The Perfect Rib (For a Day at Least...)

This past weekend, Three Dogs BBQ packed up the road show and drove up to Rochester, NY to take part in the festivities at the Roc City Ribfest.  There are two days of competitions at this festival.  On Saturday, the World Bacon Championship, a sanctioned NEBS grilling competition, and the Roc City Rib Cookoff, a non-sanctioned charity rib cook off, were held at the Genessee Valley Park.  All 86 professional teams are entered into the rib contest and we were joined by 30 backyard teams, 116 total teams, to determine the best rib in Rochester.  The rules and scoring system is KCBS, but the event is non-sanctioned.

Each backyard team pays $40 to enter and the public can pay to judge for $20.  All of the money raised for the rib cook off is donated to two charitable foundations in the Rochester area: Rochester Childrens Hospital and The Ronald McDonald House.

If you follow this blog, you know that ribs have been our nemesis over the years.  But, over the winter, we have put a lot of time into improving our rib scores.  Our prior entries have scored us a 74th and a 47th place.  So, this was our first try with the revamped recipe.  The only thing we did differently was we cooked our ribs 30 minutes more in foil than usual.  Other than that, the recipe was the same that has been posted here.  Why longer in foil?  I was told that for public judging, the judges prefer a rib with fall off the bone meat.  Remember, KCBS judges want their ribs bite through with a little tug. So, that is what we did.

Here was our entry.

Nice color.  Good shine.  How were they?  Well, I give you the perfect rib.  It wasn't a perfect 180.  We scored a 176.5716.  But, on this day, with these judges, at this event, it was good enough to be be perfect.  We are very happy and proud to say the Three Dogs BBQ are the Roc City Ribfest Rib Cook Off Grand Champions.

It is nice to know that hard work, tips from your friends (Chilebrown and Hutch, you have a little bit of this trophy), and patience can pay off in the long run.

Congrats to the Reserve Grand Champions, Shortsville Smokers.  You guys are a class act and fun to be around.  Also, the Rochester Childrens Hospital and Ronald McDonald House are winners as well.  As has been tradition in the past, the winning teams donated back their prize money for these great causes.  Finally, congrats to all of the participants of the Roc City Rib Cook Off.  We will see all of you next year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Still Looking for that Perfect Rib

If you have been reading this blog, you know that we have had issues with our rib scores over the years.  Our baseline experiment to improve those scores was to cook for six hours, without any foil, to see how tender the meat on the bone was.  I was close, but not 100% there.  So for this cook, I cooked ribs, unfoiled, for seven hours at a lower heat of 225 F to see how they turned out.  Here is what we found.

First, we took some St. Louis spares, rubbed both sides with mustard, and sprinkled our rub/sugar mix liberally on both sides of the rack.  Then, I let them come to room temperature on the counter while I brought the smoker to a temperature of 225 F.

Once the smoker reached 225 F, I placed both racks on the top shelf in the middle.  For smoke flavor, I placed a mixture of apple, hickory, and pecan into the ash pan. Then I shut the door and walked away.  After three hours or so, I rotated the racks left to right for even cooking.  Does it really help?  Who knows, but it makes me feel useful during the down time.

At the six hour mark, I brushed on a thin layer of my BBQ sauce.  Then, after 30 minutes, I touched up my sauce with another thin application.  At the seven hour mark I brought the racks inside to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Look at that shiny glaze?  Almost too beautiful to slice.  Well, taste is a component, so we sliced and dug in to try.

As you can see, more often than not I seem to get my ribs from pigs with bad posture or curvature of the spine.  Very bad for a turn in box.  As for the tenderness, I would say that after seven hours, these bones were just a bit over done.  They were right on the line of being fall off the bone.  So, I would have to say that after six and a half hours at 225 F on a smoker, you will produce a rib that is acceptable to a KCBS judge for tenderness.  Stay tuned for another method that just might be better.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

I've Got a Bone to Pick with You...

As a matter of fact, I have a few dozen bones to pick with you.  Time for some rib practice for the upcoming season.

