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Ask Mister Bob
February 8th, 2013 | 
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Have a question about BBQ? Ask Mister Bob!
From the backyard to the professional competition circuit, if there’s something you want to know about barbecue, you’ll find an answer here.
Click on Mister Bob’s picture, then leave your question in the comments box.
Want to know how to tell when a brisket is done to perfection? Maybe you’re having trouble controlling the temperature in your pit, or working on your own signature sauce and just can’t seem to get the right balance of flavors?
Are you heading to your first competition and don’t know what to expect? Or maybe you’re getting started in catering and want to know how many pork butts you’ll need to feed your party?
You’ve come to the right place. The only dumb question is the one you didn’t ask, so go ahead and ask!
Posted in Ask Mister Bob
I want to try a brisket, but my smoker will not hold enough charcoal for a 10 -12 hour smoke. So, I am planning on putting the brisket in the oven for some of the time. Should I smoke the brisket first and then put in the oven to finish, or vice versa.
Thanks!
Craig, you definitely want to smoke the brisket first, then wrap in foil and put it in the oven. Once the meat reaches about 145 degrees or so, smoke has done it’s job and the smoke ring is as deep as it is going to get anyway. I usually foil my briskets when they reach 165 degrees internal temperature, and after the brisket is foiled, it makes no difference whether it’s in a smoker or in an oven. Here’s a link to a cook I finished in the oven a while back. http://thehogblog.com/?p=1411 I think it turned out great! Good luck and smoke on!
-Mister Bob
Thanks very much!
Mister Bob,
My question is, would you please do a post about injections? I would not expect you to reveal your current recipes but I would love to know what you have used in the past on different meats, tricks of the trade, etc. It sounds like your injections have evolved over time; what did you not like about your old ones?
Thanks!
Dave,
I will try to do a more thorough post on injections in the near future, but meanwhile I’ll offer this:
Injections are used for a variety of things: to add flavor, to add moisture and to improve tenderness. When injecting a brisket, I generally use an injection containing phosphates, which improve tenderness and moisture content. I’ve used both Butchers and Kosmos brisket injections with equal success. Though the directions call for mixing with water, I have been using beef broth and adding some flavors to the mix by way Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, MSG, etc.
Butts on the other hand contain so much intramuscular fat and collagen to render, that moisture and tenderness are rarely an issue if cooked properly, so depending on the flavor profile I’m trying to develop on that particular cook, I might inject with a variety of fruit juices, more often than not flavored with hot sauce, vinegar, herbs and spices, etc. On occasion I will inject with a commercial pork marinade as well, like Stubbs or Smoke on Wheels.
I always try to match my injections, marinades, rubs, wrapping liquids and sauces to compliment each other. Sometimes I’m going for more sweet, sometimes more savory and sometimes more heat depending on my mood or who I’m serving that day. The variety keeps it interesting for me.
-Mister Bob
Thank you, sir! I look forward to all the information you are willing to share.
Mister Bob, first off thanks for all of the information you have provided through you’re blog. I have a question about the layering of flavors with respect to spareribs and dry rubs. I read a while back where you tried various dry rubs often in pairs, to create the flavor profile you wanted. My question is, for ribs do you prefer to layer the rubs together during the initial seasoning of the meat? OR is one flavor, say sweet, the prefered rub of choice to put on the meat in the beginning of a cook, and a hotter more savory rub in the middle to end of a cook to help round out the flavor profile? I hope this makes sense, thanks for your help.
Greg,
That’s a great question. Layering flavors and mixing flavors mean two different things to me. When I layer flavors, I usually like to get the more savory flavors down deep into the meat via injections, brines and marinades. That doesn’t mean I won’t get a little sweet in there too.
For instance, let’s talk about ribs. I might marinate with a commercial marinade (like Stubbs Pork Marinade) thinned out with some peach nectar, or apple or white grape juice. The flavor will have a predominately savory taste, with just a background of sweetness.
