Do you wish you could smoke ribs like the pros do? Learn how to smoke ribs that look gorgeous on the table and will tantalize your taste buds long after the meal is past.
The Recipe
In this blog post, we're smoking St. Louis ribs on a Yoder YS640S pellet smoker using the method in our Money Ribs recipe. Use the button below to download a printable handout with the step-by-step instructions.
This recipe is detailed enough that we're confident you'll be blown away by the results—even if you've never cooked ribs before! And if you've been smoking ribs for years, we're pretty sure the complex flavor profile in this recipe will impress you too.
We're excited about sharing this recipe with you and hope you'll get to enjoy it soon. Let us know if you have any questions about smoking ribs or anything at all about outdoor cooking. We're always happy to help!
Need barbecue supplies?Visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA (store hours at the bottom of this page) for rubs, sauces, thermometers, gloves, gadgets, charcoal, pellets, and everything else you need to cook outdoors. You can also browse hundreds of products in our online catalog.
It can be tricky to know exactly when ribs are ready for done. The guidelines in our Money Ribs recipe help you nail it perfectly, even on your first try.
Once the internal temperature of the ribs reaches 165 degrees between two bones in the thicker end of the rack, we wrap them in foil with sauce and Bacon Up. We put them back on the smoker until they reach our target temperature. Refer to the Money Ribs recipe for the details.
Pouring sauce on the foil
The Money Ribs recipe uses a mix of Blues Hog Smokey Mountain and Raspberry Chipotle sauces for the glaze.
After the ribs are finished cooking, we drain the juices and rest the ribs before slicing and serving them.
Draining the grease
In a pan and ready to rest
In the chest
Smoker turned up to 275 for glazing later
Glazing the Ribs
After the ribs are done resting, we glaze them with our Blues Hog blend and set them back in the smoker.
Bone side of the ribs after resting
Glazing the meat side of the ribs
Brushing them with a generous layer of the glaze
Glazed and ready for the smoker
Back on the smoker for 10–15 minutes
Ready to slice!
Slicing the Ribs
It's finally time to enjoy the ribs!
Sauce smeared on the cutting board to protect the glaze
Slicing the ribs bone side up
Time to eat!
The Recipe
In this blog post, we're smoking St. Louis ribs on a Yoder YS640S pellet smoker using the method in our Money Ribs recipe. Use the button below to download a printable handout with the step-by-step instructions.
This recipe is detailed enough that we're confident you'll be blown away by the results—even if you've never cooked ribs before! And if you've been smoking ribs for years, we're pretty sure the complex flavor profile in this recipe will impress you too.
We're excited about sharing this recipe with you and hope you'll get to enjoy it soon. Let us know if you have any questions about smoking ribs or anything at all about outdoor cooking. We're always happy to help!
If you’re getting ready to smoke your first Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey, this turkey smoking guide will walk you through the steps for cooking a turkey with confidence, even if this is your first try.
Or if you have already smoked a few turkeys, but are struggling to perfect your technique, we’d be happy to help you gear up for smoking a turkey that your guests will still be talking about in a year from now!
Did you know we are much more than a BBQ store? One reason we open our doors each day is to help ordinary people cook the best barbecue they've ever tasted! Feel free to call us at (717) 355-0779 or visit our store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, Pennsylvania to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff who will be happy to help you with your outdoor cooking questions.
Do you need help cooking your holiday turkey? We believe amazing barbecue is not just for celebrities. Visit our store for everything you need to cook outdoors, including free and friendly advice from fellow barbecue enthusiasts. Call us at (717) 355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA.
In this cook I am cooking a 16-pound heritage breed turkey from Fossil Farms. I am using my Yoder YS640s pellet smoker fired with pecan pellets. I spatchcocked, dry brined, and seasoned the turkey, then smoked it until it reached my target temperature. It’s too bad it wasn’t Thanksgiving day with the whole family gathered around, because it was certainly a wonderful-tasting turkey.
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to help you smoke a turkey just like this.
Buy the Turkey
Around Thanksgiving, some stores price turkey below their cost to get people into their stores. You can smoke an excellent turkey from Butterball or Honeysuckle, but there’s also a lot of value in going with a heritage breed or minimally-processed turkey. One of the advantages of cooking a turkey that hasn’t been injected with a solution is that you have more control over the level of saltiness in the meat.
Fossil Farms’ Nicholas Breed Turkeys are exceptionally juicy and tender, a delicious alternative to conventional turkeys raised on factory farms.
Why these turkeys are better:
Allowed to roam free for a happier and healthier life
Fed an all-vegetarian diet consisting of local corn, rye, oats, alfalfa, and soybean meal.
Raised by a network of 4th and 5th generation family farmers in Pennsylvania and humanely harvested in New Jersey.
100% all-natural and free of antibiotics, growth hormones, and steroids.
Notice: We stock Nicholas turkeys seasonally. For more info, email Matt at matt2122@meadowcreekbbqsupply.com, call us at (717) 355-0779, or visit our store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA.
