Properly cooked pork smoked ribs are tender, juicy and aromatic. Of course, it is advisable to use a special smokehouse for this, but a grill, and even an ordinary oven, are quite suitable. However, this can cause some inconvenience.
Why is it desirable to use a smokehouse?
The smokehouse has a firebox separated from the cooking zone. There are even devices with a firebox on the side and ventilation or a chimney on the opposite end. Another version of the smokehouse contains divided sections for fire, liquid and cooking areas. Both types of devices allow access to the fire for replenishment without loss of heat.
Why doesn't the oven give the same result?
In the case of using the oven, you will have to periodically open it and release excess heat, as a result you can get hard and dry meat. In addition, the process of making smoked pork ribs will take much longer. As a rule, the meat warms up at a high temperature for about an hour, after which it continues to be smoked for several hours at a low temperature. In this case, you can pre-boil it until half cooked, and then make boiled-smoked pork ribs faster. However, there will be no smell of smoke in them. You can use the appropriate flavoring additive, but the difference from the real product will be noticeable in this case.
If you use a charcoal grill
At the very least, a charcoal grill is an acceptable substitute for a real smokehouse. You can get great results by digesting pork on a regular electric grill. It is still preferable to use coal, because smoked pork ribs will become truly fragrant. The weather will also play a role when smoking on the grill. Outside temperature and humidity are critical. Thus, you will need all conditions to be ideal on your chosen day. The only variable that can be changed is the amount and type of coal. You can use both briquettes and classic charcoal. Larch gives more temperature, but burns less, which makes it ideal for burning meat until the rest of the cooking time. Briquettes burn longer and are ideal for slow cooking.
How to prepare meat for smoking?
Any recipe for smoked pork ribs recommends starting the procedure with preliminary dry grinding of meat with spices. In this area, you can experiment on your own. It all depends on what you like. To your taste, you can add more cayenne pepper. If you like the smell of garlic, garlic powder is ideal.
The following seasonings are classic:
- garlic powder;
- ground chili;
- onion powder;
- dry mustard;
- ground dried ginger;
- powdered basil;
- Cayenne pepper;
- ground coriander.
In addition, you need to add a pinch of salt (it helps keep the meat juicy).
Where to start?
Start by spreading a plastic film on your desk. You will need two long sheets, arranged perpendicular to each other. Place the ribs on top. You must wrap the meat tightly when you finish grinding it. It is best to sprinkle the spices directly on the ribs in the amount that you like. Another option is to use a bowl to mix different condiments, and then gently spread the mixture into meat. Ribs should be seasoned on both sides.
Then wrap them tightly in foil and place in the refrigerator. It is advisable to leave them soaked for about 24 hours. As with all recipes for cooking meat, you should take it out of the refrigerator about half an hour before smoking.
How to prepare coals?
Soak the tree that you will use. It is worth noting that oak and cherry give an interesting aroma. Use small pieces of wood, best wood chips. Begin soaking it before you start a fire. Otherwise, the wood will burn and will not give the desired smoking.
Light a charcoal grill using a briquette. Make sure the holes on the bottom are fully open. Distribute the coals when they turn gray and ashen. Before placing the grate, add something under it that allows you to hold the liquid (you can use a disposable form of foil). Instead of water, you can use anything, for example, apple juice. It will complement the aroma of wood smoke.
How to start smoking ribs?
First of all, you need to process pork at high temperature. On each side of the ribs must be processed for about 3 minutes. Now you are ready to add wood chips. Put the lid on the grill, after which heavy smoke will start to flow. Make sure the hole in the lid is directly above the meat. Thus, you do not emit heat directly from the grill and do not lose the temperature and smoke that you want to send to the ribs. The amount of smoke will decrease as moisture is dried out of wood chips.
Check the temperature periodically. Ideally, it should be small if you intend to keep the meat on the grill for some time. The ideal value is 100-110 degrees. This mark can be achieved by incomplete closing of the rear holes, which partially cuts off the access of oxygen that feeds the fire. You can use a probe thermometer mounted in the top vent. If the temperature drops too low, simply open the ventilation holes. Once you stabilize it, leave the ribs to cook for two hours.
How to determine readiness?
As you can see from the photo, hot smoked pork ribs should be pink at the outer edges. You can also achieve more smoke by adding more wood. But remember that every time you open the grill, you release heat. Therefore, it is recommended to simply leave the ribs smoked until ready at the very beginning.
How to use a smokehouse?
If you nevertheless bought special equipment, cooking smoked pork ribs will be much easier. You can either pre-boil them or start cooking raw - it all depends on your personal preferences. In the first case, the smoking process will be faster.
In any case, you get aromatic and tender pork ribs. With proper preparation, they will be so good that you will not need a sauce for them.
How to cook ribs in the smokehouse?
Regardless of whether you want to follow a recipe for boiled-smoked pork ribs or uncooked smoked, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of salt;
- 1 tablespoon paprika;
- 1 tbsp. l garlic powder;
- 1 tbsp. l onion powder;
- 1 tbsp. l chili powder;
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper;
- 1/2 tsp black pepper;
- 2.5 kg of pork ribs.
How it's done?
Mix all the spices and rub them well on the pork ribs on all sides. If you do not want to get a smoked product, first boil the meat for 40 minutes, without cutting it and without separating the bones from each other.
Preheat the smokehouse to 110 degrees. Use a handful of wood chips that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes. Lay the ribs on a rack for 3 hours at the above temperature.
Then remove them from the smokehouse and wrap in foil, adding 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Place the ribs back for 2 hours at the same temperature. Then remove them and unfold from the foil. Put them back in the smokehouse for 1 hour. Be careful when moving the ribs at this moment, as they will be very soft.
For a smokehouse, cherry wood is best. It forms a soft smoke and gives a sweet aroma to the meat. The calorie content of smoked pork ribs prepared according to this recipe is 438 calories per one hundred grams of product. It is also worth noting that such a dish contains a lot of fat.
Can I cook smoked ribs?
According to the recipes mentioned above, a very long processing of meat is offered. Such a product is completely ready for use, even if the ribs were smoked raw. Thus, if you want to cook a soup with smoked meats, you do not need to boil them - just add them to the rest of the prepared ingredients. Otherwise, the meat will simply fall off from the bones.
However, on sale you can find smoked ribs, ready to eat, which are harder and more resilient. This is a cold smoked product and can be prepared further. How much to cook smoked pork ribs of this type? A few minutes are enough - during this time the other components of the dish are saturated with their aroma (for example, soup or roast).