Wouldn’t it be nice to spend the labor day weekend regaling friends and family with some bodacious barbecue ribs? Might I interest you in some smoked pork steaks? Here are my favorite recipes for smoked meats, but first, I prepare my own special Barbecue spice rub by mixing paprika, brown sugar, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper and onion powder in a bowl. I keep this mixture in the freezer in a sealable plastic bag or store it in an air-tight container until I need it for the smoked pork steak recipe:
Smoked pork steak
These are the things I need to cook this fantastic recipe: pork steaks, at least one per person; some Kosher salt; some of the barbecue spice rub I prepared earlier; my favorite barbecue sauce (optional for glazing). To dry brine the steaks, I place them on a sheet pan or a similar container and sprinkle them with Kosher salt on the top sides only. The salt draws out some of the meat juices to the surface. The juices mix with the salt to produce a slurry that gets reabsorbed into the meat. I put the meat into the fridge for three hours, so I do this step way ahead of time before the actual smoking process.
To ensure that no residual salt remains after the dry brining process, I rinse the meat after taking it out of the refrigerator. Then I lay them back onto the sheet pan. I then sprinkle the slabs generously with my prepared barbecue spice rub and then let the steaks sit for around 10 minutes till I see them achieve that nice wet look. I flip them over and then do the same thing to the other side. I leave the pork steaks be and go to prepare the smoker. The smoker has to be set up to about 225°F with indirect heat. Once the machine is preheated, I put the steaks directly on the grates. My favorite smoking wood is pecan in my charcoal grill, but if you use an electric or gas smoker, you will also have to keep the smoke going for an hour just like I do with my charcoal grill. The perfect doneness temperature for the meats is 180°F. I glaze the steaks with my favorite barbecue sauce a half hour till they’re done, and allow the sauce to caramelize while doing the same to the other side.
Barbecue ribs
I mix together the following ingredients in a medium bowl: garlic powder; cayenne pepper; paprika; salt; onion powder; cumin; ground black pepper; cloves; brown sugar; nutmeg; cinnamon. I apply the mixture generously to the ribs, which I place in a large roasting pan that I cover and put in the fridge overnight. An hour prior to smoking, I take the ribs out from the fridge. I prepare my outdoor smoker or grill by bringing it to 200 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. I smoke the ribs for 6 to 8 hours while adding wood chips a handful at a time every half hour to 45 minutes to keep the smoke steady. I want the ribs tender inside and crispy outside when done. I let the cooked ribs sit for 15 to 20 minutes after taking them out of the grill and before serving.