Low temp smoking advice

[iamimdoc]

I am going to sous vide multiple racks of pork ribs at 160 for 12 hours. I want to then smoke them for flavor and bark

The first time I did this at 225 for about 3 hours.  I thought they were overdone to my taste. Bone pulled out, no chew, falling off bone.  Not my preference

Can I get smoke and bark at a lower temp ( or really, how can I accomplish what I want)

Thanks

 

[tostitobandito]

Never done sous vide before, but given that amount of time it seems like the meat is pretty much cooked already and all you're doing in the smoker is getting some smoke and bark on the outside.  In that case, try a slightly higher temp for a much shorter amount of time, like maybe 250 for an hour.  You definitely shouldn't need anything near 3 hours, as you can nearly cook an uncooked rack of ribs in that time.  Make sure you have some sort of rub on the ribs if you want a bark to form. 

Most of the smoke action happens in the first hour or so anyways, so this should get you as much smoke flavor as you're gonna get.  The only question is how much of a bark you can get in that short a time.

 

[barelfly]

Tostitobandito has a good point on the smoke time afterwards.

Another way, is you could try to smoke first to get some smoke flavor then sous vide. if you do smoke then sous vide, I would hit them on the grill for a short burn to tighten them up, allows for you to apply a rub or sauce. Or, smoke again but at a higher temp for shorter time.

A few questions - when you took the ribs to the smoker, did you shock the ribs in ice water first to get completely cold? This will allow for smoke to take as well, as smoke does better with cold meat. Regardless of what I cook, if I SV and then smoke/grill/sear I ice bath so that the next step of cooking doesn’t take the temp past what SV gave you.

Also, how was the texture coming out of the SV bath? You could try a shorter bath time, shock and refrigerate for a day then smoke the next day. Perhaps you do this already, but pinch the meat as you go with SV to see if you like the give it has.

Hope this helps a bit. Let us know how it goes on the next try.

 

[LarryD]

I was hoping someone else would ask, but maybe I'm the only one who doesn't know.    Why do the sous vide and then smoke?  Smoking ribs is super easy and would take far less time/effort than you're describing... 

 

[Limey]

Completely agree with Larry. I use sous vide quite a lot but mostly for reheating previously smoked and vacuum packed meats. Otherwise you are just adding an extra step since you have to reverse sear to get bark/caramelization anyway. Are we not all into Lazy Q??

 

[old sarge]

I was hoping someone else would ask, but maybe I'm the only one who doesn't know.    Why do the sous vide and then smoke?  Smoking ribs is super easy and would take far less time/effort than you're describing...

The last time I commented on sous vide on another forum, you would have thought I was starting WWlll! I want my meat to be fresh looking when it hits the smoker or the grill; not a greying or brownish color sitting in a pouch surrounded by what could have been good juices. So I kept my comments to myself.  Except for what I just said. Couldn't help myself!  My apologies to all those who love sous vide.

 

[iamimdoc]

I used Sous vide to see what would happen.  They were fall off the bone after smoking which I don't like but others did
No question the meat is er, ah, unappetizing after sous vide.  Very forgiving time wise in the sense you can do them for 6, 8 12 hours without much difference.

I have found it does well with pulled pork and chuck steak (poor mans brisket also) and that it makes timing easier as you only need a few hours of smoking at the end and don't get into "the meat is not ready [but should have been] issue but the company is here and are hungry."

It does take extra steps but once food in the water, nothing to do - no spritizing, checking temps, etc

Just my 2c.

 

[barelfly]

Glad you have had some success with the other cuts. I thought the ribs would be a challenge, but, thanks for sharing your results.

I do agree with you on the Chuck roast and sous vide. It’s a wonderful way to prep the chuckie! Pork chops, boneless chicken breast, salmon, and even carrots - those are what I enjoy in the SV the most!