What size turkey should I cook? I prefer turkeys in the 12-16 pound range for smoking. If you need more meat, cook multiple turkeys instead of getting a bigger one. Figure roughly one pound of raw weight per person unless you want leftovers or are feeding big eaters.
If you buy a frozen turkey, plan ahead so you won’t be stressed over thawing and prepping it in time. It takes approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds to thaw a turkey in the fridge.
Here is the 16-pound heritage breed turkey I am cooking.
Trim the Turkey
Remove any packaging, including any pop-up thermometer, leg tie, or giblet bag.
Cut off the wing tips.
Trim the neck skin back, being careful to leave enough skin to cover the meat. Turn the breast up for trimming, because this posture pulls the skin back.
Trim the flaps of skin and fat by the rear cavity and remove the tail.
Spatchcock the Turkey
I like to cook turkeys spatchcocked. This simply means you remove the backbone with shears and flatten the entire bird into a flat surface.
This method is supposed to cut down on the cooking time, making the meat more juicy. I am not quite sure what I think about that claim myself. I cooked another turkey whole at the same time on a different grill and it took the same amount of time, but I haven't done enough testing to know for sure.
However, I like having all the skin on one side and the turkey spread out more uniformly. You might also use this method if the spacing between your smoker shelves is too tight for an entire turkey or you want to split it in half to cook it on two different racks.
Side benefit to spatchcocking: This method also makes it easy to remove the leg quarters from the breast if one part gets done before the other, since it’s mostly skin that holds the two together once the backbone is removed. I will explain more about finishing temperatures below.
Set the turkey on a pan or cutting board with the spine facing up. Using a kitchen shears, cut the entire length of the backbone on both sides. I like to start it with a meat knife, but part of it will require a meat cutting shears.
Cut through the breast bone an inch or two until you can push the sides of the turkey into a flattened shape.
Brine the Turkey
Most turkeys from the grocery store have already been injected with a salt solution, so we don’t recommend brining those. If you are cooking one that is minimally processed, such as from Fossil Farms, a local butcher or a specialty grocery store (Whole Foods), brining is a real game changer. I won’t attempt to explain the science behind it, but it does tenderize the meat and make it more juicy.
You can either inject your turkey or brine it, and there are two methods of brining—wet brining and dry brining. As I said above, in this story, I’m dry brining the turkey.
For dry brining, sprinkle the entire surface of the turkey with kosher salt. It takes about 1 teaspoon per pound, but the amount is not critical if you make sure you have a decent coating over the skin. Don’t worry about working it under the skin the salt will pull through the skin without a problem.
Set the turkey in the fridge on a large pizza pan or anything with an edge to hold the liquid for 12 to 24 hours. If you are running out of time, you can shorten this step, but be aware that it might have less effect on the meat.
Season the Turkey
I am using Kosmos Q Dirty Bird to season this turkey. This is a delicious rub on turkey and any poultry.
Season the entire bird with a moderate layer of the rub.
Carefully loosen some of the skin over the breast and uniformly work some of the seasoning directly onto the meat, being careful not to tear the skin.
Flip the turkey over and do the same on the inside of the legs. Carefully loosen the skin between the edge of the rear cavity and the leg, then shake a little bit of seasoning into the cavity you just opened. Be careful not to add too much and use your fingers to spread the seasoning around.
This is what the turkey should look like at this point:
Cook the Turkey
Fire your smoker at 325 degrees F. Turkey doesn’t benefit from low and slow cooking, and the higher temperature will give you a more crispy skin.
In this cook I’m using my Yoder YS640s Pellet Smoker and have it fired with BBQr’s Delight Pecan Pellets. I also inserted one of the food temperature probes from the control panel into the thickest part of the breast so I could monitor it on my phone.
The USDA minimum recommended temperature for turkey and chicken is 165 degrees F. You can safely cook the turkey breast until it reaches 160 degrees and let carryover cooking take it up the rest of the way. Breast meat is very lean, so if you take the breast meat higher than that, it will not become better, but start drying out instead.
We prefer cooking the dark meat (legs and thighs) to at least 180 degrees for a better texture and appearance. It’s okay to remove it from the smoker once the thickest part of the thigh reaches the recommended temperature, but you’ll find that, while the meat is safe to eat, it will usually still be clinging tightly to the bone.
One of the keys to cooking the ultimate turkey is to not overcook it. Yet, the white and dark meat are two different types of meat and they probably won’t both reach their ideal temperature at the same time. So how can we hope to cook the perfect turkey?
Most articles on smoking a turkey don't address this problem, but here are some tips and tricks to help you overcome it:
The easiest way to cook a turkey with perfectly predictable results is to separate the two meats and cook them independently to the ideal target temperature.
Brining widens the window of perfection, so the meat is more forgiving, whether you are cooking the turkey whole or in parts.