As you can see, we picked up some beautiful looking St. Louis spares from our butcher, Dave's Country Meats in Valencia, PA.  We trimmed them up nicely and started with seasoning.

First, we slathered some yellow mustard on the front and back, then rubbed both sides with 1 cup of Oakridge Secret Weapon Chicken and Pork rub and 1/2 cup of turbinado sugar.  Then, we allowed the racks to sit and come up to room temperature while we brought the smoker up to 225 F.

Ribs are our nemesis.  They kept us from at least a top ten at Oinktoberfest last September.  Most of the time, it is a combination of taste and tenderness.  One, they are not sweet enough.  Two, we have tenderness problems.  So, for this cook, I wanted to see how long it would take to get the ribs cooked without foiling.  I decided on a six hour cook time.  So, when the smoker was up to temperature, I put a mix of pecan, apple, and hickory in the ash pan, placed the ribs on the top rack of the smoker, and walked away.  After two hours, I added more wood.  After three hours, I rotated the ribs in the smoker.  Then, after five hours, I started my glazing:

1 cup of Blues Hog Regular

1/2 cup of honey

4 Tbsp of Blues Hog Tennessee Red

After the first application of sauce sat for 30 minutes in the smoker, I added a second coat and let the ribs go for 30 more minutes.  Then, I pulled them and let them rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Chilebrown, does the knife look familiar?  Great call.  I love it.  But, I digress...

Here they were after slicing.

Nice, bite on the meat.

The flavor was there, but I do need to add a bit more sweet.  As for the tenderness, the ribs were good, but had just a bit too much tug.  Next time, I am going to cook for seven hours and see how they turn out.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

The Never Ending Quest for the Perfect Rib

While we seem to have figured out our pork recipe for competition, ribs have been a nemesis as well this year.  So, off the the R&D labs to search for some improvement.

First, I took some spares, removed the membrane from the back, slathered in yellow mustard, and applied an even coating of Oakridge BBQ Secret Weapon Pork and Chicken rub.

Due to my friend Mark's suggestion, I am now going to cook my spares on this handy rack from now on (more on why later).

I then lit our Stretch and brought to a temperature of 250 F.  I then added apple, hickory, and pecan to the ash pan for some flavor.  Then, the ribs went on the smoker.  Here is a picture after an hour on the counter.  I let them sit out to come up to room temperature and to give the rub to make a nice coating on the rib.

I cooked for three hours, then placed the racks in a large foil pan.  Our cooling racks fit perfectly.  Then a added a mix of 1 cup peach preserves and 1 cup of apple juice to the top of the ribs and evenly distributed.  Then, I placed foil on the top and put back in the smoker for one hour.  Here is how they looked after that hour.

I then added our Blues Hog rib sauce and placed back into the smoker for one more hour.  Here the ribs are after saucing and before placing on the smoker.  I am loving that red color.

Here is the final product.

With the higher temperature (we were cooking at 235), we are now getting a product that is more tender.  Maybe even boarder line "too tender" for KCBS judges.  We will probably go back to 45 minutes in foil.  As for the taste, it was good, but I did not care for the peach preserve taste.  We will be moving back to our Tiger Sauce recipe.  Cross your fingers and wish us luck.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

The Never Ending Quest for the Perfect Rib

Personally, I have never made what I consider to be a perfect rib.  Thinking back, I don't think I have ever had one.  I have had close, but never 100% spot on greatness.  For our KCBS rib entries this year, we started out with something a bit on the spicy side.  We paid for that choice in Rochester this past May.  Everyone says, judges like sweet, sweet, sweet.  Did I mention sweet?  So, it was back to the test labs to fine tune the recipe.

First, I picked up some spare ribs from my butcher, pulled off the membrane from the back, and seasoned front and back with Oakridge Secret Weapon Pork and Chicken Rub.  This is a switch from their Beef and Pork Rub.  While I like the Beef and Pork version, it leaves a tingle on the lips and tongue that judges are not used to receiving in competition.

