The many uses of pork shoulder

This is a two-parter. Today I'm making smoked pork short ribs, AKA "country ribs", which are usually (but not always) shoulder cuts, which means they are fatty and absolutely delicious when slow-cooked. They're also REALLY cheap. Since I'm not parboiling these, and I'm slow-cooking them in my grill (you can use an oven if you don't have a grill) I'm brining them not only to season them, but also to keep them from getting dried out.

I've never actually measured my brine recipe before, but I did this time. Just for you.

For about 4 lbs of short ribs use:

2 cups water
1-1/2 cups ice
2 TBSP salt
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp chipotle or cayenne powder
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix together until the salt and sugar dissolves, add the ice and pour over the pork ribs (move them around a bit to make sure the brine solution gets in there). Refrigerate for at least an hour. I usually let mine soak for about 3 hours.

If you're using a grill, you'll want to start the coals about an hour before you're ready to put the ribs on. I use a Char-Griller without the sidecar, and have had great slow-smoked results just by getting a nice bed of coals going, then putting some green apple, cherry, or apricot branches on top of the coals, putting the meat on the top rack, and then closing and entirely damping down the grill.

If you're using an oven, preheat it to 200°. When your grill/oven is ready, put the ribs in, uncovered, and bake for about 4 hours. Serve with the condiment and side dish of your choice (I like Texas-style BBQ sauce and corn on the cob), and when you're done, collect the bones and put them in the fridge! You'll need them for tomorrow's dinner.

Speaking of which, you're going to want to get a pound of dry black beans soaking right now. I'll talk about that a little more in my next post.