Next, I’ll rub with something that has both sweet and savory components, but the predominate flavor will be the sweetness. Something like Simply Marvelous Sweet Seduction, or Cherry, or Spicy Apple (or a mixture of two or even three). If the rub is too sweet, I might make an adjustment with SM Season All or Tony C’s Cajun Seasoning, or maybe some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. That’s the mixing part.
Then I’ll use a sauce that has the sweet and savory components, but also adds a little tang and a little heat. Blues Hog Original mixed with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for instance.
Finally, I might give it a light dusting with a finishing spice that has some kick. Smokin’ Guns Gunpowder, or one of my own concoctions of cayenne or habanero and spices powdered in the spice mill. I personally like the savory deep and the heat right on the tip of the tongue.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat and even more ways to cook a rack of ribs, but that’s how I do it. I hope that helps.
Smoke On,
Mister Bob
Thanks Bob! Duly noted! So I am guessing you are a Simply Marvelous fan? I have been considering purchasing some. Any suggestions or should I go for that bulk pack and experiment from there? Happy Smoking Mister Bob
Greg,
I am a Simply Marvelous fan, I think their rubs are among the best out there, and I’ve tried many, many different brands over the last few years. In fact, I use Simply Marvelous so often in my cooks, that the owner of the company, Stephan Franklin noticed and is now sponsoring my competition team. While I like them all, my absolute favorite is Sweet Seduction, with Cherry, Spicy Apple and Sweet and Spicy close behind. Steph just came out with a brisket rub, Peppered Cow, that I will be testing soon. Stay tuned for the results.
Mister Bob
Mr. Bob,
Will using a mop on pork butts remove the rub? Is there a more appropriate way to apply flavors to a butt during the cooking process?
Thanks.
Steve
Steve,
As long as you wait for the bark to develop before mopping, and you are gentle with the mop, most of the rub should stay put. I prefer to use a pump sprayer to apply a spritz during the cooking process, and I don’t over do it to make sure I’m adding flavor and not washing it away!
Mister Bob
Mr. Bob,
Where are your from? You live in New York, I think, but seem to cook like you’re from the South.
Steve,
I’ll take that as a compliment. I do live in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York, but I’ve traveled a lot and had the opportunity to sample the great BBQ of Memphis, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Kansas City, Texas and more. I’ve also read every book I could find on the subject, I’ve taken several cooking classes and picked the brains of some really great cooks at BBQ competitions throughout the northeast. I also spend a couple of hours a day on the best BBQ Forum of all, The BBQ Brethren. I like to think my cooking reflects a little bit of all those places.
Mister Bob
Mr. Bob – Ribs are my worst category! I can’t seem to nail the tenderness the judges are looking for. Any suggestions or tips? I’ve read your rib cook tutorials and they were helpful. I’m currently cooking them at 275 for 2 to 2.5 hours then roughly an hour in foil. I’ve went as long as 1.5 hours in foil. Thanks!
Kyle,
What is your problem with tenderness, under done or over done? How are you monitoring your cooking temperatures, are you sure it’s accurate? What type of cooker and what kind of fuel are you using. Are you adding liquid to the foil wrap?
At 275, 2 hours in the smoke, 1-1/2 hours in the foil, and about 30 minutes resting wrapped up usually works for me. If the ribs are really thick, a little more time in the foil, and if they’re really thin a little less.
For competition you should be looking for tenderness that bites clean off the bone, but doesn’t fall off the bone when handled. When I open the foil, at 1-1/2 hours, I pour off the liquid and check for tenderness. I look for good pull back on the bones and poke them with a toothpick to feel if they are done. If they’re still not done, I close them back up and put them back in the cooker for about 15 – 20 minutes and check again. If they’re done, I rest them until chicken is turned in and then I go to work.
