Pellet Smoker Cooking: Bourbon Baby Back Ribs

For my third cook with BBQ Selects bourbon pellets I decided on baby back ribs. I had decided on using my RSI, from Smok’n Spice. I loaded it with the bourbon pellets & did an hour cold smoke.

Since Adam said their bourbon pellets were made from white oak staves from used bourbon barrels I understand the taste now. I can’t say that in a blind taste I could say I tasted bourbon or not. I do like the taste & it is different from my usual oak pellets. They burn well in my Traeger; ash is comparable with any other pellet I have used or maybe a little less. Sawdust left in the bottom of the bags is about equal to other pellets.

One benefit I am getting is a darker mahogany color. I thought the beef I did was darker than usual, and after the ribs & ring bologna I know it is. I noted it first in the bologna; it was darker than usual & tasted great. If I could pick out the bourbon taste it would be in the bologna. I would definitely buy & use these pellets again.

I had two racks of ribs, one whole & two halves. The whole rack the glue was a little red wine vinegar, in one half I used Dijon mustard & the other was no glue. I used my favorite rub, Penzey’s rib rub on them all. No marinade time I got them ready & on the smoker for the cold smoke.

I did them for one hour on the cold smoke, then a half hour at 180 deg. I then went to 225 deg. for the rest of the cook. I put the ring bologna on just after the ribs. Total cook time was 5 hours. After 2 ½ hrs; I foiled the full rack for 1 ½ hours. I coated the full rack with some of my butchers BBQ sauce for the last hour.

I put on two sweet potatoes, split with butter & brown sugar, and wrapped in foil for my veggie d-i-l. She made a Garden Orzo salad with herb dressing for our other side. It calls for cherry tomatoes added but we serve them on the side, not all like tomatoes. I had a dollop of basil pesto on mine.

All but my d-i-l ate & loved the ribs. We also had some good bread with olive oil dip. I liked the sauced ribs I foiled best, they were moister. That could have been the ribs since they were from two sources. I did sprits with some water I added a little red wine vinegar to twice during the cook.

Ashes after a 5 1/4 hour cook