How To Smoke A Rack Of Spare Ribs

Writen by Aaron Ralston

There are many different opinions and techniques for smoking a rack of ribs. The best way to find out what works for you is to practice and experiment with different available recipes, or new recipes you come up with. No matter what recipe or taste you are looking for, the key to turning a plain rack of ribs into a tender, juicy, perfectly smoked rack of ribs is "Low and Slow." This means low temperature (225-250 degrees F) and al long time (about 5 hours for a 5 lb rack).

When I prepare a rack of spare ribs for smoking, I usually prepare the ribs the night before I am going to smoke them to let the rub soak in to the meat. This will give the rub plenty of time to work. A rub is basically a blend of seasonings that is applied to meat before smoking. You do not have to use a rub, but I recommend it because it will add flavor to the meat. How much flavor depends on your rub recipe, but that is another story.

The rack of spare ribs referred to in these instructions weighed 5 pounds, and was smoked using indirect heat (225 F) for about 6 hours.

FRESHNESS

When I choose a rack of ribs for smoking, I make sure that the meat has not been previously frozen. Sometimes choices are limited, but fresh meat will have a better flavor, and it will be very tender when smoked correctly. If the ribs have been frozen, as most have, no biggie. Make sure your thaw them out in the refrigerator.

TRIMMING THE RIBS

When you purchase a rack of spare ribs, there will be a membrane located on the underside of the ribs. Most people have different opinions regarding removing the membrane or leaving it on. I remove the membrane with a sharp knife, or I have my butcher remove it for me. If you are new to removing the membrane, you may ask your butcher to remove it for you the first time, and maybe he or she will even show you how to remove it. You can also leave it on because if the ribs are cooked correctly, the membrane will pretty much dissolve while cooking.

If you choose to remove it, begin by trimming it away from the bone on one end of the ribs. You can either continue cutting it off, or if you get lucky, you can grab it with a pair of pliers, and pull the whole membrane off at one time.

When trimming the fat off of the ribs, make sure you leave a little. There will probably be an excess amount in some places. Just trim it down until it looks right to you. The fat will render, turning into oil, and it will help to keep the ribs moist.

SEASONING

Prepare your rack of ribs the night before you are going to smoke it, allowing 15 or so hours to let the rub soak in.

Coat the ribs with a thin layer of olive oil before applying the rub.

Season both sides of the ribs with your favorite dry rub. There are a few listed on thesmokerking.com. If you decide to make your own rub, remember, the goal is not to overpower the taste of the meat with seasonings, but to add to the flavor by correctly blending different seasonings together that will enhance the flavor of the meat.

Some people like to marinade their ribs, but I have had the best results with using a dry rub.

COOKING

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking them so they are closer to room temperature.

I smoke the ribs at a consistent temperature of 225 degrees F for about 1 hour per pound, but usually no more than 6 hours.

Place the ribs bone side up in the smoker. I use a rib mop sauce that has no or very little brown sugar, and no tomato products in it. These two ingredients will burn before the meat is done, and produce bad results. It is best to apply a finishing sauce or glaze towards the last 30-40 minutes of smoking.

A great mop sauce that I use is to mix 2/3 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/3 cup of olive oil in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle and spray the ribs down about every 45 minutes. The Apple Cider Vinegar will help tenderize the meat, and make the ribs a little sweeter.

When applying the finishing sauce, turn the ribs over so that the bone side is down, then apply the sauce. Do this during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

The ribs are done when the meat retracts and exposes the edge of the rib bones by about 1/2 inch or so, and basically each rib section will tear apart with ease. The internal meat temperature will be about 180 F when done. An instant read thermometer is a must have for checking the doneness of the meat.

After a while, you will develop a feel for doneness.

Using different types of wood will produce different smoke flavors in the meat. I usually use mesquite, apple, and charcoal. Too much mesquite can add a strong, smoky flavor to the ribs, so use it sparingly. Hickory and oak are also some of the commonly used woods for smoking ribs.

SERVING

Let the smoked rack of ribs rest for about 10 minutes before cut into it.

Cut down the middle of each strip of meat between each rib bone. Add your favorite sauce, and enjoy.

Aaron Ralston, also known as The Smoker King, is the owner of Outdoor Cooking: Barbeque, Sauces, Mops, Rubs at http://www.thesmokerking.com. Check out thesmokerking.com today to learn many great barbeque and cooking recipes and techniques.

Barbecue Secrets

Writen by Dan Gentoft

A tip for barbecuing

When you think about barbecue, what do you think of first? Which aspects of barbecue are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Here's a basic tip for barbecuing...

