2nd. AmeriQue question...sorry to be pesty.

Several people have posted over the years that they were successful in getting a smoke ring with some charcoal. Although I don't remember if it was briquettes or if it was lump charcoal. If you're desperate to get it, you can also apply some pink salt/tenderquick and rinse it off after about five or ten minutes before you smoke. As Smokin' and many of the other comp cooks here have taught us, the smoke ring is just a chemical reaction, doesn't enhance the flavor any and can be achieved by other means. KCBS judges are told to ignore the presence or absence of a smoke ring while judging an entry. Personally, I've never bothered to try and achieve a smoke ring.

I guess in my gut I know that you are right about this being strictly a chemical reaction. Amazing what one's imagination can manifest. But after seeing that ring on a pretty regular basis in that other brief life of pellet grilling, I think I do want to have a little fun with a lump of charcoal, while I do some babybacks in my AmeriQue. I've also heard about that tenderquick you've mentioned, and that is something I feel nervous about trying...can't explain my rational as it's just a feeling. I also know in my gut that whether that ring appears or not, which ribs are going to be the BEST ribs I've made in years. I can't explain how excited I am about its pending arrival.

quote:

Originally posted by chefjeff:
O.K. here I go, going back on my word about not bringing up the past. Truth be told, I became a pellet griller for a few years. It's just not me, as the smokey flavor and deep moistness could not compare to my AmeriQue. But what I did finally achieve for the first time was that smoke ring thing. I loved ribs that would have that pink "hot doggy" tasting layer between the bark and interior of the meat. I've heard that in a Cookshack smoker, you can drop a lump of charcoal into the wood box, along side of the wood, and you will achieve this smoke ring. Does anyone out there know if this is true? Even if I cannot achieve this ring, I'll still be thrilled, but I am curious.
Thanks,
Jeff

Not that it's any of my business, but CS makes an awesome pellet grill,PG500. I've cooked on the electric cookshacks, the FEC100, and the PG500 grill. In my humble opinion, the grill hands down makes the best ribs.

quote:

Originally posted by chefjeff:
I've heard that in a Cookshack smoker, you can drop a lump of charcoal into the wood box, along side of the wood, and you will achieve this smoke ring. Does anyone out there know if this is true? Jeff

To an extent, yes. Back in the day of owning a Smokette, I experimented with smoke rings and found that 4 Kingsford briquettes would produce a 1/4" ring, which is consistent with what my FEC100 produces. Push come to shove though, I've yet to TASTE a smoke ring. Yup, they're pretty but that's about it.

Side note: I've seen brisket slices at comps that have massive SR's of 1/2" +. I knew the meat was treated with TenderQuick. Anything wrong with that? Not really...it's the end result of the same Nitrate chemical reaction. Comp judges are instructed to disregard the presence, or lack of smoke ring. then again they're instructed not to score down appearance for lack of parsley or leaf lettuce

Thanks MaxQ for your input. I'm going to get the smallest bag of Kingsford briquettes that I can, and now I know to use 4 of them.

A smoke ring is not really caused by "smoke". It is a chemical reaction with the surface of the meat.

You can artificially induce a smoke ring by putting nitrates on your meat. Nitrates - also known as meat cure - also known as Tender Quick. Put a little on for 20 or 30 minutes and rinse off, and you will have a nice deep red "smoke ring" even if you cook the meat in your oven.

Having established that, charcoal briquettes are not charcoal. They are a mixture of all kinds of things, including wheat straw and coal dust. In order to bind all that stuff together in those nice little cubes, they add chemical binders. One ingredient - nitrates. So yes, charcoal briquettes can also induce a smoke ring into your meat as the nitrates are released into the "smoke" while burning.

This was great information to have just read. Thank you. I'm actually still without my new AmeriQue, but it is going to be delivered on either the 27th. or the 28th. VERY much looking forward to this.
If you are up for one more question, I would like to know your thoughts about the smoke ring itself, being just a "look", or is there any flavor difference in that pink area?
Thanks Know Bull, for responding...rather "noble" of you to do so!
Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by chefjeff:
This was great information to have just read. Thank you. I'm actually still without my new AmeriQue, but it is going to be delivered on either the 27th. or the 28th. VERY much looking forward to this.
If you are up for one more question, I would like to know your thoughts about the smoke ring itself, being just a "look", or is there any flavor difference in that pink area?
Thanks Know Bull, for responding...rather "noble" of you to do so!
Jeff

I'm too poor of a judge to taste any difference. I would recommend starting for 10 minutes with the TQ before rinsing, it will look more natural.

quote:

is there any flavor difference in that pink area?
Jeff

Not as far as I'm concerned.

That pink area is cured, that's why it's pink. Just like pork (ham) turns pink when cured. Or better yet think Pastrami/Corned Beef which are just cured briskets.

So it will have a cured taste, BUT because it's so small, it's really, really REALLY hard to taste it (unless you cut it out).

quote:

Originally posted by cal:


I'm too poor of a judge to taste any difference. I would recommend starting for 10 minutes with the TQ before rinsing, it will look more natural.

