Smoked Pork Rib Tips Recipes

SMOKED PORK RIB TIPS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Combine the rub ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. If the sugar is lumpy, crumble the lumps by hand or on the side of the bowl with a fork. If you store the rub in a tight jar, you can keep it for months. If it clumps, just chop it up. You can also spread it on a baking sheet and put it in a 225°F (107.2°C) oven for 15 minutes to drive off moisture. No hotter or the sugar can burn.
• Season the rib tip slabs with Kosher salt. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed. The process of salting in advance is called dry brining. The rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound (453.6 g) of meat, but rib tips contain a significant amount of cartilage, so use about 1/4 teaspoon per pound (453.6 g). You can simply eyeball it by sprinkling on the same amount of salt you would sprinkle on rib tips if they were served to you unsalted.
• Fire up. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C) and add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 225°F (107.2°C) on the indirect side.
• Cook. Once the smoker or grill is ready, season the rib tip slabs with enough Meathead's Memphis Dust to color them.
• Place the rib tip slabs on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Set the lid on the grill with the fully opened top vent positioned directly above the slabs in order to force the smoke over and around the meat. Allow the meat to smoke for 2 1/2 hours. If you opt not to wrap the rib tips in the following step, simply allow them to smoke for another 45 minutes.
• Optional Wrapping Step: For optimal juiciness and tenderness, lay out two double layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil approximately eight inches longer than the slabs of rib tips. Lay the slabs meat side down in the center of the foil. Fold the sides of the foil up and add 2 tablespoons apple juice to each foil packet before loosely sealing.
• Place the wrapped ribs on the smoker or grill and cook for another 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil packets from the smoker or grill and cautiously open the foil to allow the steam to escape. Remove the slabs of rib tips from the foil and set them back on the smoker or grill. Cover the smoker or grill, and allow them to cook until the bark has firmed up and the slabs of rib tips are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Use the "bend test" to check for doneness: just pick up the slab on one end with a pair of tongs and bounce them slightly. If they are ready, the slab with bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.
• Serve. Remove the slabs of rib tips from the smoker or grill. Using a cleaver or sharp chef's knife, cut the slabs into 1- to 3-inch (25.4- to 76.2-mm) pieces like they do at Lem's in Chicago. Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce.

SMOKED RIBS

Steps:

• Turn the ribs over onto its back and you will see a thin white covering on the bones all along the rack. Starting at one end, use a small knife to slide right under the membrane and gently pull up, but don't cut it. The easiest spot to get under the membrane is right on the bone and not on the meat.
• Grab the membrane with a paper towel. (Paper towel will give you a nice grip so you can hold onto it as you pull.) Gently but firmly pull the membrane off the entire rib.
• You can clean and season the ribs the night before or about an hour before smoking. If you will season the night before, make sure to place them on a metal rimmed tray and cover with plastic wrap air-tight. (Keep in refrigerator if holding them overnight.)(It's good to prepare the ribs the night before if you need to get them on the smoker bright and early the next day. Just take them out of the refrigerator before preparing the smoker.)
• Mix all ingredients for the rub together in a bowl. Pat ribs on all sides with a paper towel.
• Generously sprinkle the rub in an even layer over both sides of the rib so the meat is not showing. Gently pat and even out the seasoning with your hands. Let ribs sit while preparing the smoker.
• Set up your smoker and preheat it to 225°. I highly recommend including a water pan or water/drip pan to the smoker. Use a digital oven thermometer to track the temperature on the grill grate. Don't rely on the thermometer built into the lid of the smoker, they are always at least 20 degrees off.
• (If using wood or charcoal smoker, maintain the temperature right around 225° but don't let it get below 225° or over 250°)
• When the smoker temperature is at 225°, place ribs on the grate and close the lid.
• Smoke ribs for 5-7 hours, depending on their size. (Large, meaty racks could take a little longer and if you stack more than 2 racks in a rib holder, expect to add at least 1 more hour.)
• Use long metal tongues to gently lift the rib rack off the grate but hold it only about 1/3 -1/2 of the way up the rack. Give it a gentle bounce to see how easily the meat cracks. (See picture in the post.)If it cracks easily and right away, the ribs are ready. If the meat is having a bit of a hard time cracking and feels rubbery when bouncing, the ribs need at least another hour.
• If you plan to add the sauce, glaze ribs with BBQ sauce an hour before they are ready. Remember to keep the lid of the smoker open as little as possible so you don't let the heat out. This is especially important for wood and charcoal smokers.

OVEN-BAKED BARBECUE RIB TIPS

Steps:

• Remove silver skin from underside of rib tips, if it is there. Rub seasoned salt on both sides of the meat.
• Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place seasoned meat into the pan. Cover tightly with another piece of foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven, covered and undisturbed, for 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove from the oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Uncover and drain the pan, if necessary. Brush barbecue sauce over ribs. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
• Turn ribs and brush with additional barbecue sauce; continue baking for another 15 minutes. Repeat this twice more, for a total of 1 hour baking time at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove from the oven and cut into desired serving size, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Broil in the preheated oven to develop a bit of char, 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they do not burn. Remove from the oven and serve.

SLOW COOKER PORK RIB TIPS

Steps:

• Mix brown sugar, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Rub each rib with dry rub mixture until thoroughly coated. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Mix BBQ sauce and liquid smoke until well combined.
• Place ribs in the slow cooker and pour BBQ sauce mixture evenly over ribs.
• Cook on Low until ribs are tender, 4 to 6 hours.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Remove ribs from the slow cooker and baste with remaining BBQ sauce.
• Broil ribs in the preheated oven for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.