BBQ’s Best Brains Share Their Advice, Skills & Stories To Help You Take Your BBQ To The Next Level
Sterling Smith
Besides being a great guy and BBQ Legend, Sterling is the Owner and Pitmaster of Loot N’ Booty BBQ and has been competing on the professional BBQ circuit since 2009.
Sterling has won 31 Grand and Reserve Grand Championship Awards, more than 300 top ten awards, 9 perfect “180” scores, 3 – 700+ scores and is a two-time Australian Invitational Lamb Champion.
HOT TIPS on cooking championship pork ribs
Sterling shares techniques and advice captured during his BBQ Master Class at Turn Left @ Albuquerque.
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Trimming your ribs
Trimming off the fat exposes the proteins to allow the seasoning and smokey flavours to penetrate the meat
When trimming don’t dig down into the meat, use gradual easy shallow cuts and save as much meat as possible
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Prepping the underside of your ribs
It’s all about removing barriers for the seasoning and smokey flavours to penetrate the protein
Trim off excess fat
Remove the membrane, keep it dry and use paper towels
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Seasoning your pork ribs
Sterling’s a big fan of layering, apply 3 layers of seasoning:
Trim off excess fat
Remove the membrane, keep it dry and use paper towels
Bottom: Salt based rub
Middle: Flavour rub
Top: Colour / sugar rub
Apply a medium to light coating
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How long should you season your ribs
Once applied allow 1 to 2 hours
Allows enough time for the salt time to pull the moisture out of the meat, the pH balance to occur and importantly the moisture and flavour be sucked back down into the meat
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Position on your BBQ, spritzing & when it’s ready to wrap
Use upper racks – allows heat & smoke to circulates around the meat
Ribs are ready to wrap when the rub stays on the ribs when scrapped
Spritz with H2O, it attracts and sucks smokey flavours into the meat
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Wrapping your ribs
This stage is about adding flavour & tenderness
Use 2 layer of quality foil
Add unsalted butter, maple syrup, and BBQ sauce top & bottom
Finish off adding apple juice to create moisture (tenderness) and flavour