mikel68 wrote:
> Nonnymus wrote:
>> When fixing ribs, I used to marinate them in apple juice for a few
>> days in the refrigerator. Later on, I got a vacuum sealer and learned
>> I could do a better job in about a day using a vacuum cannister. When
>> the ribs are marinated, I take them out, let them drip on the racks,
>> then wipe very lightly with CYM (Thanks, Brick, for the abbreviation)
>> and then dust liberally with my home made rub.
>>
>> Over time, I've naturally experimented with different ways to do it
>> and can't understand something. One experiment I've done several
>> times is to divide the ribs equally into two vacuum cannisters. One
>> gets the unsweetened apple juice and nothing more. The other gets the
>> same apple juice, but also a good scoop of my dry rub and a heaping
>> tsp of CYM.
>>
>> What I consistently get is my own, Mrs. Nonny's and guests preferences
>> for ribs done in just the apple juice and "seasoned" just before
>> smoking. One alternative has been to "reseason" the ones marinated in
>> the mixture with more dry rub, but folks still gravitate to the ones
>> just marinated in apple juice and then seasoned at the last minute
>> before smoking. Do any of you pros have any thoughts about why this
>> would be?
>>
>> In my rub, I use spices only, and have no sugar, salt or cracked
>> pepper. However, when I season ribs after marinating, I add salt and
>> pepper along with the dry rub, so that's not a variable. Somehow,
>> when the rub is marinated into the meat, the flavor just isn't as good
>> as when it's just sprinkled on before cooking, and I can't come up
>> with a good reason to explain it.
>>
>> Nonny
> why all the work, just rub, and put on the pit. Let the smoke and heat
> do the work. If the smoke and heat aren't "tendering" up your ribs,
> close the dampers, you've probably got too much heat. Too much heat and
> too much smoke all at the same time equals uneatable black crap.

Mike, I don't disagree with your assessment about how to cook tender
ribs. My posted observations were about flavor. The tenderness and
smoke are just fine. The comments I made said that I preferred ribs
marinated in apple juice over ribs marinated in apple juice mixed with
CYM and rub. That's all.

I opened a vacuum bag with 6 ribs in it last night. It'd been in the
freezer for about a month. Mrs. Nonny and I are on diets, but there's a
limit to anything and a month without ribs just isn;t worth it. The bag
was tossed into a pot of boiling water and the heat reduced to a simmer.
In a short while, the ribs were as warm as when they came out of the
Bradley. The flavor was terrific, with the spices of the rub, smoke and
apple juice in reasonable proportions. 3 blasted ribs each isn't quite
enough to even warrant a toothpick, but it got us through the night.

Nonny
--
---Nonnymus---
No matter how large your boat,
the person you are talking with will
have a close friend with a larger one.
---Observation by my son