To give the legs a head-start during the cook, you can take the bird out of the fridge one hour before cooking and put a bag of ice over the breast. The thighs will start warming up a bit, and the breasts will stay cold. This sounds odd, but it works!
In this recipe we are cooking it all together, but we've brined the meat, so we're aiming to get the whole thing done without overcooking any part of it.
Here is an example of how you can use a hot spot in your smoker to your advantage—turn the legs toward the hottest part of the smoker. In my pellet smoker, the hottest area is directly over the burner so I positioned the turkey with the breast facing the opposite side of the smoker.
How long does it take to smoke a turkey? Cooking at 325 degrees F, it will take around 10 minutes per pound. My 16-pound turkey took 2 hours and 45 minutes, almost exactly 10 minutes per pound. This time estimate should hold out for different size turkeys, but remember that it could take longer, so try to keep the serving time a bit flexible.
In this cook, the dark meat rose above the temperature I was looking for, but the brine helped to keep everything juicy. I could have 1) rotated it partway through the cook to help balance it out or 2) removed the leg quarters at a lower temp, but sometimes it’s better not to overthink stuff and just have fun, so that's what I did, and it was awesome, even though the dark meat got hotter than it should have.
Serve the Turkey
As soon as the turkey was transferred to a platter, I had to sample it—pitmaster privilege, you know.
The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender, juicy, and flavorful — in other words, it was fabulously amazing!
Are you looking forward to cooking a turkey that will get great reviews from everyone around your holiday table? It’s not rocket science, and if you put some effort into planning your cook, it just could be the best turkey you've ever cooked!
Did you know we are much more than a BBQ store?
One reason we open our doors in the morning is to help ordinary people discover how to cook amazing barbecue! Feel free to call us at (717) 355-0779 or visit our store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, Pennsylvania to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff who will be happy to help you with your outdoor cooking questions.
Do you need help cooking your holiday turkey? We believe amazing barbecue is not just for celebrities. Visit our store for everything you need to cook outdoors, including free and friendly advice from fellow barbecue enthusiasts. Call us at (717) 355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA.
Would you like to smoke tender fall-apart beef ribs that are bursting with an authentic smoked beef flavor? If so, you'll love this easy beef back ribs recipe that you can make with a few simple ingredients and a smoker.
Watch this video and review the step-by-step instructions below to see how to smoke a couple racks of beef ribs with perfect texture and flavor.
In the video above, Malcom Reed of Killer Hogs shows you his process for smoking beef rib racks that are sure to impress and keep people coming back for more. We've also provided the instructions for this recipe below.
For this recipe Malcom uses racks of beef back ribs, which come from the ribeye section. Even though there isn't much meat on these, it's the same delicious meat that you get in a bone-in ribeye steak.
The trick is to cook them low and slow with the smoker around 235-250 degrees F and take them past well-done. He takes them up to almost 200 degrees F, which breaks down the connective tissues in the meat, creating a delicious and succulent entree.
Credits: The instructions and screenshots in this post were taken from the video above. We've outlined the process in writing to help make this recipe a success on your first try.
For this cook Malcom uses a Yoder Pellet Smoker and his Killer Hogs rubs to smoke beef ribs. We have Yoder Smokers and Killer Hogs rubs available for purchase online or in our store.
If you don't have olive oil, any cooking oil that will make your rub stick is fine. Just brush on a light layer to the top side. Get basting brush and pot
The main difference between this and the regular Killer Hogs BBQ Rub is that this has a lot less sugar, but it still has enough sugar to give it some balance and a nice color when it's cooked.
HowtoBBQright.com
"Beef ribs have a membrane on them but it's different from pork ribs and you want to leave it on." —Malcom Reed
Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 on back sides of ribs.
Beef ribs have a membrane on them but it's different from pork ribs and you want to leave it on. It's just a light membrane that's holding them together. You will want to use the same oil and seasonings on the back of the ribs that you used on the front.
Step 6: Put ribs on Yoder Smoker heated to 235 degrees F.
If you don't have a Yoder Smoker, use whatever smoker you have that can hold a low steady temperature. Smoke the beef ribs for around three hours on pecan wood or pellets, then remove them to add the braising liquid.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 7: Remove ribs from grill.
These beef ribs took about 2-1/2 hours to finish smoking. They've taken on all the color they need and still have a little stiffness to them. As you can see, the meat is starting to draw back from the bones a little bit.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 8: Wrap ribs with braising liquid.
Make a braising liquid using the ingredients in the list above. Place the ribs meat-down on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and pour half of the liquid over each rack. This will be just enough to give the ribs some flavor since you're still going to cook out some fat from them. Fold the foil into a tight pouch around the rack of ribs.
HowtoBBQright.com
HowtoBBQright.com
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 9: Put wrapped ribs back on smoker.
The smoker should still be set around 235 degrees F. The smoking is done at this point so there is no need to add smoking wood unless you need it for heat. Check the ribs in about 1 hour and 15 minutes to see if they're getting tender. Our target temperature is around 195-198 degrees F but what is most important is that they are broken down and tender.