I then placed the ribs on a 235 F smoker with apple, hickory, and pecan in the ash pan and cooked for three hours.  The rib tips were just seasoned with granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper and cooked for some tasters.

After 1.5 hours, I spritzed the racks with a mix of apple juice and molasses.  What was the ratio?  I placed 1/4 cup of molasses in a 1 liter spray bottle then filled to the top mark with apple juice.

Rib tips all ready for the freezer.  These are destined for a pot of beans or collard greens!

I foiled the ribs after three hours with a healthy spritz of the juice and molasses mixture and about 1/8 cup of Franks Sweet Chili sauce.  The ribs were in foil for 1 and a half hours.  Then, I pulled the racks out of the foil and applied a dusting of rub and a thin glaze of sauce.  What did I use for a sauce?  1 cup of Blues Hog regular, 4 Tbsp of Blues Hog Tennessee Red, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of apple juice and 2 Tbsp of turbinado sugar.  After 30 minutes, I reglazed with a very small amount of sauce.  After 30 more minutes I pulled and let the ribs sit for 15 minutes before slicing.

How were they?  So sweet that my teeth hurt.  I had two, Hope had one.  But, everyone else sucked them down.  We were down the clean bones in 15 minutes flat.

Overall, I think they were way too sweet.  Even for a judge.  But, remember, a Trigg style rib sits in squeeze butter and brown sugar to make them candied.  That being said, for our next competition, we will be using the above recipe, minus the 2 Tbsp of turbinado sugar in the sauce.  One final note, the apple juice/molasses mix helped to make a nice, deep colored bark without an overpowering molasses flavor.

More on how we scored with the new recipe later in the week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Mini Texas BBQ Tour

A few weeks ago, I was in Texas on business.  My first stop was Austin and my second stop was Cleburne, just west of Dallas-Ft. Worth.  As to be expected, I took the opportunity to sample the local BBQ.

In Austin, I asked for good Que close to my hotel since it was a long day of traveling.  It was recommended by my customer to visit Vic's BBQ about a mile from my hotel.

Vic's is a little joint nestled in a small strip mall next to a convenience store.  A bit run down looking, but aren't those the best spots?  Upon walking in, you are directed to the counter situated right next to the menu.

After scanning the menu and the meat, I settled on the Three Meat combo with two sides.

Since I was in Texas, I had to try the hot links and brisket, and I chose some pork spare ribs for my third meat.  Unfortunately, beef rib night is on Thursday.  My sides were jalapeno pintos and cole slaw.  The whole platter was served with the two customary slices of squishy white bread.

How was everything.  Well, lets start with the good.  The brisket and rib meat was cooked to a perfect tenderness.  The hot link had a nice snappy skin and the cole slaw was fresh and not limp.  The beans were tender as well and the bread was fresh not stale.  Unfortunately, this plate was devoid of flavor.  Where were the jalapenos in the beans?  Where was the rub on the brisket and ribs?  Where was the spicy goodness in the hot links?  Where was the vinegar in the cole slaw?  Everything was tasteless.  Even the sauce couldn't save the taste buds on this plate.  To sum it all up, the whole plate was a perfectly cooked ode to blandness.  If you like tender meat, Vic's is for you.  If you want some spice and taste, go elsewhere.

Bottom line, Vic's BBQ gets a C.  It may have been a bad day for the spice and the perfectly tender meats saved this visit.

The next day as I was driving though Cleburne, I found this little joint, Buffalo Creek BBQ.

After the experience at Vic's the day before, I was not planning on BBQ.  I was going to go Mexican.  But, I was hungry, I couldn't find Mexican, and this place just appeared out of no where.  So, I parked and in I went.

The place is run by 5 little old ladies with an average age of around 65.  I was a bit hesitant, but I was already there and the gentleman in front of me had just picked up a pound of BBQ Bologna.  The place couldn't be all that bad.  Right?  So, I scanned the meats and made my choices.

