Smoking Baby Backs on a Gas Grille

If I was still on Facebook, I'd probably post this photo of me, yesterday, smoking a small slab of baby-back ribs on the gas grille.

Yes, I said GAS grille, as in propane.  I know, it's not the same as being slow-cooked over hot coals on the smoker, but they were still pretty awesome.

add more water after 2 hrs

It still takes about 4 hours of cooking at consistent low heat (235 degrees).  Only the leftmost burner is used to keep the temp low.  I rack the meat over an oven-proof cooking pan, 1/2 filled with water,  on the "cool" side of the grille.  

The water in the pan tends to keep the temperature stable, and probably needs to be re-filled after a few hours.

A hand full of wood chips are wrapped in a heavy duty aluminum foil packet (air-tight except for two small holes to let the smoke out). The packet of wood chips is placed directly on the burner heat covers (on my Weber they're called flavorizing bars) under the grate.

The smoke from the packet should not be overwhelming, just a constant small trail, that you can smell, but you don't need visible clouds of smoke to infuse the meat with that hickory flavor.

If I was cooking for a larger group I would definitely use the smoker, which has a lot more cooking space.  But for a small slab (just enough for 2) I save a lot of work using the gas grille.  

I use a meat thermometer to check, looking for a reading of about 190 degrees to indicate doneness.  The meat should not be "falling off the bone" unless you like them overcooked and tasteless.  If overcooked you will need to add barbecue sauce to give them flavor. 

 The results are much better than downtown.  Try it yourself.  Serve with sauteed greens, rice and beans.  

ooh

The Zen of Grill Assembly

"How hard can it be?" may seem at first like a Buddhist koan, and I know from experience that the gods who like to smack down the dreams of prideful mortals  often have a way of answering that query with a resounding "very."


Still, you think to yourself, they sell millions of gas grills online and other people seem to be able put them together, it must be easy enough that  a guy of average intelligence and pluck can be successful.

Well, I was right about that.   But first lets recap.

I had decided on the Weber 3 burner Spirit E-310

I bought it online at Home Depot for $499 plus tax, free shipping.

I figured it would be a challenge; but, what the hell, I have plenty of time.  It might even be fun.

When it arrived via UPS, I apologized to the driver as she wrangled the large (135 lb)  box off the truck onto a two wheeler.  I unpacked the parts and instructions and set everything out on the screen porch.  

Because I always read the manual first, the next thing I did was to read the manual.






The tool list was simple, but I added an essential item that the engineers had omitted: a beer bottle opener.

I was impressed with the clarity of instructions and the organized and labelled packets of screws and washers.  All the parts needed to assemble the "A" process were in a bag labelled "A"

Letsee now, 

The instructions were mostly graphic illustrations, probably designed for verbally challenged individuals.  What about those of us that are graphically challenged?

Starting to look like a grill

After a while, things start to take shape.  I am impressed with the solid engineering. I still need to get it outside, so I save the cover and grills for last so it will be easier to take down the step to the patio.

Ready to take outside to add heavy parts

Ta Da!

Honey, get the steaks out!

So it took a few hours, but I am very pleased with the results.  If I can do it, so can you!


Simple Rules
1. Read the manual.
2. Get the right tools.
3. Have at least 2 beers in fridge, preferably a six-pack.
4. Put the mother together
5 Grill something.