HowtoBBQright.com
"To check for tenderness, what I normally do with pork ribs, and it works for beef ribs too, is just grab the bone and see if it will pull out." —Malcom Reed
Step 10: Check ribs and remove them when done.
In an hour and a half it's time to check the ribs and see how tender they are. In this cook, the ribs were looking great in that amount of time. To check for tenderness, Malcom recommends you grab a bone and see if it is loose enough to pull out. These ribs are barely holding onto the meat, which means they are tender.
As you can see, much of the fat and connective tissue has cooked away and what's left is like succulent burnt ends on bones. You don't need to glaze them or anything; just let them tack up a little bit uncovered.
HowtoBBQright.com
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 11: Slice ribs and serve.
Just like any meat, the key is to let it rest about 30 minutes before you slice. At this point the knife should cut through the meat like butter. Slice them up, serve them, and enjoy the tender, beefy ribs that will show people your skills go beyond that of any ordinary cook.
HowtoBBQright.com
Are you looking for a new USA-made grill for your patio that is versatile, automated, and high quality?
Shop some of our barbecue supplies and equipment here in our online store or visit our store in person for a full line of barbecue equipment and supplies.
Can't find what you need online? Visit our specialty barbecue store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, Pennsylvania to immerse yourself in many of the best products available for anyone wanting to make delicious food outdoors. Our store hours are listed at the bottom of this page.
Are you looking for a delicious pork loin recipe? In this article I will show you how to smoke a pork loin and turn it into tender grilled chops for an attractive homestyle entree.
Here is a sample to show you what I'm talking about... Smoked, then seared pork chops glazed with the lovely Raspberry Chipotle sauce from Blues Hog.
This in-depth guide covers how to smoke a pork loin without drying it out, how to mix a lip-smacking homemade rub recipe, and how to grill irresistible, tender pork chops with beautiful grill marks and a glaze that will take you back for seconds.
Do you need a tasty seasoning or any kind of barbecue supplies for your Memorial Day weekend or other barbecue party? We carry a wide variety of smokers, grills, charcoal, pellets, sauces and seasonings, and many other outdoor cooking supplies in our retail store. Call us at 717-355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA (store hours at the bottom of this page).
My wife doesn't eat refined sugars, but she can have maple sugar, so I often mix a homemade rub for her sake. This one is bursting with flavor and excellent on pork loin. Yes, it's nearly half sweetness, but it's healthy!
Combine these ingredients into a small container:
4 tablespoons granulated maple sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly cracked
1-1/2 tablespoon Herbamare seasoning
1/2 tablespoon Real Salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
If you don't have Herbamare, you can replace it with Lawry's Seasoned Salt or regular salt, for a total of 2 tablespoons salt. If you want some heat, add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Feel free to adjust the ratios and experiment with it.
This makes more than enough for one pork loin, but leftovers of this kind are a good thing.
Do you enjoy both the flavor of wood and the automation made possible by today's sophisticated technology? Yoder Smokers are for those who appreciate fine craftsmanship, and they leverage advanced technology to control the temperature in the cooking chamber, so that you can sit back and enjoy the compliments.
Fire the smoker at 250 degrees F and put the meat on.
Glaze the loins with barbecue sauce and add the carrots about 30 minutes into the cook.
The loins will take roughly 1-1/2 to 2 hours to finish with indirect heat, depending on the method (keep reading for the specific steps).
Rest the loins for 15–30 minutes before slicing to help retain the juices and keep the meat more juicy.
Option 1: If you're searing the chops, get the smoker up to 600 degrees F or prepare a direct heat fire in a separate grill for searing the chops. Probe the chops with an instant-read thermometer to make sure they reach a safe eating temperature (see instructions below).
Option 2: If you choose to serve the loin slices without searing, make sure you take the meat up to 140–145 degrees F before removing it from the smoker.
Do you need a tasty seasoning or any kind of barbecue supplies for your Memorial Day weekend or other barbecue party? We carry a wide variety of smokers, grills, charcoals, pellets, sauces and seasonings, and many other outdoor cooking supplies in our retail store. Call us at 717-355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA (store hours at the bottom of this page).
Sides
For the sides, my wife made salt potatoes in her Instant Pot, and we roasted carrot sticks in the smoker. If you've never eaten salt potatoes, you need to try these. They are delicious enough to eat by themselves! They look a bit wrinkly in the photos, but they are very tender and the buttery salt layer on the outside perfectly complements the rest of the potato.
Recipe for Salt Potatoes
Dissolve 1 cup of table salt in 6 cups of water.
Cook 3 pounds of petite potatoes with the water in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and toss them in melted butter.
If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can also make them in boiling water on the stove. Google "salt potato recipe" for a recipe.
Recipe for Roasted Carrots
Cut the carrots in half lengthwise, then split them into sticks of equal thickness.