I went again with the Three Meat combo with two sides.

I had the hot links, brisket, and smoked turkey with the spicy sauce and for sides I had the pintos and cornbread salad.  How was it?  Pure heaven.

Again, the meat was cooked to the perfect tenderness.  But, this stuff had flavor.  The hot links were bursting with garlic and spice.  The brisket was fork tender and seasoned to perfection with just the right amount of heat.  The turkey was the biggest surprise.  It was brined perfectly with a slightly sweet and spicy rub.  The hickory smoke was just right.  The beans were tender and had a nice level of spice that left the lips tingling and begging for more.  I had never had Cornbread Salad before, but it was wonderful.  The best I can tell it is day old sweet cornbread that is coarsely crumbled.  To it, they added smoked bacon cooked crisp, finely diced green pepper and onion, and just enough mayo to hold it all together.  I will be trying to make this at home.

Overall, A+!  The best BBQ I have ever had that was not from a competition.  I wish they were within driving distance.  If you are ever in Cleburne, Buffalo Creek BBQ is a must add to your bucket list.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Penguin Ribs

Before you get all bent out of shape, no, we did not buy penguins from some black market, back street, exotic butcher that deals in spotted owl as well.  We just made a few racks of spares for our last practice and gobbled them up while watching a Penguin playoff game.  What goes better than ribs, beer, and playoff hockey?

Were were trying some different rub and sauce combinations.  We couldn't make a choice before, so this was sort of like a single elimination contest between our top four combinations.  What were the combinations?

1.  Oakridge Pork and Chicken rub, Franks Sweet Chili during foil time, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

2.  Oakridge Pork and Chicken rub, standard foiling technique, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

3.  Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, Franks Sweet Chili during foil time, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

4.  Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, standard foiling technique, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

I know, doesn't sound like a lot of variation, but there was.  The Oakridge Beef and Pork rub has an extra kick of heat that the Pork and Chicken rub does not.  Also, the Franks Sweet Chili sauce adds a nice level of sweet to the ribs, along with a nice chili flavor.

Trimming up the racks...

Rubbing my racks...

Just about ready for the smoker...

Gotta love that red color...

A little ribbon of Franks before the foil...

Finished product...

We cooked these spares at 235 F with apple, hickory, and pecan.  Three hours on the rack, one hour in foil, and one hour back on the rack with sauce for glazing.  Which combo won you ask?  Well, it was #3: Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, Franks Sweet Chili during the foil, Blues Hog sauce combo.  The very slight bite from the rub is balanced perfectly by the sweet from the Franks and Blues Hog sauce.  All throughout you get the undertone of chili that comes from the Franks as well.  A winner for sure.

Oh, who won the Penguin game?

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

KCBS Rib Practice

In our never ending quest to improve our scores, we tried some new techniques for our spare ribs.  What did we do this time?

1.  Used Dukes Dirt rub.
2.  Spray with apple juice after two hours on the cooker.
2.  Foiled after 3 hours in two ways:  One with just apple juice.  One with apple juice and Franks Sweet Chili Pepper sauce.
3.  A modified 3-2-1 method.  It was more of a 3-1-1 method.  We have found that 2 hours in foil overcooks the ribs.
4.  Lower cook temperature of 235 F.
5.  1 cup of Sweet Baby Rays mixed with 1/4 cup of honey for our glaze.

Here are the results:

Here they are after 3 hours, just before the foil.  I love the nice red color that the Dukes Dirt gives to the ribs...

Franks Sweet Chili sauce on the foil...

Placed meat side down and sprayed with apple juice...

Wrapped and ready for the cooker...

Back on the cooker for 1 hour...

Out of the foil and ready for glaze...

All glazed up.  I applied the glaze and put back on the cooker for one hour...

Bottom line review?  It was a dead heat.  Half of the taste testers loved the ones without the Franks Sweet Chili sauce.  Half loved the ones without.  Hope and I couldn't make our minds up either.  This will require more testing before the season starts to pick our recipe for 2013.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill