Ribs Tonight

I found a nice rack of Beeler's pork ribs yesterday at the butcher shop.  This was perfect as I was wanting pork ribs, what a coincidence! And they were already trimmed, membrane removed and flap meat removed.  All I had to do was remove the tips and rub them up.  The ribs were rubbed with Simply Marvelous Sweet and Spicy rub and the tips were rubbed with Dizzy Pig salt-free Dizzy Dust. I wanted to try this product, new to me but highly recommended.

Here the ribs are, raw and naked, then all rubbed up.

On the kettle, which was locked into a nice 300F, yes, 300F for a higher heat cook than I normally would do with ribs.  The smoke was provided by a nice chunk of peach wood, which I can not acquire from a local BBQ pro-shop in Livermore, CA, not very far from me.  Charcoal was Wicked Good lump mixed with a little pre-used Kingsford charcoal.

These ran in the heat just like this for 3 hours, then the tips were moved into a pan with some BBQ sauce, butter and water to cook similar to how Burnt Ends are made when cooking a brisket point.  I did leave a few tips dry to taste the Dizzy Pig and I can now also highly recommend it as a good rub.  It was excellent on the rib tips. And no, I have to buy all the rubs and sauces I use, nobody is sending them to me for free. Dangit!

Almost done, there is a light bark to the ribs, the tips are tender with some nice caramelizing happening on the edges, just what I was hoping for. This shot was made just before I shut down the cooker, the 'pig honey' has rendered out, the rack was not quit done and I decided to try a shut down technique I learned from a fellow Brethren Donnie T down in Texas. I let the kettle cool down from 300F to about 150F and checked for the bend, the bend test proved the ribs were done.

Now, I can't say whether it was the seasonings, the new technique or just a great piece of meat, but, these ribs killed on the plate.  The rib tips were sweet and sticky, the Dizzy Pig worked great with the sauce. The ribs, served dry, as ribs should be served, were tender, juicy and cooked just enough to pull clean from the bone.  I am one happy 'Quer tonight.