Interesting. Giving the quick cooking method, I would have assumed they were baby backs. I don't understand how it's possible to do high heat, 20-minutes a side, and get something that falls off the bone (unless they are slowly precooked and only finished on the hot wood.) There's a discussion of the Carolina cut here, including one illustration from a menu which makes it look like some sort of meaty sparerib, but the thread does not end with a definitive conclusion.

Binko wrote:Interesting. Giving the quick cooking method, I would have assumed they were baby backs. I don't understand how it's possible to do high heat, 20-minutes a side, and get something that falls off the bone (unless they are slowly precooked and only finished on the hot wood.) There's a discussion of the Carolina cut here, including one illustration from a menu which makes it look like some sort of meaty sparerib, but the thread does not end with a definitive conclusion.

Maybe it comes down to how much you trim a spare rib? Maybe on a Carolina cut, they do not trim as much of the belly meat off, thus being "meatier" than a nicely-trimmed St. Louis cut?

I'm planning on preparing cochinita pibil on my WSM and I'm looking for some tips. Has anyone prepared this on a smoker? What wood(s) did you use, and how much? Thanks for any help you can offer.

BR wrote:I'm planning on preparing cochinita pibil on my WSM and I'm looking for some tips. Has anyone prepared this on a smoker? What wood(s) did you use, and how much? Thanks for any help you can offer.

I use pork butt or picnic in my offset, so it really isn't the real deal since it isn't suckling pig and it isn't cooked in an underground pit, but it's still good eating. Tips: heat the banana leaves over an open flame until dark green to soften them up for easier handling and better flavor.



The bands you see made of silicone which can withstand the heat. I like to use them because they contract as the meat shrinks.

I've never made cochinita pibil, but I wouldn't think you'd want too much (or any) hardwood smoke flavor beyond what cooking over lump charcoal would produce anyway. It's roasted pork... not North Carolina pulled pork.

Mike G wrote:I wouldn't think you'd want too much (or any) hardwood smoke flavor beyond what cooking over lump charcoal would produce anyway. It's roasted pork... not North Carolina pulled pork.

That was my first instinct and is the direction I'm leaning . . . simply lump charcoal. Thanks.

Some photos of my own personal Low & Slow journey. These are the results from the first two lessons on a 2009 WSM. Click the thumbs for bigger pix.


Lesson #1


Lesson #2

So far the program is super easy (Gary 'n Colleen you rock!) and the baby backs in my 'fridge are suddenly either very afraid or very happy about their future. This weekend they're going to meet my new friend, the WSM.

petermavrik wrote:Some photos of my own personal Low & Slow journey. These are the results from the first two lessons on a 2009 WSM. Click the thumbs for bigger pix.


Lesson #1


Lesson #2

So far the program is super easy (Gary 'n Colleen you rock!) and the baby backs in my 'fridge are suddenly either very afraid or very happy about their future. This weekend they're going to meet my new friend, the WSM.

nice looking pics, good job.

up in the air due to the rainy weather forecast for this weekend, hopefully it stays north, and away from my house sw of the city.

I am thinking spares this weekend, hopefully I have a window to get them done on Saturday. Maybe try some sort of variation on the armadillo eggs, maybe this time with breakfast sausage, and a hardboiled egg inside(king of a scotch armadillo egg).

purchased some spares @ Brookhaven last night, and was pleasently surpised that they were trimmed down to the Kansas City cut. With the trimmed off tips in the package. They have been rubbed with mustard, and the rub will be applied about 30 mins before they go on the smoker. I may buy some more rib tips at the store today, or I mat still try the Scotch armadillo eggs. I am also doing twice smoked kilbasa in some beans, grilled pineapple, and some grilled corn on the cob. Rain or not I am smokin and grillin today.

Slab of ribs, plus the Bobacks sausage, and a couple "test" pieces of rib tip are on.

I am also going to smoke some garlic for the corn on the cob I am going to grill. The sausage I am going to add to some beans, and if I can easily access the lower grate of the WSM with all the food that will be on the top grate I will put the beans and sausage under all the smoking meats to catch any flavor. If not I am firing up my Weber kettle anyway so I can always put the beans on it before I put the corn on the grill.

