Sandlapper BBQ Co.

Great day for BBQ!!

Recently we have answered a lot of question on how Sandlapper BBQ cooks ribs and the process the we go through as well. Hopefully the process below will give you a good base to go from to make your own special barbecue. We realize this is a long post but well worth the read. Good Eats!

Dry Rib Rub Recipe
There are many variations to a dry rub. Here are two.

Side Note: Sugar, white or brown, it is up to you and your test. Brown gives a more molasses flavor however we prefer white sugar. It gives us a cleaner product. But don't get me wrong both work great!

Bunyon's Basic Rub
•1 cup sugar (White or Brown)
•2 tablespoons chili powder
•2 tablespoons dry mustard
•2 tablespoons onion powder
•2 tablespoons garlic powder
•1 tablespoon cayenne powder
•2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
•2 tablespoons black ground pepper

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Store in an air tight container.

Sandlapper BBQ Dry Rub

•1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
•4 tablespoons white sugar
•1 tablespoon garlic powder
•1 tablespoon onion powder
•1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or regular)
•1 tablespoon black pepper
•1 tablespoon cumin
•3 tablespoons chili powder

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Store in an air tight container.

Spare Ribs and Baby Back Ribs

The main difference between how we cook spare ribs and baby back ribs is the temperature of my pit. Baby back ribs get smoked at 250F while St Louis spares get smoked at 275F. The St Louis spares get smoked at a higher temperature as they have a higher fat content than baby back ribs. The higher heat helps the fat render from the St Louis ribs.
•Start by removing the membrane (FYI: YouTube is a wonderful place to learn how to dress down any meat) from the back of the ribs and trimming off any excess fat. One at a time, place the racks on a cutting board, bone side up, and remove the membrane (or "silver"): At whichever end of the rack seems easier, work your fingers underneath the membrane until you have 2 to 3 inches cleared. Grab the membrane with a towel and gently but firmly pull it away from the ribs. Pulling off the membrane exposes loose fat that will need trimming, so take your knife and cut out any excess fat. Now the racks are ready. After the ribs have been patted dry it is time to season them with the dry rub.
•Apply the rub to the top, back and sides of the ribs. Let the ribs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight as the rub works its way into the ribs. Either way allow the meat to come to room temperature before smoking/cooking

◦Note: Many people have strong opinions on when to apply a rub, some say to allow at least a few hours and preferably overnight. Others literally apply it as they are putting them in the smoker/oven. Since people do it both ways and both claim to end up with terrific, moist ribs, whatever effect this might have is probably small. It may change aspects of the "glazing" effect that a rub might give, depending on what is in the rub. A rub left on for a longer period will become more mushy and more like a paste or a glaze/sauce, while a rub put on fresh before cooking won't have time to become as moist. You will get slightly more flavor pe*******on with a longer rest, but there are diminishing returns there too after the first hour or two.

The "early rub will dry things out" argument is pretty flimsy from a food science perspective. It is true that rubs which contain significant amounts of salt, sugar, or other hydrophilic substances will cause some moisture to come out of the meat. On the other hand, most people tend to smoke/cook ribs for quite a few hours anyway so the rub will have plenty of time to draw out that moisture regardless of whether you put it on ahead or time or right before cooking.

It's not like you're salt-curing the meat and leaving the salt on it for months. Once the salt (and/or sugar) draws out the moisture from the outermost thin layer of meat, it generally takes much longer for moisture to migrate from inner parts of the meat. That surface layer of meat will release most of its moisture within an hour or so after you put salt or sugar or whatever on. So, even if you put your rub on immediately before putting it in the smoker, that moisture will tend to be drawn out in the first part of the cooking time. Adding a few more hours or even overnight to the rub shouldn't result in significantly more moisture loss from the meat's interior -- and the exterior will always dry out a bit as it cooks anyway.

Moreover, you aren't generally draining away moisture from the surface. With ribs, you often have them wrapped up to rest, which means the meat sits in that moisture. And guess what? About 10-15 minutes in, the brine produced by the moisture combined with the salt in the rub will begin to break down the outer muscle structure of the meat and cause it to absorb more moisture than usual, so much of that liquid lost will be reabsorbed back into the meat within an hour or so.