Toss them in two tablespoons of maple syrup and two tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the carrot sticks in two shallow 8"x12" foil pans.
Set the pans in the smoker until they are soft. I put them into the smoker within 30 minutes of starting the meat at 250 degrees F. I left them in while searing the chops, and they were ready by the time I finished the meat.
Want to make these in your oven? If you're not cooking the carrots with the meat, you can do them at a higher temperature. Roast them at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Smoking the Pork Loins
There are a lot of variables when cooking outdoors, including the quality of the meat you choose. Conventional pork loin you buy at the supermarkets is usually very lean, which makes the meat more difficult to cook to a safe temperature without drying it out. When cooking pork loin, your primary objective is to get it up to a safe eating temperature without overcooking it.
Here are my five tips for making this recipe a success on your first try:
Choose the best marbling. The marbling, streaks of fat running through the meat, vary from one animal to another. Fat equals flavor and tenderness, so choose pieces with the most marbling.
Either dry brine or inject the loin. To dry brine, sprinkle the entire roast with salt for at least several hours or overnight. If using Kosher salt, use 1/2 teaspoon per pound of meat; if using table salt, use 1/4 teaspoon per pound. If injecting the meat, follow the instructions on the package immediately before seasoning the meat.
Do not overcook the meat. Overcooked lean meat becomes chalky dry really fast, so it's critical to carefully watch the meat and follow the methods I explain below.
Rest the meat 15–30 minutes before slicing it to retain more of the juices. If you slice the loin within 5 minutes of removing it from the smoker, a lot of juices will bleed out and be wasted. It seems this can make a big difference in tenderness of the final product.
Take it easy on the searing. Deep dark sear marks are nice for appearance, but looks are not worth sacrificing tenderness. Probe the meat as you're searing it to avoid overcooking it (instructions below).
In this cook, I'm using center cut pork loins weighing around 4 pounds each or a bit less.
Remove the pork loins from the packaging and trim off any excess fat and loose flaps of meat. The silver skin is tough, so if you have the time, trim off all the fat and silver skin on the surface of the meat before seasoning it.
If you're injecting the loins, use a pork injection, such as one of these:
After injecting the meat, season all sides of the meat with the seasoning of your choice. I'm using Heath Riles Honey Rub on one and a homemade rub (recipe below) on the other one. Don't be afraid to experiment with your favorite rubs. If you prefer an herb mixture, that would be delicious too.
If you're in a hurry, you should have your smoker fired and ready at this point. Otherwise, let the meat sweat while the smoker comes up to temperature.
I'm using my Yoder YS640 Pellet Smoker, which takes around 30 minutes to get hot. Follow the instructions in the manual to get it ready to roll.
Do you need a tasty seasoning or any kind of barbecue supplies for your Memorial Day weekend or other barbecue party? We carry a wide variety of smokers, grills, charcoal, pellets, sauces and seasonings, and many other outdoor cooking supplies in our retail store. Call us at 717-355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA (store hours at the bottom of this page).
Transfer the pork loins to a pan for resting when they reach 125 degrees F in the center. You will finish cooking these to a safe eating temperature over direct heat.
​The USDA recommends that pork loin should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a minimum 3-minute rest time. If you're planning to slice and serve the loin without searing it, take them up to at least 140 degrees before removing it from the smoker and let it rest 15 minutes before slicing and serving it.
The temperature will vary from one part of the loin to another, but check it in a couple of places in the center of the loin with an instant-read thermometer to make sure you're reading the coldest part of the roast. Turning the meat or changing its position halfway through the cook can also help each piece cook more evenly.
Important: Rest the loins for 15–30 minutes before slicing.
If you removed the meat at 140–145 degrees F, you can thinly slice and serve it now.
If you removed the meat at 125 degrees F, it's time to make some juicy, thick-cut grilled pork chops as shown below!
Grilling the Pork Chops
While a pork loin is excellent sliced and served, this extra step will take the meat to a new level in appearance and flavor.
Set the Yoder up for direct heat and add the GrillGrates. Turn the smoker up to 600 degrees and let it get up to temperature. You can easily do this while the loins are resting. If you're not using a Yoder pellet smoker, you can simply fire another grill with direct heat.
Slice the loins into 1"-thick chops (about 12 slices per center-cut loin).
Above: Loin with homemade rub and my wife's sauce.
Sear both sides on the GrillGrates. I like to do 4 chops at a time so I have room on the grate to make cross-hatch marks. Start searing at a 45-degree angle as shown below, then turn the chop 90 degrees and set it on a new position on the grill as shown in the second photo below. Press the chop gently after positioning it to make nicer marks. Repeat this on the second side.
Important:
If the GrillGrates are clean and up to temp, you can make a nice sear mark within 15 seconds, or a total of 1 minute with the 4 positions, but use an instant-read thermometer to determine when the chops are ready.
Take them up to 140–145 degrees F in the center, but be really careful with this step because you can overcook and ruin the meat quickly without even realizing it.