For desert I am grilling some pineapple slices.

pics to follow

jimswside wrote:up in the air due to the rainy weather forecast for this weekend, hopefully it stays north, and away from my house sw of the city.

Hey...Hey...Hey.....We've had quite enough rain up here this year. I'm thinking about planting rice in my back yard.

MikeW665 wrote:

jimswside wrote:up in the air due to the rainy weather forecast for this weekend, hopefully it stays north, and away from my house sw of the city.

Hey...Hey...Hey.....We've had quite enough rain up here this year. I'm thinking about planting rice in my back yard.

how about north as in Cananda.., hopefully it stays dry for everyone, Ill cross my fingers.

jimswside wrote:and if I can easily access the lower grate of the WSM with all the food that will be on the top grate

I have a typically high tech way of removing a food laden top WSM cooking grate. I place three chunks of wood on a side table, $19 white plastic from Costco, remove the top grate with a couple of thrice folded paper towels and set it on the triangularly spaced wood chunks. The chunks keep the grate from resting directly on the table.

You could also simply rest the WSM top grate on the Weber Kettle grate.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:and if I can easily access the lower grate of the WSM with all the food that will be on the top grate

I have a typically high tech way of removing a food laden top WSM cooking grate. I place three chunks of wood on a side table, $19 white plastic from Costco, remove the top grate with a couple of thrice folded paper towels and set it on the triangularly spaced wood chunks. The chunks keep the grate from resting directly on the table.

You could also simply rest the WSM top grate on the Weber Kettle grate.

Enjoy,
Gary

brilliant.....!

thanks Gary.

G Wiv wrote:I have a typically high tech way of removing a food laden top WSM cooking grate. I place three chunks of wood on a side table, $19 white plastic from Costco, remove the top grate with a couple of thrice folded paper towels and set it on the triangularly spaced wood chunks. The chunks keep the grate from resting directly on the table.

You could also simply rest the WSM top grate on the Weber Kettle grate.

Enjoy,
Gary

I just put the grate on a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) I will later use to put the finished food onto. It rests on the lip of the pan so it keeps it raised up. Normally just have to wipe the edge of the pan off when done.

Two bricks on the ground is what I use to set the top grate on.

I've gone high tech and use silicone mitts to grab the grate. My paper towels tend to blow away.

G Wiv wrote:I have a typically high tech way of removing a food laden top WSM cooking grate.

I have a high tech method too. I put the WSM top grate on the grate of my NUA* offset smoker. Same place I keep my gloves, tongs, and spritz bottle.
--Rich

* NUA = Never Used Anymore

threw the beans with kilbasa on the weber before I did the corn and the pineapple, all good...

Spare ribs turned out great, somehow I got a darn smoke ring again..

Did the rib tips in two batches, one for a mid afternoon snack, and the balance for supper. all good.

marinated the pineapple in melted butter, rum, salt, pepper, honey, and adash of Crystal. grilled and crystilized some cinnamon sugar on top. damn good.

smoked garilic complimented the early season corn well,

overall a success.

Ill post pics tomorrow when I wake up.

here we go, another nice day paired with some good bbq if I dont say so myself.

K.C. Spares 4 hours in:


K.C. Spares finished:



rib tips:



the spread:


all good:


thanks for checking out my pics

Nice job Jim!

LikestoEatout wrote:Nice job Jim!

thanks, it was a fun day on the deck.

jimswside wrote:thanks, it was a fun day on the deck.

Sure looks that way!

Bill Mehilos of Heads Red BBQ sauce, was kind enough to ask me to help him do a KCBS judged BBQ event down in Alton, IL. this weekend.

As a team we won the entire event taking home the events Grand Champion trophy!

We also won 1st place Brisket, 2nd place Pork , 2nd place Chicken, and 3rd place ribs.