Mister Bob
I think they are over done. I have a superior smoker with guru. I use stubbs or blue bag kingsford with an oak\hickory mix. I use the usual; brown sugar, honey and butter. Recently I’ve been playing with an apple juice based spray instead. Not resting them could be my problem. Would they firm up a little while they’re resting? Thanks!
Mr. Bob-
Brisket turned out pretty darn well I thought. I put them on at midnight and took them off around 7 a.m. at about 142 degrees. Then into the oven until about 3 p.m. and 197 degrees. Great flavor, plenty moist, but when we started slicing, they pretty much shredded. I didn’t mind because it tasted great, but it didn’t look like the nice even slices you showed on your post.
Thanks for the tips.
CWB
They will firm up a little if you pour off the liquid and leave the foil open, but if you leave them wrapped tight, they might keep cooking and become even softer. Cut down on the foil time a little, and leave some time for a rest, or to go back in if they’re not done. Make sure you pour off all the liquid and wrap them back up loosely for the rest. If your ribs still seem to be over cooked after only about an hour in the foil, you might be cooking at a higher temp than you think. Check you calibration and probe location.
Craig,
I’m glad the brisket worked out for you, shredded brisket tastes just as good as sliced!
You need an extremely sharp knife to cut a very tender brisket without shredding it. No pressure at all on the forward stroke and only the weight of the blade on the back stroke will allow you to get slices from even the most tender brisket. A sharp electric knife will work too. Always slice across the grain and take your time.
HI!
I’m doing a BBQ for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. We have a couple of pork butts. I’m sure you’ve answered this somewhere…but I’m kinda clueless at this. We want to smoke it and then use it as pulled pork…would that be right? Would you use a rub on it first?
Love the site and my tummy growls every time I look around it! Thanks so much!!!
Hi Leanne!
Yes, that would be the way to do it, rub it first, then smoke until the internal temperature is 195 degrees, then rest for at least an hour wrapped in foil, then pull. Cooking at 275 degrees, it will take about 10 hours. If you want to speed things up a little bit, wrap it tight in foil with a little apple juice when the internal temp reaches 160 – 165, then put it back in the smoker until it reaches 195. Search this site for pork butt for a few examples.
Good luck!
Mister Bob
Hi Bob
I got some Bison ribs and plan on doing them soon.Have you ever cooked these? Since they are not cheap and very lean, I was wondering how you would tackle this cook. What temp to cook at ,rub, and wood to use. Thanks for your help and keep up the good work. Also, good luck this BBQ comp season. Would love to check out a competition sometime but dont know of any within a reasonable distance from home. How could I find out? Greensburg Pennsylvania is home. Thanks again!
Hi Mark,
My competition schedule looks like this so far. http://thehogblog.com/?p=2292. I have nothing planned for western PA, the closest to you is probably Rochester, NY May 26 – 27 or Seaside Heights, NJ September 22 – 23.
I haven’t had the pleasure to cook bison ribs, but I would treat them something like beef ribs. I would marinate them for at least four hours in a commercial beef marinade, or maybe a mixture of olive oil, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, Apple Cider Vinegar and some herbs and spices (be creative!). I would then rub them with something like Plowboys ‘Bovine Bold’, The Slabs ‘Wow up Your Cow’, or Simply Marvelous ‘Peppered Cow’. If you want to keep it simple you can use Montreal Steak Seasoning or just plain old salt, pepper and garlic powder.
I’d cook low and slow (like 225) and let them spend the first two hours in the smoke unwrapped. Because they are so lean, I would make sure they spent at least the next two to three hours in foil with some beef broth or maybe some Guinness Stout or some other flavorful liquid so they will braise to tenderness. When the ribs are finally tender, and a toothpick slides in between the bones like a hot knife through butter, I would unwrap them and hit them with a nice tangy sauce like Head Country Original maybe. Fifteen minutes back in the smoke unwrapped and they should be ready. Now I’ll have to go out and find some bison ribs! Please check back and let me know how you make out.
