45 minutes of the cook. Sweet Baby Rays works well for this. It is a sweet sauce but works very well as a glaze. I use the Original, not the hickory or honey. It also works well with the rub mentioned above.

One tip for you, line the bottom of the smoker with foil and then poke a hole in it where the drain hole is. Also, cover the lid of the wood box with foil. This will make cleanup a lot easier.

I hope some of this helps.


Mike

[TexLaw]

You got plenty of good advice there, BlueJay. I've done a number of rib roasts, prime and otherwise, and they've always turned out very good. I rub them up with a little oil, salt, pepper, garlic, herbs (often some dill), and whatever else tickles my fancy. I rubbed a couple with Bill's rub for New Year's Eve, and they came out as good as the one we did at QFest (and you've heard about that one!)

For slicing briskets, a granton slicer beats anything short of an electric knife. For cutting ribs, you want a sharp knife that is large enough to make a clean cut. Woody's recommendation of a cimitar is a good one, as is Mark's recommendation for the boner (can't help it - :lol: ), but you may already have something that works. If you don't, the boner will give you a bit more finesse and control, but the cimitar will give you more power. Find a place where you can get one of each in your hands (can't help it again - :lol: ), and see which is more comfortable.


TL