Had a great time, and it was a great learning experience to see how its done in the big leagues! By the way, I can now say that Burt's Bad-2-da-Bone BBQ rub is an award winner!! Bill was smart enough to tell me I should be using it on chicken, and in this competition he took 2nd place with it!! The jury is still out as whether its the same rub that we used on the 3rd place ribs, but that's another story for another time.

It was a great day for us cabinet smokers, as Ricks Pit Stop BBQ with his Cookshack FEC took the event second place, and got most of other trophy's. That FEC is really just like my Cookshack electric, just all grown up and on pellet steroids!

Thanks again for taking me with Bill, your a real "pit master"!!

Here are the Alton Competition pictures

abf005 wrote:Bill Mehilos of Heads Red BBQ sauce, was kind enough to ask me to help him do a KCBS judged BBQ event down in Alton, IL. this weekend.

As a team we won the entire event taking home the events Grand Champion trophy!

We also won 1st place Brisket, 2nd place Pork , 2nd place Chicken, and 3rd place ribs.

Had a great time, and it was a great learning experience to see how its done in the big leagues! By the way, I can now say that Burt's Bad-2-da-Bone BBQ rub is an award winner!! Bill was smart enough to tell me I should be using it on chicken, and in this competition he took 2nd place with it!! The jury is still out as whether its the same rub that we used on the 3rd place ribs, but that's another story for another time.

It was a great day for us cabinet smokers, as Ricks Pit Stop BBQ with his Cookshack FEC took the event second place, and got most of other trophy's. That FEC is really just like my Cookshack electric, just all grown up and on pellet steroids!

Thanks again for taking me with Bill, your a real "pit master"!!

Here are the Alton Competition pictures

congrats guys,

That's what I like about you Jim. Not only do you look wonderfully happy with your results, but you make your ribs bow down to you as well!

razbry wrote:That's what I like about you Jim. Not only do you look wonderfully happy with your results, but you make your ribs bow down to you as well!

thanks razbry,

thats what bbq is all about for me, having some fun, good eating, and not taking anything too seriously.

abf005 wrote:Bill Mehilos of Heads Red BBQ sauce, was kind enough to ask me to help him do a KCBS judged BBQ event down in Alton, IL. this weekend.

As a team we won the entire event taking home the events Grand Champion trophy!

We also won 1st place Brisket, 2nd place Pork , 2nd place Chicken, and 3rd place ribs.

Had a great time, and it was a great learning experience to see how its done in the big leagues! By the way, I can now say that Burt's Bad-2-da-Bone BBQ rub is an award winner!! Bill was smart enough to tell me I should be using it on chicken, and in this competition he took 2nd place with it!! The jury is still out as whether its the same rub that we used on the 3rd place ribs, but that's another story for another time.

It was a great day for us cabinet smokers, as Ricks Pit Stop BBQ with his Cookshack FEC took the event second place, and got most of other trophy's. That FEC is really just like my Cookshack electric, just all grown up and on pellet steroids!

Thanks again for taking me with Bill, your a real "pit master"!!

Here are the Alton Competition pictures

thanks Burt! You need to get that rub bottled..its a winner..great pics..thanks for all the assistance . It was a fun contest. Thats about my 10th cook on that Backwoods smoker and Im really digging it

Didn't end up making cochinita pibil this weekend after all. Instead, smoked two butts from Peoria Packing over hickory and apple as my contribution to a bbq for a group of 20. As a proud new owner of Low & Slow, I decided to try a variation of Gary's graduate rub and I have to say it was much better than rubs I've made to date. Really wonderful - sorry but no pics of the pork.

I also made a variation of a western NC bbq sauce, which incorporated vinegar, cider vinegar, mustard (I know, but it worked really well), ketchup, worcestershire, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Definitely the best sauce I've ever made with a nice mix of spicy, sweet and sour which I thought complemented the pork real well (along with a coleslaw more akin I suppose to an eastern NC slaw since I used only a minimal amount of ketchup).

A sweet potato-pecan pie (my favorite pie) that I made for dessert - the reason for my search for Steen's Syrup - was a great finish:

Inspired by a jimswside post in the random food photos thread, smoked garlic







man oh man does it smell good.