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140° "hold" cycle on AmeriQue thoughts/question

chefjeffchefjeffMember
Greetings from Sherman Oaks, California. My new AmeriQue arrived a few days ago, and last night was my first cook. I did a dry rubbed, mustard coated rack of baby backs (cut into 2 half slabs), that dwelled in the fridge overnight after I had coated them. I smoked the 2 half slabs at 225° for 5 hours, and additionally I let the ribs remain when the hold cycle kicked in. I could have opened the door to let out a lot of the heat, and then shut the door when the temp dropped to 140°, but I didn't. So, I guess technically my ribs were still cooking for the almost hour they were in the hold cycle. This might have been a mistake, but I don't think a drastic one.
The ribs were quite good, easy to cut, and tasty. Not all of the fat melted and rendered out, which surprised me, so I guess I did not over-cook them.

I read so many techniques about wrapping ribs in foil to keep moisture in as well as tenderize, and I'd like to get some thoughts on an idea I am thinking of trying for my next baby back cook.

I was thinking of doing either an apple juice spritz or maybe a sauce coating, and then wrapping the ribs in foil after the 5 hours at 225°. Then I was thinking of using that hold cycle, but only after letting the heat until a 140° temp was achieved. Then I'd put the wrapped ribs back in, for a "to be determined" amount of time. My new booklet that came with the AmeriQue says that the hold cycle is used to further tenderize meat, and it also mentioned to let out some of the heat with the door open, before using this feature.

Any thoughts from "seasoned" smokers (sorry, I couldn't resist that line) will be welcomed, as my first cook yielded pretty darned good, but not perfect baby backs.

Thank you,
Jeff
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P pagsMember
Well. Since you're talking 5 hrs or more to cook them, I'm assuming you're talking about spare ribs vs loin backs, baby back ribs.

I've used foil occasionally to add flavoring with brown sugar, maple syrup, tiger sauce, etc with an hour left in the cook. I don't add the sauce or glaze till the end after removing the foil, then throw the ribs back into the smoker for 20 minutes to set the glaze. Lot of work, and I'm not sure the ribs are better...at least texture wise they're not. Still enjoy them this way on occasion.

95% of my ribs are done very simply...rub, straight cook without foil, sauce, and set. Many times I do them dry with rub only, sauce on the side. They turn out fantastic.

I'd recommend perfecting this technique first before experimenting and changing things up. It'll give you a base of learning to work with as well as some damn good ribs. It's fun to experiment, but when you're having a big party, you'll want a simple approach you can rely on and also allow you time to visit with friends.

When I first got my smoker, all I wanted to do was experiment and have fun. Very enjoyable but it probably set my base learning curve back a bit. Not to say anything about Tom and Smokin wondering if they'd ever get through to me. Big Grin

Enjoy that new smoker and welcome to the club.
W wilberMember
quote:
Originally posted by chefjeff

Any thoughts from "seasoned" smokers (sorry, I couldn't resist that line) will be welcomed, as my first cook yielded pretty darned good, but not perfect baby backs.

Thank you,
Jeff


IMO 5 hours is too long of a cook for baby backs. My AQ turns out great baby backs in about 3 1/2 hours. The tooth pick test never lies! I have used the hold feature on large pieces of meat, butts and brisket, and it works well but even opening the door for a while it still takes some time to get it down to 140 because it is so well insulated
chefjeffchefjeffMember
You guys have all been great, and my thanks are yours.
Such a wealth of info, but I obsess more than most. The fellow who sold me the AmeriQue told me to go for spares. He smokes at 250° exclusively.
He told me to smoke for 3 hours, then do a butter/brown sugar topping, wrap in foil, and then cook 1 hour 15 minutes while wrapped. Then unwrap, sauce them, and cook for 30 minutes. I'm stressing here way too much...but all this means that life is going very well, if this is my biggest worry Smiler
M maxqMember
KISS is keeping it simple; basically what you did to begin with. Be it ribs, pork butts, briskets, whatever...meat + seasoning + smoke + heat = KISS. Franklin's Barbecue in Austin, TX. (and many, many other note worthy establishments employ KISS due to the shear volume of meat they smoke on a daily basis. It is perhaps the best way for a beginner to cook as it provides a baseline for you.

