Apr 17 2015
Ever since Cliff and then Tommy posted their pile of ribs I knew I had to try it. Cliff said he got the idea from the BBQ Pit Boys video on YouTube. Their idea was to be able to do a bunch of ribs in a smaller space by cutting the ribs and smoking them in a big pile.
I just happened to have a recipe for some Brazilian Caipirinha ribs I wanted to try and adapt to the smoker. The recipe was by Denise Browning at honestcooking.com. His method of cooking was to cut some baby back ribs in single rib sections, marinate them in the fridge 8 to 12 hours, then brown them all up in oil and then add them to a stove top pan along with the reserved marinade and steam them. His marinade of white rum, lime juice, garlic, brown sugar, parsley salt and pepper sounded great to me. He said typically the Brazilians did not add the honey at the end but he said he liked it to offset the acidity.
I thought this is perfect to try the pile method. I made up the marinade but didn’t have annatto powder; it is mainly for color but it does have a slight flavor. I pulled the membrane off and cut the 12 ribs. They went into a small roasting pan and poured the marinade over turning to coat well. They were covered and in the fridge for 12 hours turning half way through. Tasting the marinade I felt it did need the honey at the end of cooking. I had some local raw honey to use.
I placed the pile of ribs, and 3 slices of bacon on top in my Traeger that was preheated to 220 deg.F for 1 ½ hours, 230 for an hour, 240 for an hour and 250 for an hour. I turned them and brushed on some marinade every 45 minutes. With 40 minutes left I brushed with honey and turned; then once again with 20 minutes left.
My side was sliced up white yam, Dutch baby potatoes cut in half, sliced onions, red and green peppers topped with butter and in a foil pan. I had planned to do them in the oven covered for a half hour at 350 deg. and then uncover and move to the smoker for an hour. When I checked them the potatoes were not done enough so I just left them ride in the oven.
We had some Ciabatta buns for bread and butter. Sure was good, but with a cold I don’t think my taste was up to par. My wife said they were her second favorite ribs I ever made. To me the ribs had a nice crust all over with a little soft meat left. I thought a little heat may have helped the flavor for me.
Smokin Don
Brazilian Caipirinha Ribs
Author: Denise Browning
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Brazilian
Serves: about 13 ribs
Tender and tasty Caipirinha baby back ribs marinated with cachaça (or WHITE RUM), and then prepared on the stove top.
Ingredients
• 1 stack (3.3 pounds or 1.5 kg) baby back ribs (buy a stack with 10-14 ribs)
• ¾ cup cachaça or white rum
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1½ Tablespoons annatto powder (used most for coloring foods and available at local supermarkets)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• Honey for basting at the end
Instructions
I adapted Denise’s recipe to do on my Traeger pellet smoker. I also wanted to do them cut into single ribs and smoked in a pile. It is a method of smoking a bunch of ribs in a smaller area on your smoker. The idea came from BBQ Pit Boys.
Remove the membrane and cut ribs in single sections. Make up the marinade and puree the blend. I didn’t have annatto powder so omitted it. I also forgot to buy fresh parsley so I used a tablespoon of dried.
I placed the ribs in a small roaster pan and added the marinade turning to coat well and place in the fridge covered for 8 to 12 hours. I did mine 12 hours and turned them half way through.
Place the ribs on a preheated smoker in a pile and add two or three bacon strips. I did mine for a total of 4 ½ hours, 220 deg.F for 1 ½ hours, 230 for an hour, 240 for an hour and 250 for an hour. I turned them and brushed on some marinade every 45 minutes. With 40 minutes left I brushed with honey and turned; then once again with 20 minutes left.
Note: These turned out mighty tasty; I only had one rack of ribs if you do two racks I would say you should go with a temp of 250 to 275 deg.F for the whole cook; This was by the original recipe from the BBQ Pit Boys. You can determine how well done you want them. The honey at the end was a touch from Denise, he said Brazilians don’t typically do this but like him I think it helps offset the acidity. I think some cayenne or crushed red pepper would be a good addition too.
The temps I give are from my Savannah Smoker V3 controller; my grill level temps run 5 to 10 degrees hotter.
