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After finding baby back pork rib on sale recently, and they being very fat indeed, i brined them for 24 hours in 1 cup salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 3 crushed whole garlic cloves, 20 peppercorns and 1 bay leaf in 20 quarts ofwatr. The racks (6) were around 3 1/2 lbs each. . Smoked on pecan at 225F for 3 1/2 hours, then into foil and a 275 degree oven for 1 more hour due to rain.

The best ever. I will use the aluminum foil trick from now on, as the meat was the perfect degree of tenderness

I too produced the best ribs I've ever had. I rubbed the ribs with a mixture of 3 parts garlic, 2 parts pepper & 1 part salt a couple of hours before I was to cook the ribs.

I then put them in a 250 degree smoker with maple & peach being the woods of choice and smoked them for 3 hours. Then I foiled the ribs and added 1/2 cup of orange juice and kept cooking for 1 more hour.

Then I unfoiled them and slapped them on a hot grill and basted them with sauce until I was happy with how sticky they were and then I ate them. They were awesome!

DarrinG

Stop it you guys, you're making me hungry and I've only just eaten!!! Yumm!

Should you brine/cure ribs before you cook them?

You don't have to but it can improve the flavour somewhat if you do.

Brining does improve the flavor, bringing it to the cellular level. I also makes the meat impossibly juicy. A good thing, indeed.

I have to slow down when typing. "It" also makes the meat impossibly tender.

And, IMHO, a moister, juicier texture. As mentioned on another thread, I think its a massive improvement for pork and poultry before charcoal grilling.

And it doesn't have to be limited to the barbecue. If I'm faced with a turkey to deal with this festive season, its going to get a bit of a swim...

Spot on, Dougal. Every Thanksgiving for the last 6 years, my sis-in-law, who does the dinner, asks me to brine the bird. Very juicy,even when she overcooks it. Almost a miracle. Have you ever brined a wild turkey? I migh have to give that a try.

I might well try that this Christmas, it's unlikely to be a wild turkey though!

Dave

I brine mine overnight first, wrap in foil, long and slow in the smoker 3-4 hrs@ 250. I remove the foil at this point, then finish with a good basting with sauce the last hour and raise the temp to 350. I use sugar maple as my wood of choice. I have done them with out brining they still turn out good, but if you have the time brine, it just makes them juicer and tastier IMHO.

saucisson, I have seen wild turkeys in the UK, but you'd have a hard time smuggling a shotgun into Marwell Zoo.

saucisson wrote:I might well try that this Christmas, it's unlikely to be a wild turkey though!

Dave

Try and find a bad tempered one then.

Never tried brining pork ribs before BBQin' 'em, but I definitely brine the turkey before smoking it. Makes a terrific difference!

I started brining turkeys a couple of years ago when my wife and I hosted xmas dinner and we will never go back.

We did brine a wild turkey by brother in-law got and it was great. Wild turkey will sometimes come out dry other wise.

This here has been the best brine and turkey I've ever prepared.

DarrinG