When cooking out with a gas grill it is seldom necessary to use the highest setting except when cooking with the lid up. Even then, with a good cooker, it is doubtful you will ever need to set it higher than medium.

I find that food cooked over medium heat with the lid down as much as possible during the cooking time is best. Cooking on the highest setting usually produces meat that is too dry.

The only exception to this rule is when cooking steaks. When cooking Porterhouse, Rib, or Sirloin I want the lid up and the heat high so that the flames from the gas lick the meat.

If your barbecue facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your actions and decisions? Make certain you don't let important barbecue information slip by you.

The drawback of using a gas grill is that it imparts absolutely no flavor to the meat. To achieve the barbecue taste you might want to try adding a bit of hickory flavoring or 'liquid smoke' to half of a cup of cooking oil directly on the meat just before it is ready to serve. The meat will flame and char, giving it that semblance of barbecue taste.

I also want flame-up because I like the flavor of a steak kissed by flame. Liquid Smoke is a product that is made by burning hickory chips and condensing the smoke into a liquid form. The liquid is then scrubbed and filtered to remove all impurities.

It's used to flavor meat poultry and seafood. Use sparingly as liquid smoke is very concentrated and a few drops can go a long way. You can buy it in most grocery stores in the Barbecue and steak sauce section.

For more ways to fake real barbecue taste when using a gas grill, and more specific tips, techniques, resources, and recipes, check out http://barbecue-secrets.blogspot.com.

As your knowledge about barbecue continues to grow, you will begin to see how barbecue fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

I want to give you some killer barbecue, more specific tips, techniques and recipes Dan Gentoft at: http://barbecue-secrets.blogspot.com/

Tips To Cooking Healthy Meals

Writen by Khieng Chho

Cooking a good nutritious meal does not have to result in torture for your taste buds. In fact, aside from it being pretty easy to prepare, adhering to experts' cooking tips and tricks can turn you into cook extraordinaire. All you have to do is know which types of food you should choose and find out how many meal varities you can make out of them.

Even your favorite cooking recipes can be modified to their healthier alternatives without compromising on taste and texture. Just figure out where to cut on calories and fat so it won't turn out a gourmet disaster.

Of course, cooking healthy food does not really ental having to start from scratch. Why, you can even use convenience store fare and transform them into semi-homemade masterpieces by just adding healthy pinches of ingredients here and there.

Healthy cooking also does not mean that everything has to be raw and involve only vegetables. Healthy means the meals carry a balance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, no matter how they are prepared. So whenever you think healthy cooking simply means chopping up a few things and tossing them together, you are wrong.

Keep Fat Low

To spare yourself from the so-called hidden fats, or fats that aren't easily visible, it's best to use reduced-fat dairy goods and lean meats for ingredients. The good dietary fats usually come from unrefined products, such as fish, olives, nuts, soy, avocado and seeds. Such kinds of fat also come with other necessary nutrients so it's okay to crazy with them.

When cooking, use a non-stick pan to minimise your oil usage. If you really need to use oil, use monosaturated oils applied with pastry brushes or cooking sprays so you don't go overboard. Also, if your recipe book requires you to brown some veggies, try dunking them into the pan first before spraying oil. This will help lessen the amount of fat absorbed by your ingredients.

Some heathy cooking experts recommend that you use subsitute liquids for oil, like water, stock, fruit juices, so you won't strip your ingredients of their vitamins and you won't run the risk of having excess fat. And if you're really serious about a healthy diet, use vinegars and salsas, instead of creams and butter, when you serve fish or meat dishes.

Should the Veggies Stay Raw?

This is a trikcy question. While there are schools of thought that say vitamins and minerals are best preserved when vegetables are served raw, there are some that also contend that certain nutrients only surface when they are cooked. For instance, the anti-cancer and anti-heart illness antioxidant called lycopene is present mostly in cooked tomatoes and ketchup.

When cooking vegetables, just make sure they don't stay boiling or frying too long to keep the minerals locked inside. Vegetables contain vitamins that are also soluble in water, it is not advised that you use too much of this liquid.

As with anything else in this world, things work when done in moderation. The secret the healthy cooking is knowing what you want to take out and what you want to preserve. It doesn't really take rocket science to learn all these, but it does require some amount of research and patience. After all, your body is your temple. You must love it by giving it a delicious and healthy reward.

Khieng 'Ken' Chho is author and owner of Online Cooking Resources. For related articles and other resources, visit Ken's website: http://cooking.onew3b.net