Sorry I've been a ghost for the past few months but I've been traveling like a madman this semester and have only had time for 'Q from local joints throughout Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
With the Christmas break winding down, I decided to dust off the Smokin-It #3 ... but found myself completely out of suitable smoking woods. Since I had to run to Academy Sports for some last minute Christmas shopping I threw caution to the wind and bought a bag of
Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrel Oak Smoking Blocks (they were out of all other smoking woods except mesquite) for two standing rib roasts I was smoking for Christmas Eve. I'll create a post for that little experiment later ...
Yesterday, I prepped a whole slab of pork spares with a light butchering (fat trimmed and silver skin removed), slathered with good molasses and liberally coated with a homemade spicy rib rub. Into the fridge for 18 hours and they went in the Smokin-It #3 at noon on the dot with a 4 oz. Jack Daniel's oak block at 225 with ambient outdoor temps in Houston being in the low 50's today. No water pan, no 3-2-1 ... and they came out perfectly after 5.75 hours. Juicy without any muss or fuss, plenty of bite with a pleasant, firm chew. The ribs were served with a little Foy's Mild BBQ Sauce (made by Dobbs Foods from Columbus, GA since the 1930's) on the side and some ranch style beans. A nice send off to 2013, to be honest.
The Jack Daniel's Smoking Blocks do have a pleasant "Old No. 7" aroma to them and are perfectly seasoned. Their cut size is absolutely perfect for the Smokin-It case-style smokers (and Smokin' Tex or Cookshacks, I'll wager) and burns steadily with no flareups. The oak flavor is rich, a more mellow flavor than hickory and there's no real whiskey aftertaste ... but I admire their marketing. While I wouldn't necessarily replace woods from Maine Grilling Woods or Fruitawood with this product, it's an accessible and inexpensive choice for oak chunks pre-cut to the perfect size with very solid results.
