This is a new record. Three slabs of spare ribs, each between 3.5 and 4 lbs. There are three half slabs on the deck below.
One of our local grocers does an in-store brisket burger grind. At my particular store, the butcher figured out they can take the deckel, pre-season it, and charge an obscene price per pound since that section is usually just the right size for a small cookout. You could do a mixed grill and easily provide beef, pork, and chicken for 6-8 people without spending all night working the pit. Once I decided this was how I would spend my Sunday, I realized appetizers were also needed, so I picked these up. Those will get a sweet heat rub applied then smoked for an hour or so, then finished in the air fryer.
London broil is a favorite of mine depending on what your end goal is. Fajita or taco meat? It’s perfect! Just be careful how you cook it cause it can get tough in a hurry!
The last time I made it I broiled it, and it actually came out halfway decent.* *actual London Broil, not mislabeled ground beef.
The store uses the ground to make 1/2lb brisket burger patties with. The deckle is where the point meets the flat. This butcher is using the point for ground, the flat for corned beefs and pastramis and setting aside the deckle to be sold whole, after seasoning. It’s about a 3lb piece so I figure six hours or so on the smoker. Walking outside, this is it at the four hour mark and crawling out of the stall at 172*. People wonder about the mythical stall. Some guy at Texas A&M* did a whole bunch of bbq experiments and figured out what’s happening in the stall is evaporative cooling going on. The fat is cooking out water which is cooling off the meat while it’s cooking. There comes a time when all the water in the fat is evaporated out and the meat temp goes back on the rise. I’m shooting for 203* today. *Yes, we have a Tier 1 Ag & Mech university that studies barbeque and brisket. https://bbq.tamu.edu/2013/02/07/brisket-stall-demonstrated-during-camp-brisket/
I don’t know what size or temp you normally pull at. For a packer brisket, I usually pull around 195-198*; there’s a lot of meat mass there to retain heat. This was a little 3-ish pound section so I let it get hotter before I pulled it. Next time I’ll probably pull it right at 200 as this one was a little tight.
I had given up on brisket ~10 years ago but then read Franklin's book, tried it again, and have been very happy. Using a Costco prime packer makes all the difference in the world. 195 has been my target temp. I'll try 198 next time and let you know how it goes.
Those butts and slabs are what’s for dinner Saturday. My neighbor is bringing over a butt and a corned beef he wants me to cook, too.
Just got done trimming and doctoring 32 lb of pork butts (2x10 for me, and 2x6 boneless for my neighbor). Also a 3 lb corned beef for the neighbor. Now I need to get a couple hours of sleep so I can get the fire started at oh-dark-thirty. I have a pack of cheddar brats for lunch. The ribs go on when the corned beef comes off. Life is good.
I haven't posted any cook photos in awhile. I smoked two 7.2 lb pork butts last weekend...largely following a Myron Mixon recipe. Injection, rub, 20 hours over apple wood smoke (wrapped for a few hours in there), then very lightly sauced with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce after pulling. Literally like 1/4 cup sauce with all that meat. And poppers, always with bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. It was wonderful! I've also entered a couple of online competitions...won $100 for a dessert entry last month. This month the category was burgers, and while I finished 4th (out of the money) I really liked my inside-out cheeseburger topped with jalapeno poppers and onion rings.
The corned beef brisket was done at noon, went on the smoker at 5am. The ribs went on at noon when the brisket came off. The smaller pork butts might be ready in about an hour. The bigger pork butts might also be done pretty soon, they are in the hotter smoker. The cheddar brats made a nice lunch.
Will be doing the charity cook this weekend: https://cpckc.org/cookforcourage/ Stop on by if you are in KC Sunday evening. We have a group of KC chefs, each get an identical smoker and 20(?) slabs of ribs. They hand out rib and side dish plates and try for “people’s choice”awards. Entry tickets to the public include a poker chip that you drop into the bucket of your favorite. There’s also another award given by a table of celebrity judges. My job would be to get assigned to a smoker and do nothing other than maintain whatever temp the chef wants. Chef is not a bbq chef, so they will come up with some very interesting rubs and sauces, and always good. My chef last year runs an Ethiopian/Caribbean restaurant: https://mesobkc.com/ so he had quite a different take from the standard KC bbq flavor profile. He won the people’s choice last year. He had nearly as many chips as the other 5 chefs put together. And his ghost pepper mac and cheese was an awesome side. Not sure who I’ll cook with this weekend, but it’s always a good time.
It's going to be pretty close to MKC (Downtown KC airport (Wheeler)). Probably a short Uber ride. You'll have to check the website for directions and other info. This is the first time it's been at this particular location, so I don't know where the best place to park will be. When I get there early Sunday morning, I'll have a better idea. It's going to be very near the 18th and Vine district, that's the traditional KC Jazz district and the Negro League Museum. It's always a pretty good time, a lot of local celebrities like the Mayor and sports figures show up, music, beer samples from local breweries, and some pretty good food. It's all good. If anyone is seriously interested, PM me and I'll let you know what's going on when I find out Sunday AM.
Set up around 8:30. The Bloody Marys made a nice brunch. The sausage and tri tip were lunch. The ribs are from one of the six chefs.
Ended up with the same chef I worked with last year. He won peoples choice last year, too. I'm not sure how close it was this year, but last year it wasn't close at all. Had a new venue this time. Used to do this on the 12th St bridge. That bridge is right under the approach to R01 at MKC and right over the BNSF tracks. Got to see planes, trains, and automobiles all day. Apparently KC didn't want that event there anymore and made permitting almost impossible this year. One of the comments was concerns over the possibility of "jumpers". This new space was completed only a few days prior to the event. The gravel lot where we cooked was finished about 24 hrs before and the grass area where the stage and public was had been sodded only 48 hrs prior.
