Question on briefly freezing ribs prior to smoking them

Unknown · August 2001

Hi,
I've seen a lot of postings that mention putting ribs in the freezer briefly before cooking them. Does this really make for better ribs? I bought the Kansas City BBQ videos and they all recommend the opposite -- bringing ribs up to room temperature before placing them in the smoker. They say that this does two things: 1) opens up the pores so that you have better smoke penetration and 2) prevents the buildup of creosote, which occurs when smoke hits a cold surface. I would very much appreciate your thoughts! Great forum you have here.
Thanks,
- Fiddleboy

Char-Woody · August 2001

Fiddleboy, Welcome to the forum. And my personal view only..I have quick thawed frozen ribs, rubbed em down and cooked em still frozen in the centers. I have chilled meats, and quick frozen exteriors, and I find very little difference in the actual cooks except for the time of the cook. I am somewhat adverse to letting meats reach room temperatures..but if it works for ya..?? S'pecially poultry and salmonella problems.
I would not know about the "pore's" as this to me is a living flesh spa or hot house application..I say with tongue in cheek consideration.
Others may have more suitable definitive answers.
Cheers to ya..
Char-Woody[p]

The Naked Whiz · August 2001

Fiddleboy,
Some folks who checked with food scientists at a university posted here that smoke can only penetrate the meat before it hits something around 135 to 140 degrees. Therefore, the cooler the meat, the longer it is below that temperature and the more smoke it should take up. I'd tend to believe the food science people, fwiw....[p]TNW

Spin · August 2001

Fiddleboy,[p]Like Char-Woody, I too am concerned with how long meat is in the 70-120°F temperature range as this is when the fastest spoilage will occur and prefer to avoid a potential situation.[p]The Egg works differently than most cookers and adjusting the cook to best take advantage of its strong points is the reason for the cool meal use.[p]Lump charcoal provides less than 5% of the impurities of wood fired cookers. The Egg also uses much less fuel to accomplish the same cook. The result being that creosote is not a concern for any single cook.[p]Smoke absorption into a meal only happens in the 33-140°F temperature range. Absorption is much slower at the extremes of this range than towards the middle temps. Starting with a cooler meal and applying a heavy smoke very early in the cook (while the Egg is still heating) provides a heavy application to the meal that then is dispersed into the meal as it warms up. This method allows the use of a minimal amount of smoking wood(s), provides the maximum potential of dispersal of the flavor applied, minimizes the possibility of spoilage of the meal, and entirely avoids the problems of smoke "bite". It is also quicker to prepare.[p]Spin

Unknown · August 2001

Thanks for the help, Spin. I'm used to an offset wood-burner and am just taking the Egg out for the first test drive. Its folks like ya'll that convinced me that this is the way to go!

Unknown · August 2001

That sounds like good advice, TNW. Appreciate it!
- Fiddleboy[p]

Unknown · August 2001

Char-Woody,
Sounds like all the votes are in. I'm gonna go toss them things in the freezer for a bit. Thanks for the help!
-Fiddleboy

Char-Woody · August 2001

Fiddleboy, that will beat the counter top RT idea..Good luck, and report back.
C~W[p]

Question on briefly freezing ribs prior to smoking them

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