Christmas Rack of Pork

[skrilla]

Big props to Mr. Tim for the influence. Almost didn't find this at Costco until the ole lady spotted an employee rolling out the meat rack for a last minute restock. This one was already stuffed and seasoned. $23 bucks later it's in the cooler headed for home.

Topped off the Traeger with some Bear Mountain pellets. Forgot what flavor but smells good. Left off the drip tray and set on the highest setting to sear both sides directly over the pot. Bottom side seared and went to flip it. As I walked away I got a flare up. Caught it and got it under control but not after scraping a bit of rub off the side and popping off sections of twine. Oops! 



After the unintentional fire I installed the drip tray and smoked on low. 45 minutes later probed it to see where it was at and raised the heat from there. Coated the top with some apple cider vinegar, apple juice, and extra seasoning to keep moist and attract that smokey flavor.

Since this is my first rack of pork I probed every half hour to check internal temps and adjusted heat as needed. Coated every hour with the apple seasoned goodness so it wouldn't dry out and also hopefully add back some flavor to where I scraped some off earlier. About 2.5 hours later hit target temp, or at least in the ballpark area  , then pulled it out to rest 15 minutes.



After resting, moment of truth...



Squeeze test...



Sampled a piece. Wow! Yeah tasted better than it looked. Juicy, tender, and no hint of being scorched. 



Close shot of the rib piece.



Didn't realize the onions stuffed in the middle. Not over powering at all.



Didn't get a dinner shot but served with broccoli, roasted potatoes, and homemade honey butter buiscuts. Dutch apple pie and ice cream for dessert.

Fun piece of meat to bbq even with the early fumble. Already brainstorming how to attack the next rack of pork that comes across the cutting board. Also stashing funds for a fire grill for better searing and general grilling as my propane one died a couple years ago. Been eyeing a simple charcoal burner that I could teach the boys to use.

Thanks for looking and once again hope you enjoyed my follies.

[sasquatch]

Looks darn good.

[Latimeria]

Ummm, I think Tim might be getting pushed around on top of the Big Pig mountain.  Maybe not knocked off, but some nudges from the Skrilla!  lol

Great looking ring there.  I'm still trying to decides on a Weber or a Traeger.  Hank Hill keeps popping up in my head from King Of The Hill.

Does the Traeger also work well as a burger grill, or is it mostly smoker?

[skrilla]

Looks darn good.

Thanks. Indeed it was.

Ummm, I think Tim might be getting pushed around on top of the Big Pig mountain.  Maybe not knocked off, but some nudges from the Skrilla!  lol

Great looking ring there.  I'm still trying to decides on a Weber or a Traeger.  Hank Hill keeps popping up in my head from King Of The Hill.

Does the Traeger also work well as a burger grill, or is it mostly smoker?

Haha more like nudging for tips and advice. I just want to keep up LOL.

Traegers are OK. I originally bought it to smoke pelagics and just recently started using it for lunged creatures. If I could it over again I'd get an offset and become master of tending fire. But pellet smokers are more practical right now as the second I turn my back the kids start destroying the house.

For burgers I prefer direct heat. I got my eyes set on a Weber Kettle for that. Been using the Blackstone griddle for burgers and although it cranks out good eats it's just not the same.

[Tim524]

 Glad it turned out great  One can never have too many smokers or bbq's, kinda like fishing gear

[spideyjg]

You need both a smoker and a grill. I don't have time to baby a fire so I have a Traeger that will fit 2 spatchc*cked 14 lb turkeys in it. 

If you love pork ribs, it is a no brainer to get a pellet smoker.

[spideyjg]

A must is a great thermometer. I use Thermoworks Dot, Chef Alarm, and Therma pen. The Dot is magnetic and stuck to the smoker, Chef alarm for inside or out, Thermapen as a second location check.

https://www.thermoworks.com/DOT

https://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm

https://www.thermoworks.com/Classic-Thermapen

[spideyjg]

Generally I use pork spareribs from the Costco Business center or Wal Mart. The whole spare is the St Louis ribs without the rib tips removed. They are normally much cheaper. See the side by side with baby backs and St Louis. Last year the baby backs were $2.69/lb, The Spare $1.29/lb, St Louis $1.99/lb.

That Traeger can fit 2 spares which is what that pack has so 11 lbs of ribs. Tips are a love it or hate it so try them once.