y'all can say what you wish and lay whatever claims you may, but it is my position that the measure of a pit is baby back ribs. Most would say brisket, but i just don't see what's so difficult about brisket- except maybe the differing techniques that complicate it such as whether or not to inject, whether or not to use the texas cheat or to power through the stall... i DO have an opinion on those, but it's not something i am dead set on by any measure.
beef ribs are a little tricky, but not so much... basically hold the temp under 230 and pull them between 200 and 203. not much to it. well, you can choose whether to mop them (which i do) and when to start and stop. but... nothing to it.
pulled pork they love so much around here is about the simplest thing you can do... throw a cleaned carcass-of-pig on the pit and hose it down with a concoction of vinegar, hot sauce and peppers, and sometimes mustard, and do it every hour or so as it cooks in it's own fat. there is no need to be pretty- it's gonna get pulled off the bone and chopped, folded into a sauce (or not) based on where you were born (be it vinegar, mustard, or tomato based).
standing rib roast is likely the most expensive thing i smoke other than some cigars... but there are just four rules- 1) the simpler the rub the better, salt and pepper and better fresh cracked. 2) temperature not to exceed 300*. 3)for the love of all that is holy pull it before it hits 125*.. like, 118* even. 4)let it stand at least an hour, but more like 3 or 4 at a minimum. wrapped in foil, a towel, and in a cooler. redistribution of those juices and some of them congealing with the bark is the mark of it done well.
but those baby back ribs. which, as you may have guessed, are in the smoker right now. have been since noon. they're doing their version of the stall right now at 162* as the piggy fat renders, but it ain't nuthin like a briskets. i rubbed them but good with my wife's own recipe- which is pretty dang good. I started mopping them around 120*, and do it once every 10* until they touch 180~185.. I take them to 190~195*, as i've found they start converting but not so much that they fall apart. I like a little tug, and for that reason i leave the membrane on when slow cooking them. i like them however, but my preferred is dry- hence the mopping stops short enough of serving temperature for most of it to absorb or evaporate. also, and i don't know how significant this is, but i'll build a small fire early and tanking them from room temperature to around 100* pretty slow, and then start charging the fire to its peak of 230* and holding it until at least the 180* mark..... and i never feed it again. if i do it right, which isn't often, the temperatures cross zero as i call it (given my penchant for tuning engines- crossing zero is perfect lambda i.e. stoichiometric ratio) and 195* will be both the temperature of the ribs as well as the smoker when they come out. by my measure, baby backs are the hardest to do by a far measure... it's not only just cooking them low and slow- it's also infusing flavors in just the right measure and intensity.
i hope these things are good... They're 163* as of now. they've likely got another three hours or so. i had nothing to do but type this thing up whilst watching.... and waiting... and drooling.
