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Smoking Pork Ribs for Great Flavor /
How to Smoke Pork Ribs- Piggy Ribs
Have you talked to your ribs about smoking?
Modern cooking can be so sterile with microwaves and and electric ovens, but when we smoke meat, we connect to the past. We smoke meat today for enhanced flavor and tenderness, but the same technique was used in earlier times to preserve meat, such as in smoke houses. Smoking ribs will always produce a superior product. How many microwave rib cook-offs have you heard of? Exactly.
Believe it or not, when we smoke properly and get that sought-after smoke ring, we are witnessing the same chemical reaction as in acid rain. Nitrogen Dioxide from the smoking wood combines with water (moisture) and pigments in the meat to form that pink color that says, 'Dive in.' Acid and trees? Disaster. Acid and ribs? Great food.
Get barbecue wood, chips, and smoker boxes here.
I'll use a water pan for smoking pork ribs
Notice I said moisture in the meat. Do not believe what some say about a water pan adding moisture to meat. The water acts more as a heat baffle or thermal mass, and sand or fire bricks are way better for that. Water can be a rogue element in your smoker: it's a hassle to replenish it, it can produce a sooty acid rain onto your ribs (from condensation), and worse, it can contribute to the formation of a nasty junk called creosote. We aren't saying it's impossible to overcook or dry out your ribs, but if you think you can find a way to always add the right amount of HOT water without losing your heat in your smoker AND avoid condensation problems, you're welcome to try. to top
Creosote is an oily, gooey, greasy mess that can form on your meat and smoker's inside. It will kill good meat every time. Moisture and incomplete combustion caused by varying factors leads to creosote condensing out of the smoke when smoking pork ribs. You may have heard that creosote in chimneys comes from burning wood with too much pitch, like pine. Pitch is not the factor; it's the moisture in the pitch, and the temperature of the surfaces where the moisture and combustion gasses go.
Control these factors when smoking pork ribs, and you can avoid creosote: 1) combustion 2) moisture 3) ventilation
Causes of creosote:
Combustion Factors:
-green, wet, unseasoned wood
-a smoldering fire with few coals
-adding too much cold fuel on low fire
-too much wood added to few coals
Moisture Factors:
-green, wet, unseasoned wood
-too much cold meat, cools smoke
-cold outside temps
-water pans
-cold water to water pans
Ventilation Factors:
-low oxygen - choking fire
-fire temp too low for swift exhaust
-no exhaust vents
-poor air circulation (time to condense)
-controlling temp too much with exhaust instead of intake
Smoking Ribs articles-
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Smoking Pork Ribs
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