With the oncoming Fall season as well as the first real good weekend of football coming (I just love to watch the overpaid convicts with tattoos) I figured I would get the smokers going again.

The majority of what I cook ends up being pork. This weekend was no different. My kids have been asking for ribs for weeks and I was happy to put it in play. We had a good friend come over who has fell on some hard times and he is never without a healthy appetite (or two).

The menu

  • Baby back ribs - Seasoned with mustard and some random spices I created a few months back then cooked in the smoker.
  • 3 lb. Pork roast - I threw some seasonings on it and put it back into the fridge the night before. This one went in the trashcan sized smoker.
  • Baby back ribs - This rack was done in the oven and slathered with sauce. We needed an extra item to boost our quantity, so since the Wife was doing it I had no complaints.
  • Cheese fries - Fries, cheese, bacon. ‘Nuff said
  • Homemade Apple Crisp - Made fresh with apples picked 2 hours prior.
Some of the crew on here have been asking for photos. So, here they are…..

The Setup….

Old Red the trash can sized smoker and the barrel that I lost the lid to while driving down the road. Once I lost it, I needed something to at least cover it. I looked around and said “Ok, this plywood will do….but how do I keep it from getting too hot?” So I grabbed an old towel, covered the wood and before using it, I saturate it it with water and it has worked just fine.

http://www.usaplnationals.com/images/smokers1_9-6-08.jpg

Old Red and the Little Mermaid

Game time!
I threw it on and knew we would have to go pick apples…so I got it up to nearly 200 degrees and made sure we weren’t gone too long. When I got back I cranked it up pretty good. Total cook time was about 7 hours.
Its ON!

It's ON!

We’re set…
Nothing like all the prep work coming together.
Covered and ready to go...
The result…
Baby back ribs from the smoker
Ribs, Shredded pork, cole slaw that was thrown onto the pork (at least on MY plate) and cheese fries
And Dessert…homemade Apple Crisp with 12 stout ounces of espresso. What better fuel for an evening of Guitar Hero 2?

After thoughts
I basted the ribs in the smoker with freshly squeezed apple juice. Did it really change the taste? Not sure…but they weren’t dry and there was a hint of sweetness to them. I did this for the last hour. I used mustard to cover them prior to seasoning them and I think it helped to retain the seasoning, but it did not taste like mustard. I might baste some with mustard down the road..I love mustard.
By the time I ate all of this, drank a man sized cup of espresso, and ate Apple Crisp…I was tanked and wired for the evening. 5 hours later I tried to go to sleep at midnight and it didn’t happen. By 3am I threw in the towel and coaxed myself to sleep as I held myself, (Thinking of you, Ol’ Dangerous). So much for carb induced sleep huh?

2 Responses to “A Weekend of Pork”

  1. You are messed up in so many ways…

  2. LOL….Thanks for that vote of confidence.

    THE RICK

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