Keep the GrillGrates scraped clean between batches to make nicer sear marks.
Brush the chops with Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle Sauce after searing each side. You can also do it before searing; it makes more of a mess in the grill, but the sugars in the sauce help make a really nice grill mark!
Want Pork Chops Without Smoking the Loin?
If you don't want to cook the loin with indirect heat as we did, you can skip that step and slice the loin before seasoning the meat. Season and grill the chops on the GrillGrates over direct heat as shown above, and serve them with a sauce for a similar result.
Budget Tip: Pork loin is cheaper per pound than pre-sliced pork chops at the store, so you can save yourself quite a bit of money by slicing the chops yourself.
Serve with the carrots and potatoes or your favorite sides for a delicious homestyle dinner.
Do you need a tasty seasoning or any kind of barbecue supplies for your Memorial Day weekend or other barbecue party? We carry a wide variety of smokers, grills, charcoal, pellets, sauces and seasonings, and many other outdoor cooking supplies in our retail store. Call us at 717-355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA (store hours at the bottom of this page).
Do you wish you could cook a meal outdoors, but hardly have the time? Are you out of the mood to cook outside when it’s chilly?
In this story, I will show you how to pull together a quick, mouthwatering meal of sockeye salmon with a couple of sides. This recipe is perfect for when you only have a couple of hours to prepare dinner, but you still want to put something special on the table.
I’m cooking the salmon on my Yoder pellet smoker, but you can adapt this recipe for your type of smoker.
The nice thing about salmon is how flexible the cook time is. You can cook it hot and fast in about 20 minutes or give the meat more time to absorb the smoke with lower heat and a longer cook time. Either way, the key in cooking the salmon is to watch it closely and remove it from the cooker before it overcooks. I prefer smoking it at 225 degrees F, which takes about 45 minutes depending on the size of the fillets.
My wife is on a special diet that requires her to eat wild-caught fish. Atlantic salmon is usually farm-raised, but my Sam’s Club carries sockeye, an Alaskan wild-caught salmon. Its deep reddish color looks beautiful on the grill, and wild-caught Alaskan salmon is supposed to be the healthiest available.
I’m minimalist about cooking, so my process for smoking the salmon is simple too. All we’re doing here is seasoning the fish, smoking it until it reaches a certain temperature, and then brushing it with butter and serving it immediately.
Not much to this—but it surely is delicious!
First, season the meat side of the salmon with a light coating of your favorite seafood seasoning. I used Oakridge Chile Lime Seasoning but you could go with about anything that’s good on fish, or even a homemade rub, such as this one:
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
I usually transfer the fish to a cutting board to season them and let them sit on the board while I fire the smoker.
Fire your smoker to 225 degrees F. For this cook, I am using a Yoder YS640s Pellet Grill fired with BBQer’s Delight Apple Pellets. Any smoker or grill will work if you can set it up for indirect heat. If your smoker grate isn’t wide enough to hold an entire fillet, there’s no harm in cutting it in half to cook it. And if you are having trouble getting your smoker up to temp, you can also cook this as low as 180 degrees; it will just take longer.
Smoke the salmon until it reaches 130–135 degrees F in the thickest part of the fillet. I use an instant-read Thermapen MK4 for checking the temperature of the meat. Carefully, probe the thickest part of the fillet, trying to position the tip of the probe in the center of the meat. The thinner part of the fillet will finish about 10–15 degrees higher than the thickest part, but if you’re careful not to overcook the center, the outside will be fine.
Keep a close eye on it once the temperature tops 100 degrees, because it’s easy to let it get away from you and ruin the meat!
Brush the meat side with melted butter and serve. This step is optional, but I like the flavor of salted butter on the finished product. It only takes 1–2 tablespoons of butter per fillet. A ramekin works great for melting the butter in the microwave.
If you did a good job, the fish should be tender, a bit oily when peeled off the skin, and so very delicious!
To round out this meal, our favorites are homemade tartar sauce for dipping the salmon, plus coleslaw and French fries. My wife has two versions of coleslaw, and I’m sharing both here.
Tartar Sauce
You can mix the tartar sauce ahead of time or while the fish is cooking. It takes about 5 minutes to throw this together. I think it would be best made the day before, so the flavors have time to meld and you have one less thing to worry about when you’re cooking dinner.
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup pickle relish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and cracked black peppercorns to taste
Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley and 2 teaspoons finely-chopped onion to boost flavor and presentation
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and set it in the fridge until ready to serve. This should be enough for several fillets of salmon, but it really depends on how much your guests love tartar sauce.
Creamy Coleslaw
I’m not fond of sour or vinegary foods, so I love a sweet and creamy slaw like this one.
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons milk
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Shred as much cabbage as you plan to serve immediately, and then mix in enough dressing to make it the consistency you like. We like to use a mix of green and purple cabbage for a nice presentation. If there’s extra dressing, keep it in the fridge for later.
