I’ll start out with something I hinted at in last week’s post: I got a new toy! I’m turning 50 in about six weeks, and thought I needed to buy myself an early half-century birthday gift.
While I was in Geogia attending Myron Mixon’s BBQ Cooking School, he had on display his line of smokers. I was REALLY tempted to order one then and there, but then thought I might regret it later. Since then, I couldn’t help myself and would visit MyronMixonSmokers.com repeatedly. Finally, I just bit the bullet and ordered.
It arrived bolted to a pallet last week, but I managed to get this baby detached and wheeled it onto my patio, where it now sits to make my neighbors jealous.
It’s a gravity-fed smoker. I was in the middle of trying to type out an explanation of how this kind of smoker works but realized it’s easier if I just send you here. The biggest benefit is the capacity, which I plan to take advantage of come football season as I invite people over to the house and enjoy a post-COVID social paradise.
Asian-Style Ribs
I christened my new smoker by taking advantage of its capacity. The main course was Asian-style pork ribs. I also, once again, made the corn-on-the-cob described in last week’s post, as well as chicken breasts for that week’s lunches. Those were simple – a little BBQ rub, and about an hour on the smoker.
But let’s just focus on the ribs.
Most of my pork ribs will probably be the Memphis or competition style, but every now and then I like to mix it up. I found a recipe for Asian-style ribs and thought this would be a good break from the standard favorites.
I trimmed the meat St. Louis as I always do, applied a thin coat of soy sauce, then I sprinkled on the rub:
- 2 Tbsp monk fruit extract (in substitution of brown sugar)
- 1 Tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 2 Tsp ground ginger
- 1 Tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tsp onion powder
- 1 Tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 Tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
They sat on the counter to “sweat” a little while I cranked up my new smoker. I got the temperature up to 250 degrees then put the ribs on the middle rack.
They cooked for about two hours, after which, I spritzed them with apple juice every half hour. After the third hour, I wrapped the ribs in foil after giving them a final spray of the apple juice and then put them back in the smoker.
After an hour, they looked just about ready, so I spread on an Asian sauce to let them glaze for another 20 minutes in the smoker:
- 1/4 Cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 Cup honey
- 1 tsp Siracha sauce
Once they had time to glaze, I took them off, let them rest for about 15 minutes, then sliced them up. The flavor was a good combination of sweetness, earth, smokiness, and slightly tangy. While this won’t be my go-to ribs, it’s definitely one I’ll try again.
On a personal note, I’m getting damn good at pork ribs. I find that I get a good tenderness consistently – comes off the bone, but still gives a little “tug” when I bite into them. Now if I can just perfect my brisket technique, I’ll start to feel like an authentic pitmaster.
The Wine: 2016 Fattoria di Lucignano Chianti Colli Fiorentini, DOCG
I haven’t had Chinese food in a long time. I do remember that when I’ve ordered it, I usually paired it with a Riesling, unless I had a beef dish. The acidity and light-bodied profile of Riesling I found complemented well with the flavors of most dishes.
For this, I remembered reading how Chianti can be a great partner for Asian foods, so I decided to give that a try.
In my collection was a 2016 Fattoria di Lucignano Chianti Colli Fiorentini, DOCG. As with most Sangiovese-based wines, this one had some intense red fruits on the nose, combined with a little bit of leather. The palate was a burst of red fruits with an earthy finish.
I would say this was a good partner with the ribs. It’s not a heavy wine and the fruit profile gave a nice balance with the spice and earthiness. I think the next time I do this recipe, I’ll pair the ribs with a Riesling as a comparison.
Always the oenological student, I checked out Wine-Searcher.com for an overview of this region that borders the northern region of Italy and the wines produced here:
Chianti Colli Fiorentini is the subzone of Chianti that immediately borders the city of Florence. Viticulture has been practiced in this undulating landscape for hundreds of years, and the zone is noted for its Sangiovese-based red wines that are well-rounded, fruity and easy-going.
Colli Fiorentini wines must be made from at least 70 percent Sangiovese (although in practice this proportion is often much higher). Sangiovese’s herbal, rustic character is tamed by other local varieties like Canaiolo and Colorino, and sometimes by more recognizable international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
As for the producer, Fattoria di Lucignano, well, there ain’t a lot of information out there. They don’t appear to have a website, so I had to rely on one online wine store that dug up some information on the winery:
Niccolò, Ilaria, Angelica and Desideria manage the estate with passion and dedication, after their parents passed away, with the collaboration of the oenologist Federico Staderini and of the agronomist Riccardo Galli. Following their family’s tradition and the approach of their father Count Lodovico, they continue to produce excellent wines that are very much appreciated within Italy as well as overseas.
Since pork ribs have become a staple in my repertoire – and since, like I said, I’m so damn good at them – future posts featuring this part of the swine will probably be new pairings – mixing up my favorite styles of ribs with wines I hadn’t tried before or didn’t think would normally pair well.
Next up – my Independence Day menu with a southern-style pulled pork recipe.
Cheers!