Brining baby backs and port butt?

Brine or marinate?

People marinate these cuts all the time for added flavor.

Brining is usually reserved for cuts with little fat to help retain moisture. Butts have plenty of fat, and ribs usually do too. And brining either in a traditional sense is likely to lead to a hammy taste.

No need at all to brine the baby backs, put you rub o and let stand a while, put them in the smoker and you are good to go! Go to find and type in baby backs or lion backs, you will get a lot of info.

Geaux Tigers.

I’d be very careful with that one.

Once I accidentally purchased a rack that was sold in some “enhanced (up to 12 percent) solution” and they were worse than BAD! Ham +++

Lesson learned READ the label!

I can’t imagine what might happen if someone brined that mess.

Say it isn't so! I have the exact same ribs (12% solution) ready to go for the morning. Those are the only baby back ribs they had. I guess I need to find a better butcher.

Should I take them out now, rub them in CS Rib Rub, and leave them in the fridge overnight?

This may be a little late, but I wouldn't put the rub on until no more than 2 hrs before you plan to start smoking the ribs. Overnight can give them the hammy taste mentioned. If you see this post tonight, you can always rinse the ribs, pat dry, let sit in the fridge overnight, then add the rub before the smoke.

If you don't see this until tomorrow morning, let them be and smoke as planned. The hammy taste comes from the salt in the rub, and you may be OK. Next time put the rub on 2 hrs. before the smoke.

I still like Costco for meat. I was surprised to read the label on the baby backs I got, packaged on June 20th, sell by date June 23rd. They seem to want their meat to go out very quickly. It sure seems to, the pack or spar ribs I got was the last single they had, packaged that day.

Don't brine your pork, no real benefit (although I will inject to get flavor deep, it just would take too long for brine to penetrate a pork butt). Some good advice above.

Since brining works by osmosis, would a soak in plain cold water help pull out some of the salt solution from those "enhanced" ribs? Reverse osmosis at work. Might help, and I don't see how it could hurt, providing it is done in the fridge at 38deg or less.

I would think soaking the ribs in water will eventually blanched the flavor of the meat. Since it is a salt enhanced solution, add a rub with no salt and go from there. I think they could turn out pretty well. Low and slow. Pick up some smoke flavor.

quote:

Originally posted by Gil:
Since brining works by osmosis, would a soak in plain cold water help pull out some of the salt solution from those "enhanced" ribs? Reverse osmosis at work. Might help, and I don't see how it could hurt, providing it is done in the fridge at 38deg or less.

Technically yes. Osmosis for brining is the issue of the salty solution "trying" to achieve equilibrium by moving from salty to non-salty.

the problem is left over flavor. The salt in the injection has already done it's thing, flavor wise, so not sure that you could "save" some enhanced ribs. Easiest is to not buy them.

BUT, if you buy them, cut back on any salty rubs.

Soaking them in fresh water will move water into the ribs, making them more soggy, but the brine solution would have no motivation to move into the fresh water.

In a normal brine process, the water of the brine moves into the meat because the cells of the meat have more dissolved substances, and are therefore more concentrated, or 'salty', than the brine solution. The brine water is actually trying to dilute the water present in the cells, and it happens to carry some of the brine flavor and salt with it.

A quick soak might dilute the saltiness a bit, but a long one would be more disruptive to the cell structure of the meat, probably cause it to lose moisture during the cook.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Technically yes. Osmosis for brining is the issue of the salty solution "trying" to achieve equilibrium by moving from salty to non-salty.

the problem is left over flavor. The salt in the injection has already done it's thing, flavor wise, so not sure that you could "save" some enhanced ribs. Easiest is to not buy them.

BUT, if you buy them, cut back on any salty rubs.

Yeah, the first batch of baby backs that I bought were in the 12% salt solution. That was before I read that I wasn't supposed to. Well, I had kept them for a couple of days and I didn't feel right trying to return them to the store. So I decided to cook them anyway.

I used just a very light dash of rib rub, then cooked them slow and long. After 5 hours, they were falling off the bone. However, they tasted exactly like cured ham. I ate them anyway, but I can't wait until my next try with fresh ribs.

The Sams at Spring Creek and 75 always have 3 packs of BB ribs. That is where I get my competition ones.

Mack

I have been told to marinate my ribs overnight in apple juice. Is this necessary?

Muffin

quote:

Originally posted by Rex:
I have been told to marinate my ribs overnight in apple juice. Is this necessary?

Muffin

No.

Probably something someone read somewhere.

There are 1,000's of techniques, that's one that I don't do.

I get more flavor from the rub and the sauce I serve on the side, than apple juice (which is mostly water anyway)

Whoever told you to do that should be able to explain why they think that.

I always throw my ribs in apple juice the night before along with some chopped garlic and other seasonings. Rub the morning of, then smoke in my Traeger (I just ordered my SM020 today). Every person says they are the best ribs they have ever had.

And I've just been spritzing them all this time.

I have been overnighting mine in apple juice also. Before, I have been spraying very 30 minutes. Today I did two racks and only sprayed every hr andf they turned out good. I also did my first Brisket today and to my surprise it was better than the ribs, so with all the good help from people like you, maybe I will make the grade. Thanks
Rex

Reason I don't like to soak them in AJ is that the sugar in the juice tend to overpower the outside and the tend to blacken more.

If you're going to do it, make sure the AJ is real AJ and not the reconsituted stuff which is 90% water.

Thanks,
I have been using 10% AJ, Being new to smoking I try what I read. I have Karen Putmans Championship Secrets on smoking and just about every recipe in there says spray every 30 minutes with AJ for moisture. I have a water pan in my smoker and realy I think it provides enoug moisture, but every now and then I spray, but not every 30 minutes as I dont want to open the door that often. Since then, I cant really tell the difference. Thanks for your reply.

Rex in NC

When I had a water pan smoker, I used to put apple juice in my water pan instead of water. Didn't bother to spritz. Ribs came out moist and flavorful.

Respectfully, I will never trade my Cookshack for another water pan smoker.

Thanks, I will try that

Rex

That's the fun part, there are some many fans of so many methods.

Around here, we try to discuss them so you can form your opinion on how to best use them.

quote:

Originally posted by Rex:
..I have Karen Putmans Championship Secrets on smoking and just about every recipe in there says spray every 30 minutes with AJ for moisture. ...
Rex in NC

It's a technique, not an absolute. If you think about it, how much can it really help? You're spraying liquid on a hot surface and a large percentage will evaporate. Sure it will leave some flavor, but if you're using normally AJ which is mostly water, how much flavor.

And I believe that it won't help the "moisture" content of the product your smoking, it will only add some layer of flavor to the outside

If you want to do that, I'd suggest a mop which will put more flavor than spraying.

Also it will matter a LOT with your smoker. How humid is it, or is it not?