Vinegar Coleslaw
My wife found this one on savoryexperiments.com when she was looking for a no-mayo coleslaw recipe. If you like a tangy slaw, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
Whisk all the ingredients until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Mix in 14 ounces of shredded cabbage. Let the slaw sit in the fridge for at least one hour. Drain the excess liquid before serving it.
French Fries
We have a small oil fryer that is perfect for making fries for anywhere from several people to a dozen or more, but if you don’t have one or don’t have many people to feed, a pan on the stove works well. Fry them according to the directions on the bag, and then drain and sprinkle them with your favorite barbecue rub, such as Butcher BBQ Grilling Addiction, or just plain salt.
You might not be able to afford a meal of salmon every day, but I hope you’re inspired to make this recipe soon. I think you’ll find that it’s not rocket science to produce a fine fillet of smoked salmon that gets compliments and is a joy to eat.
Are you ready to cook a tasty homestyle meal ​that will linger in your memories for weeks to come?​
In this story, ​​I'll show you how to prepare smoked meatloaf, corn on the cob, and red-skinned potatoes on a Yoder Pellet Smoker ​that will make you the hero of the party!
Did you know? We carry rubs, sauces, thermometers, grills, and everything else you need to cook for your guests with confidence in our specialty barbecue store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA. Contact us for help choosing a smoker or the supplies you need for your next barbecue party.
Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this meal:
This is optional, but I cut the tips of the ears off to open the ends and get rid of some of the silk before I put it in the smoker. I ​also broke off ​the bottom ​"stalk" pieces that were still attached and ​peeled off ​about one-third of the husk, ​leaving enough on to protect the corn during the first phase of the smoke.
​This photo shows the corn partially cooked, but you can see how I prepared it:
Step 2: ​Prep the Meatloaf
​​Mix ​the ingredients listed above in a bowl, ready to form ​into a loaf​.​ You can swap ​Kosmos Q Cow Cover for your favorite rub, but Cow Cover is a favorite beef rub at our house. ​We usually just eyeball the rub, but 2 teaspoons should do.
You will need a perforated pan, grill rack, or ​wood plank to hold the meatloaf so that the grease can drain. I used a small 8" x 10" ​Grill ​Rack and put parchment paper under the meatloaf to keep it from falling through the rack.
​This method worked ​really well. The bottom of the meat was not soggy and the meatloaf was ​easy to slice and serve.
​Shape the loaf so that it covers the parchment paper and a little more. The height of the loaf should be around 1.5" to 2" high.
Step 3: Prep the Potatoes
The potatoes are easy to do.
Combine 1 cup of oil and 1 tablespoon of salt ​in a mixing bowl and roll the potatoes in the oil until they are fully coated. Add a couple of teaspoons of barbecue rub, such as Killer Hogs AP Rub or Butcher BBQ Grilling Addiction for an extra boost of flavor.
Step 4: Fire the Smoker
You could fire the smoker and then prepare the meat if you ​prefer, but it might take a while to gather all your ingredients and prep everything if you are working by yourself.
Once it's up to temperature, set the potatoes in one corner of the grate.
Set the meatloaf in front of the potatoes, leaving room for two rows of corn on the hotter side of the grill.
Set the corn on the grill in two rows as shown below.
​I used the food probe that plugs into the control panel of the smoker and monitored the smoker temperature and meatloaf temperature on my phone. It was quite handy​!
​The meatloaf will take at least 2 hours to cook, depending on ​your internal temperature. I recommend between 165 to 180 degrees F. I smoked mine for 2.5 hours.
About 30 minutes before it's done, slather the meatloaf with barbecue sauce. I used Kosmos Q Original Competition​​. You could also sauce it at the beginning, but I was cautious about it burning and turning too dark.
Step 5: Husk and Butter the Corn
​Instead of serving the smoked corn on the cob ​in the husk, I like to remove the husk, butter the corn, and put it back on the smoker for a bit. The silk is easy to remove after the corn is cooked, but I would still recommend having a helper for this step because you don't want the corn to cool off.
Cook the corn in the husk for ​45-60 minutes at 250 degrees F and then remove the husk and brush each ear with rub butter (see below).
Rub Butter
​​A simple secret ​for boosting the flavor of smoked corn on the cob​ and potatoes
​Soften the butter, mix ​the ingredients, and serve!
As you husk the corn, set the ​ears in a pan ​so that you can brush them with the rub butter. Give each ear a good coating of butter.
​Put the corn back on the smoke​r.
Because this is so pretty, here is another one...
Step 6: Char the Corn
Char ​the corn ​slightly over direct​ heat just as it's getting tender to ​​give​ it a delicious color and ​an extra boost of flavor.
The 2-piece diffuser on the Yoder Pellet Smoker works great for th​is. You'll need to pick up the left cooking grate and slide the diffuser cover off to the side. ​You may need to turn the temperature up to 3​50 degrees to get more heat going. ​
​Sear 3 or 4 cobs at a time, turning them as needed to keep them from burning​. It doesn't take long at all to give the corn a nice color.