I'd be careful about 10 min. When I did the tests for the forum a number of years ago to show the effect. 2 to 5 min max was enough. There are enough variables in it that's it really hard to make it consistent because the penetration of the cure varies so much.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
That pink area is cured, that's why it's pink. Just like pork (ham) turns pink when cured. Or better yet think Pastrami/Corned Beef which are just cured briskets.

So it will have a cured taste, BUT because it's so small, it's really, really REALLY hard to taste it (unless you cut it out).

quote:

Originally posted by cal:


I'm too poor of a judge to taste any difference. I would recommend starting for 10 minutes with the TQ before rinsing, it will look more natural.

I'd be careful about 10 min. When I did the tests for the forum a number of years ago to show the effect. 2 to 5 min max was enough. There are enough variables in it that's it really hard to make it consistent because the penetration of the cure varies so much.

Yep!, You make a good point Smokin'. The amount put on will have a impact on the results. I guess I should have pointed out that this method was done with a salt shaker and only a small amount put on, then rinsed.



This was done on my electric smoker.

Don't need QT for the FEC100 or pellet grill though.

Thanks everyone for your continued input. I'm thinking that at this point, I'm over the desire to get that smoke ring, although perhaps I will experiment with a few lumps of charcoal in the wood box. I just don't want to go to the bother of using any kind of curing agent. As CAL wrote, I too know the quality of ribs form a pellet grill, but I'm also thinking this might have been from a technique I saw on the T.V.
This same technique will be tried on my AmeriQue, and I'm already earmarking this cook for my new smoker's arrival. I'm including the technique in this response. I'm thinking that since I'll be putting my ribs into a cold AmeriQue, that I will follow the recipe exactly, but when the final 3 hours are up, I will just let the temperature slowly go into the "hold" mode of 140° for maybe an hour, taking a 5 hour cook, to a 6 hour cook. Additionally since I remember that the AmeriQue holds in so much moisture, I won't bother to put a pan of water in the smoker, like I did in the pellet grill.

Jeff


“Babyback Ribs from the T.V.”

Coat the underside of a slab of babybacks with desired dry rub (or the one from the show), and then squirt some French’s mustard over. Rub this well into the meat. Flip the ribs over and do this again to the top side.

Cover ribs with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge overnight.

Put ribs directly on grids in a preheated pellet grill, set at 220°. Smoke for 2 hours. Up the temperature to 230° and let smoke for 3 more hours....that’s it, you are done!

You can sprinkle the babybacks with more dry rub, or coat with some sauce....devour.

The featured restaurant on the T.V. show where I got this from was called Memphis BBQ Company.....the gal from this show also does spare’s, but they go for a total of 6 hours. She coats half of the slab with sauce, and the other half with dry rub after they are cooked.

Maybe important, maybe not. I decided to put a dish of water and let it dwell on the upper rack during the entire cook. Figured it might keep the babybacks moist during the 5 hour cook.

Rub recipe from the show.
1 cup turbinado sugar, ground (7.6 oz.)
1/4 cup kosher salt (1.4 oz.)
6 tablespoons Spanish paprika (1.8 oz.)
4 tablespoons chili powder (1 oz.)
2 tablespoons granulated garlic (.7 oz.)
1 tablespoon onion powder (.35 oz.)
2 teaspoons ground cumin (.15 oz.)
2 teaspoons ground mustard (.10 oz.)
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (4 g.)
1 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground (3 g.)

I've used mustard on my ribs with great results. I seem to establish a bit better bark with this technique. I've also gone without the mustard with equally great tasting ribs. Love the ribs from my Elite.

One comment on the recipe...not positive or negative. I just don't see how increasing the smoker temp from 220* to 230* halfway into the cook makes one bit of difference in the end product. All you may achieve is completing the ribs 2 minutes earlier. Why bother? Keep It Simple. I go 235* all the way.

Some might say the same about the mustard. I still like it, though I use it far less than use it. Again...KISS.

Hey, if we want to talk ribs, let's take it to the new thread please. The receipe you posted will be lost in a thread discussion about the AQ (see your title).

Just a little friendly little moderator request

quote:

Originally posted by MaxQ:

quote:

is there any flavor difference in that pink area?
Jeff

Not as far as I'm concerned.

I always thought it tasted a little more pink. The darker the smoke ring, the deeper the pink flavor. No?

quote:

Originally posted by chefjeff:
The featured restaurant on the T.V. show where I got this from was called Memphis BBQ Company.....the gal from this show also does spare’s, but they go for a total of 6 hours.

That's Mellisa Cookston's restaurant, a top BBQ competitor. I've eaten there and the ribs are in fact VERY good.

But like Pags says, 10° isn't going to do much. I'm a rebel like Pags, I also smoke at 235. Also, if you're going to let the AQ go into hold mode, I'd check the doneness of the ribs first. Cookshacks hold heat very well and while the temp is slowly dropping, your ribs will continue to cook and you may very well end up with mushy overcooked ribs. Check out Smokin's Ribs 101 at the top of the Ribs Forum, lot of good info.

Thanks for the heads up Andy.
Cheers,
Jeff

I thought someone here would question the "overnight" after applying the rub. That idea usually draws comments about that long a period with the use of salt/rub might make the ribs taste "hammy".

But maybe that's wrong?