Local Pork Spare Ribs on the Cactus Jack

It’s autumn and traditionally smoker time though like most of you I use my BBQ’s all year. Still the offset smoker needs to be mastered and last week I smoked some beef silverside and a haunch of venison on our Cactus Jack offset smoker for our Fire Shack event. I must have done a good job as everyone who tried it loved it.

The offset is one of the best ways of smoking meats, sausages, veg or whatever proteins you want to smoke but it does require you being there and it does mean learning to use your smoker to get the best out of it. Is it worth it? Yes, without a doubt the tastiest food I cook is on an offset but it wouldn’t be my only choice for a BBQ.

Chris bought a pig from a local producer and I decided to use the Spare Ribs on our Cactus Jack Offset Smoker to practice smoking. I think I have this as sorted as most Brits but it’s nice to get a few successful smokes under your belt. I watched Oli at Prosmoke running his Cactus Jack and copied how he set up his fire a few smokes ago and it definitely works.

I make a bed of charcoal on the base of the firebox, add some kindling for extra heat and warm splits up on top of the firebox so when added they ignite quicker. I let the offset heat soak for up to 45 minutes and once the coalbed is large and hot I had a split at a time to keep the smoker at around 130 to 140 Celsius (265 to 285 F), when the temp drops below 130C add another split, let it light, close the firebox door but keep the vent wide open and have the top vent 80% open and this smoker keeps a fairly constant temperature.

It drops around every 20 minutes so keep your eye on it, try not to let it drop below 120C and you definitely cannot afford the temperature to fall bellow 100C or you will lose your fire and it is difficult to get back. Spread the embars regularly and keep air flow under your split and you will keep the fire going.

The ribs I prepared by doing nothing! I left the thin bits on the end did not trim meat off the top, why would you take meat off, so they look square!! What’s that about? I scored the membrane (though I would have removed that if I had remembered to!!) and applied a sensible amount of Angus & Oink Fools Gold, because why not. By sensible amount I mean enough to add flavour but not so much that you cannot see meat through the rub, I want to taste the pork after all.

Once the temps were stable I placed to pork in the middle of the smoker, thicker end towards the firebox. I gave them a couple of hours unwrapped to gain some smoke flavour and to cook enough to eat safely. At this point I took them off and wrapped them in two layers of heavy duty aluminium foil, firstly adding BBQ sauce (use your preferred sauce) to the foil, placing the ribs on, adding more sauce to the ribs then wrapping them tightly and placing them meat side down back in the smoker.

I left them for an hour and a half wrapped, unwrapped them, placed them back in the smoker, poured the juice from the aluminium foil back over them and gave them 15 minutes to set the glaze. What internal were they when I took them off? No idea, I knew they were done as they were tender and more to the point I was hungry and it was 2:15 when they were done. It was 3pm before I ate any as customers come first but boy they were some of the best ribs I had cooked.

So to the point of this journey, offset smokers require input in the form of learning and time on the offset smoking but the results are amazing when you get it right. So get on and cook something outside and if it looks right it probably is right, even if it’s not competition quality! After all we are only backyard pitmasters making some delicious food to share with family and friends and there’s nothing wrong with that!