•As soon as the ribs have been coated with rub you need to make sure your smoker is at the right temperature; 250F for baby backs and 275F for spares.
I like to us Apple wood (or any fruit tree) for ribs. A touch of Hickory and Oak. Hickory and oak can over power the taste of the ribs so us enough for taste.

◦Note: Use charcoal and wood interchangeable. To keep the temperature up and flavor form the wood. There are two main types of charcoal, briquettes and hard lump. The first comes in preformed pieces, so they are all the same size and include a filler material. They will sometimes also have lighter fluid in them already and be "easy start" or something similar. Hard lump is just charcoal from hardwoods with no filler. These will usually be in all kinds of shapes and look like "natural" pieces of wood (albeit in charcoal form). Hard lump is easy to light, burns hotter, and leaves much less ash than briquettes. It also has a better flavor. I strongly recommend hard lump charcoal.

Wood is used to provide smoke as a primary function rather than heat. The standard way to use wood is to soak it in water for a period of time prior to cooking. Packages will often say to soak for an hour. I tend to soak small wood chips for an hour or two and keep dry the larger lump wood. I have soaked the larger chunks for 12 hours. Wood comes in various sizes, from very small chips (slightly larger than a coin) to large chunks bigger than a fist. The smaller the chips, the less heat they provide and the faster they burn up. These are generally better for shorter smoking times. Large chunks can smoke for 10-20mins or for 12+ hours if they are properly soaked. In both cases, I put the wood on to already burning coals to get them going.

In terms of wood, you want hard woods with low amounts of resin / sap. No glue, nails, etc. Natural in other words. Common woods for BBQ in the Carolina's is Oak, Hickory, Fruit Wood, Pecan, and Peach. I've used old wine barrel chunks which have a really nice flavor, and also bits of rosemary branch (thick from a large plant) which didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. You can even use the shells of nuts like pecans. This is really a question of seeing what's readily available and experimenting with your own personal taste.
You can also use wood with a gas grill by putting it in a smoking box or tin foil with holes in it, and placing directly on the heating element. Wood chips work best for this. I've never had much luck with this though. It's hard to get the chips smoking and, more importantly, gas grills don't have the airflow through them to properly move smoke over the food.

•Hickory adds a strong flavor to meats, so be careful not to use to excessively. It’s good with beef and lamb.
•Oak is strong but not overpowering and is a very good wood for beef or lamb. Oak is probably the most versatile of the hard woods.
•Fruit, like apple, apricot or cherry, fruit wood gives off a sweet, mild flavor that is good with poultry or ham.
•Pecan burns cool and provides a delicate flavor. It’s a much subtler version of hickory.
•Peach is great for poultry and pork. This wood is similar to hickory but is sweeter and milder in flavor
•Place the Ribs in the smoker on the grate or pan. Using a pan helps keep the cooker clean. Either way is fine.

•After the ribs have smoked for two hours remove the pan from the smoker. Pour one cup of apple juice into a clean aluminum baking pan. Place the ribs in the pan, bone side down, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 1 hour. (Make sure all meat is at the USDA recommend eating temp.)

•Remove the pan from the smoker and shut off the heat on the smoker. Remove the foil, and apply a sweet thick BBQ sauce (Ex.The Shed BBQ Original Southern Sweet) to the top and bottom of the slabs of ribs. Re- cover the pan with foil, return it to the smoker, and let the ribs rest in the smoker for 30 minutes as the temperature gradually decreases.
•Remove the ribs from the pan and let them rest for 10 minutes. Then cut and serve.

Happy Labor Day from the Sandlapper Crew.

I would like to welcome everyone to the Sandlapper BBQ Co page. After being on several competition BBQ teams I felt it was time I started mine. I am in the infancy stages of this process but hopefully it will build organically. Along with competition's we will offer catering services as well (At a later Date) . So far here is what we offer

Bunyon's BBQ Rub (Ribs and Boston Butt)
Graydon's Chicken Rub (Whole and Quartered)
Sandlapper BBQ Co. Vinegar Sauce (Tomato Based)
Sandlapper BBQ Co. Chicken Sauce
Granna's Pound Cake ( Best Pound Cake the south has ever tasted)

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