My First

On Open Letter to my first Weber Grill.

Why did you run away?  It’s been over ten years now since you left, and I still think about you sometimes.  It was the night before Father’s Day when you left.  Why did you go?  Did you like the houses across the street better than the apartment we were in?  Did you not like our neighbor, the gas grill?  I had such big plans for us on that Father’s Day.

It was painful, but I have moved on.  The grill I’m living with now is much more understanding.

After 10 years now we are still going strong, even after the warping grease fire that’s made it hard to get the grill properly placed.  Our relationship is so strong that we’ve had a small barrel grill and a smoker move in.  There isn’t even a hint of jealousy. 

Even so, after all these years I still think about you.  I guess you never forget your first.

Brine, baby, Brine

Smoked Ribs make my top five list of favorite things.  This isn’t the first time I’ve done them on my smoker either.  The butcher I go to always has really meaty loin back ribs.  They are essentially the same cut as baby back ribs just all grown up (literally).  More meat, not quite as tender.  The ones I get typically weight about 2-2.5 pounds per rack. 

I’m a big fan of Memphis style BBQ so the first couple of times I used a dry rub.  What I have discovered though is that my smoker won’t do Memphis style right.  I can’t keep opening the smoker to baste and do a wet style, and it’s a wet smoker, so I can’t do a straight dry rub because the humidity is too high.

Besides I like the taste of the pork and all that spice rub and sauce tend to overpower the yummy “porkness” of the ribs.  Maybe if you’re a pro you can balance all three, but I’m not a pro, oh and I like the way the pork tastes on its own.

So instead of a dry rub I though I’d try a seasoning method that works with my cooker.

Brining.

I soaked the ribs in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, and sliced apples for about 6 hours.  I then rinsed them off, patted them dry and smoked them with apple wood chucks for just under 3 hours at 225.

I almost got too much salt in the brine, but they were still the best ribs I’ve ever had.  Next time I’ll use less salt and maybe even apple juice instead of water…