Mister Bob
Hey Bob, hope all is well. As always thank you for the insightful and very beneficial posts. I am entering my first competition in the backyard division of a KCBS event in August. It is just my wife and I for now, but we are considering bringing on a third for extra help. My question is do you have any competition tips or lessons learned in terms of prep at home, site set up, before, during, and after the contest. I know it is kind of a loaded question, but maybe just a few things you wish you would have known prior to your first contest that you feel would help shorten a young team’s learning curve? Thanks Bob.
Hi Greg!
Wow, where to start?! The most important thing I can tell you is to do a full blown practice session, all categories, turn in times, presentation, everything. Take good notes, then develop a detailed time line for every step of your process. it’s easy to forget something in the heat of battle.
A few things that should help:
-Trim you chicken and ribs at home
-Prepare your rubs, injections, marinades and sauces at home
-if you’re doing putting greens for presentation, buy plenty of parsley and shop a day or two in advance. It’s not always easy to find fresh and you may have to shop around.
-Make your greens the night before turn in, cover with a damp paper towel and put the boxes in the cooler ’till a half hour before you need them.
-Try to have your brisket and butts done three or four hours before turn in, wrapped and resting in a hot box (or dedicated cooler). It will take a lot of pressure off you and let you concentrate on chicken and ribs when you have to.
-Don’t turn in any of the white stringy meat from the center of the butt, and show plenty of bark.
-Put plenty of meat in your boxes, but be neat.
Good luck!
Mr. BoB
I know London Broil(top Round)isn’t a cut of beef. My grocery store had them on sale buy1 get one free so i bought 4 to have around the house,but can it be smoked and preped just like a Brisket?
Thanks
Joe,
Top round is not a cut that lends itself well to low and slow BBQ, not enough fat or connective tissue. Cooking like a brisket will not yield good results. Your best bet is marinating, then direct high heat untill the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees. Rest for 30 minutes covered loosely with foil, then slice very thin across the grain.
-Mister Bob
Thanks Bob! This really helps me out.
Mr Bob-
The last 2 times I’ve smoked baby back ribs they ended up disappointing. I prepared them with a light layer of spicy mustard then applied dry rub. I let the ribs sit in the fridge over night. Next morning- Smoked at 190 degrees for about 3.5 hours. The problem is that they never develop a crust or “bark” on them. They remain soft on top. The flavor is ok but the texture is not what I want. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.
David,
I would say your cooking temperature is too low. I smoke ribs at 275 degrees, and I would consider 225 a minimum if you want to develop a crusty bark. Another bit of advice Imight offer is to apply your rub no more than an hour before cooking. The salt in the rub will draw moisture from the ribs and they could turn out a bit dry. Search for ‘babybacks times two’ on this site and follow the step by step process. I think you’ll like the results. If you like a more crusty bark, give them a little more time in the smoke after the sauce. Good luck and smoke on.
-Mister Bob
Mr. Bob
I have been a backyard bbqer for several years and I am now getting into doing bbq as a part my business. I am trying to figure out what a good figure is to use when figuring shrinkage in meat when cooking. Particularly pork butts and hams to use for pulled pork. Any ideas?
Brad,
40% shrinkage is reasonable for pork butts. Depending on how many sides or other meats, and the number of hungry men vs women and children, figure 1/3 to 1/2 lb cooked per serving. So, a ten pound butt will give you about six pounds cooked, which will give you 12 to 18 servings. Hope that helps.
I am fabricating a smoker and plan to use a BBQ guru. Will I still need to have a natural draft as well?
JW,
It’s not absolutely necessary, but if you should have a power outage, or if your Guru got wet or failed for some other reason, it would be very handy to be able to control the cooker manually. What type of cooker are you building?
Mr.Bob,
I have owned a Texas style off set smoker for more that 10 years, its great for parties, or T-day. But when its just me and my wife and I want to cook some ribs or a few chickens cut up , well it takes a lot of Charcoal and wood. I have tried cooking in big batchs and freezing what we don’t eat to save fuel costs, but I would like your opinion on a better way.