Once your results are consistent (any meat) using KISS, various elements can be introduced to your smoking method. SmokinOkie teaches that new variations should be introduced one step at a time. This allows you to track the baseline.

As for the Amerique holding temp of 140...it's a convenient feature but not really needed. FTC (foiled meat wrapped in a towel, placed in an insulated chest) will produce the same results.

Large meats (brisket + pork butts) benefit from a resting period of an hour or more, which is what the Cookshack manual was referring to.I prefer KISS ribs and chicken as soon as they're ready.

At which point you're inclined to veer off the KISS method for foiled ribs, check out the pros and cons discussed HERE
T tomMember
To tag on the another of our fine Chefs,Max,Smokin' will teach you to weigh those spares rather than using time.
The fellow that sold the cooker may have been buying 3 1/2 lb,trimmed spares from a 240 lb young market hog that were never frozen and nicely cryovaced.
He may have placed his slab exactly at the point in the cooker that he had pre measured the cooking temp with his just calibrated thermometer.

He made a point of only opening his cooker at critical times,because each opening would dump heat and increase cook time by about a half hr.

Now on the other end of the time/doneness line are the holiday special ,$0.89 /lb ,frozen slabs that weigh about 11 lbs each.They came from a 700-800 lb sausage hawg that was all ground up for sausage except the ribs.

He had been running loose for 15 years,eating tree roots,garbage,pine cones,and anything he could "root up" on the rough hillsides.

They wouldn't waste the expense of cryovac.

Now,I know these seem like two extremes,but experienced cooks have run across the entire spectrum.

This gives you an idea how important it is to carefully utilize Smokin'Okie's Ribs 101,the Ribs forum,and following the K.I.S.S method Max advocated.

Just a couple thoughts from an old country cook.

Enjoy and we'll all help. Smiler
chefjeffchefjeffMember
Boy oh boy, does this seem to be a big "bone" of contention Smiler
I wonder if/when I will ever resonate with one cut of pork ribs, over another. I've made many an "oven baked" back rib dinners that have been tender and delicious. I'm on the fence though, when it comes to using my AmeriQue. Guess I'll figure it out in time.
andyjandyjMember
Both cuts are good, I switch back and forth. But I'm with Pags, overall I prefer baby backs/loin backs. I've got those down pretty well, about the only experimentation I do there is what kind of rub and what kind of sauce to try. Spares are still a little off every now and then, so gotta keep working on them.

But the great think about spares is when you trim them down to a St. Louis cut, you have all those tasty trimmings left over. What to do, what to do... After saving up a few batches, you can make RIB TIPS!!!! YUM!!!!
cal 2cal 2Member
quote:
Originally posted by MaxQ:
Trimming full spares to St Louis will result in a 35-40% loss, depending on how much you trim. If you come across a great deal on full spares, go for it. There's a multitude of uses for the trimmings besides rib tips.


I like the way you think Max!

December is a good month to buy a few cases of ribs from the local Sam's Club. Their three pack of IBP full spares are reasonably priced and only three packs to the case. Seems like the "biggest" box is a logical approach and you don't have to fight all the comp teams that want to buy hand selected slabs. Nice marbling this time of the year too.

They will keep well in a cold freezer for spring time, not that I know anything about doing this. Cool
M maxqMember
quote:
Seems like the "biggest" box is a logical approach and you don't have to fight all the comp teams that want to buy hand selected slabs.


Spot on Cal. S.L.S.'s tend to fall into a specific weight class (2.5 +/- lb) whereas full cuts can run heavier. When competing, I tend to look for heavy full spares and trim to S.L.

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