​Here is what the 2-piece diffuser looks like when it's open:
​Corn ready to serve:
​Cooking Times
These notes should help you time the three different foods so they finish at the same time. If the meatloaf and potatoes are done early you can keep them warm in an empty ice chest. Set the meatloaf in a cake pan and cover it with foil and the potatoes in a covered serving bowl. It will stay warm like this in a chest for a while.
​​Meatloaf. I cooked the meatloaf for 2.5 hours and glazed it at the 2 hour mark. By the​ time I removed it from the smoker, the internal temperature had reached 180 degrees F. I would have taken it off as early as 165 degrees, but I wanted to wait until the corn was done. Even at 180 degrees, the meatloaf was excellent.
​Corn on the Cob. I cooked the corn in the husk for 1 hour and then out of the husk for 30 minutes and over the flame for several minutes to give it a slight char. Some of the corn was a bit overdone, so next time I ​might reduce the time in the husk a little and finish it over ​direct heat within 15 minutes of husking it, or perhaps immediately after husking it​. If you don't ​want to finish it over direct heat,​ it's fine to drop that step, but you'll want to keep it on the smoker until it's tender. ​Start cooking the corn ​about 30 minutes ​after starting the meatloaf​.
​Potatoes. The potatoes ​were probe tender ​by the time the meatloaf was done or before. The skins were starting to ​wrinkle as if they were on the smoker a bit too long​, but they were ​still tender and delicious.
​Th​is meatloaf was some of the best I remember eating, the corn on the cob was delicious, and the potatoes with homemade rub butter were the perfect complement to an exceptional meal.
I hope you are inspired to try these recipes for yourself!
​In this recipe I will show you how to smoke beef short ribs. This dish is not as popular as smoked brisket or grilled chicken, but if you love beef, this ​will be a meal to remember!
​The first time I made these, I used my Meadow Creek BX25 smoker and we served them with smoked beans, homemade cornbread, a tossed salad, and sweet tea. It really was one of the best meals I ever enjoyed.
One day when Jesse, ​owner of Meadow Creek Barbecue Supply, came to visit us, we ​cooked a dozen short ribs on my Yoder pellet smoker along with some beans. Jesse liked them so much that they smoked some back at the store ​following this method, and Matt told me they were the best ​smoked meat he ever ate.
My point is, if you are looking for a less ​common, but memorable meat to smoke, this is a great choice.
Do you need ​some cooking supplies and equipment for​ an upcoming BBQ? We carry ​beef short ribs, Yoder pellet smokers, and everything you need to cook this recipe and many others in our retail store. Call us at (717) 355-0779 or visit us at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, PA.
​My local grocery store sells beef short ribs, but sometimes they are in a rack. ​If they are not already, cut them into ​single-bone servings BEFORE you cook them. This way ​they will taste better and cook faster.
Step 2: Season the Ribs
​​A delicious ​seasoning to try on these is Butcher BBQ Premium Rub​. Your favorite homemade beef rub would work too, and we also stock a wide variety of tasty seasonings that would be ​perfect for this recipe.
Fire the smoker at 225 degrees F, or if you're short on time, you can go a bit higher without hurting the ribs. We started out lower and then turned it up toward 300 degrees ​toward the end of the cook to finish them because we were ready to eat.
The Yoder YS640s Pellet Smoker is a dandy machine. It produces a wonderful smoke flavor and is built with quality in mind. It also has Wifi connectivity for controlling the temperature and monitoring the meat when you are away.
Arrange the ribs on the grate with a bit of a gap between them and let them cook. If this sounds easy, it's because it is!
Here the ribs are starting to get some color.
We also threw on a pan of "gourmet baked beans," a recipe based on Malcom Reed's smoked bean recipe. These beans are the perfect addition to any smoked ribs. You could also bake a cast iron skillet of cornbread on the top shelf.
Gourmet Beans
Here is my variation of Malcom's smoked baked bean recipe​.
Once you have the ingredients prepared, simply mix everything in an aluminum half pan and set the pan in the smoker for several hours. The beans are fully cooked already so the time is not critical. You want the flavors of the ingredients to fuse and to expand with the smoke.
​Step ​5: Glaze the Ribs
​About 15 minutes before they are done, glaze the top sides of the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce, such as​ Meadow Creek Traditional Sauce.
​The ribs are done once the​ internal temperature ​reaches 200 degrees F, or they are probe tender, meaning the thermometer probe ​slides into the thickest part of the rib with very little resistance. This usually takes 4–5 hours.
​Remove the​ ribs from the smoker and serve ​them with the sides and beverage you have prepared.
​We served these ribs with grilled sausages, bacon-wrapped snack peppers, smoked beans (recipe above), and cornbread. The cornbread was baked in a cast iron skillet on the Big Green Egg.
​It was all ​worth ​doing again. Down to the last ​crumbs of cornbread.
​Now it's your turn... g​et out there and make your corner of the world delicious!