I was thinking about buying a Webber Smokey Mountain, 22.5 ” and a digi q with fan and using it for small smoking sessions. What is your opinion of the WSM. Do you think I can get great bbq from it ? Any con’s to owning one?
Mr.Jeff, I think the Weber Smokey Mountain is an excellent cooker that can produce the highest quality BBQ in the right hands. Harry Soo, from Slap Yo’ Daddy has been very successful on the Competition BBQ circuit using nothing but WSMs. In mine I use Royal Oak lump charcoal with 5 or 6 chunks of cherry or hickory mixed in. I use the Minion Method and get very fuel efficient, consistent and, long burns that don’t require constant feeding and tending. You will not be disappointed if you decide to go with the Weber. Good luck and smoke on!
Thanks Mr. Bob. I am glad you gave me some advise on how you use your WSM. I think I will be buying one next month. I am very glad to hear that it is an excellent cooker, and can produce real BBQ if used right. I am going to use a BBQ guru Digi Q to keep a constant temp and cut fuel costs. Also I will try Royal Oak and the minon Method. Thanks again
Good luck in comps
– Mr. Jeff
I am really struggling with what burnt ends should look like and how they are cooked and for how long. Is there any way for you to give a step by step on how to do it, and what the finished product should look and feel like. This is a great help Bob. Thank you!
Bob,
After the brisket is done, separate the point muscle from the flat muscle. Cut the point into about 1″ cubes, put them in a foil pan and hit them with some more rub and a little sauce and put them back in the cooker for about an hour to 90 minutes. Check out this post about an Angus brisket I cooked a while back, and you’ll see what they should look like when they’re done. http://thehogblog.com/?p=1715
Mr Bob,
I have always marinated my butts for 2 days prior to smoking, and I always get very good flavor through out the whole butt. When I use a rub instead of my marinade, the butt seems to lack flavor. Am I missing something?
Will, Why rub instead of marinade, and not both? In competition, I inject and marinate my butts as soon as possible after meat inspection, usually about 14 hours before they go into the cooker. About a half hour before cooking time, I pat them dry and hit them with the dry rub. The injection and the marinade get the flavor in deep, and the rub gives the bark the great color and flavor.
I understand the competition side of it. I guess that I was thinking about these big bbq places that cook 50 butts a day. Shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show these guys rubbing their meat and letting them sit overnight. Do the big places rely on the sauce to make up for what they might miss by not injecting?
Will, If I was cooking 50 butts, I probably wouldn’t take the time to inject or marinate either. If you rub and wrap the butts well in advance (like overnight), it will liquify on the surface of the meat and act very much like a marinade anyway. Most restaurants and caterers also shake in a little more rub and/or add some sauce after the pork is pulled to give it a flavor boost. Moderation is the key, you still want it to taste like pork!
Mister Bob,
Do you cook ribs using rib racks or do you prefer to lay them directly on the cooking grates?
Thanks, for a great blog.
Steve
Steve, when cooking for a crowd I use rib racks so I can fit more in the cooker. Otherwise, I cook them laying flat, with bone side down so the rub and spritz lay on the meat instead of dripping off.
Thanks, Rob.
When cooking for a crowd, do you wrap your ribs after after 2-3 hours?
Stephen
Steve, I usually do wrap ribs after 2 hours even when cooking for a crowd. It speeds things up and helps with the tenderness. Don’t get me wrong, you can turn out great ribs without wrapping, but the foil seems to make things easier and more predictable.
Thanks Bob.
What’s the next competition you’ll be attending?
Regards,
Steve
Steve,
We were at the Hudson Valley Ribfest in New Paltz, NY this past weekend. 50 teams, we took 2nd place chicken and 13th overall. Not sure yet about the rest of this season.