Alright, so today I decided to fire up the smoker. Felt like doing some ribs, and not just any ribs, but doing them the ‘Charlie Hull’ way. Takes me back, thinking about old Charlie. He lived down the street when I was younger, always had something going on his smoker in the backyard. He taught me this specific method, swore by it.
Getting Things Ready
First things first, I went and picked up a couple of nice racks of pork ribs. St. Louis cut, my usual preference. Got them home, peeled off that annoying membrane on the back. You gotta do that, makes a big difference.
Then, I mixed up the rub. Charlie wasn’t about fancy store-bought stuff. His mix was simple but effective. I just eyeball it mostly, but it’s basically:
- Plenty of coarse black pepper
- Kosher salt
- A good amount of paprika (for color as much as flavor)
- Garlic powder
- A little onion powder
Got my hands dirty, rubbed it all over the ribs, making sure to cover every bit. Then I just let them sit out for about an hour, let the rub kinda meld with the meat while I got the smoker going.
Firing Up the Smoker
Dragged out my old offset smoker. It ain’t pretty, but it works. Dumped in a chimney starter full of charcoal. Once those coals were glowing hot and ashed over, I poured them into the firebox. Threw on a couple chunks of hickory wood. Charlie liked hickory or oak for pork, said they gave it the right kind of smoke flavor. Got the main chamber temperature settling around 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s the sweet spot, low and slow.
The Long Wait and Charlie’s Trick
Put the ribs on the main grate, bone-side down. Closed the lid. And now, we wait. That’s the hardest part of smoking, really. Just gotta be patient. I checked the firebox every hour or so, added a log or charcoal as needed to keep that temperature steady. Didn’t peek at the ribs too much for the first few hours, you don’t want to let all that heat and smoke out.
Around the three-hour mark, the ribs had taken on some good color. Now for the part I really learned from Charlie. Most folks wrap ribs tight in foil, the Texas crutch they call it. Charlie did something a bit different. He’d take a big piece of foil, put the ribs in the middle, and then kinda fold up the sides to make a loose boat or pouch. Before sealing it loosely, he’d add a splash. Not apple juice, but apple cider vinegar, maybe a quarter cup, and a little bit of his thin, vinegar-based mop sauce. Then he’d loosely tent the foil over the top, not sealing it tight.
Put the foil boat back on the smoker. Charlie said this kept the ribs moist without steaming them too much, letting that vinegar tang work its magic. Let them go like that for another hour, maybe hour and a half.
Finishing Touches
After their time in the foil boat, I carefully took the ribs out of the foil. They looked amazing, really tender. Put them back directly on the smoker grate for maybe another 30 minutes, just to firm up the bark a little. Some folks sauce them heavily here, but Charlie wasn’t big on that, and neither am I usually. I might brush on a very thin layer of my own sauce right at the very end, just for a little glaze.
Checked for doneness using the bend test and a thermometer probe – it slid in between the bones with almost no resistance. Perfect. Pulled them off the smoker and let them rest on a cutting board, tented loosely with foil, for about 15 minutes. This resting part is important, lets the juices redistribute.
The Payoff
Finally, sliced those beauties up between the bones. Got that nice pink smoke ring, meat was super tender, pulled cleanly off the bone but wasn’t mushy. And the taste… yeah, that’s it. Smoky, porky, with that subtle tang from the vinegar Charlie always insisted on. Damn good ribs. Takes pretty much all afternoon, but doing it the Charlie Hull way, it just feels right. Tastes right too. Every time I make ’em like this, I think of that old guy and his smoker. Good stuff.
