Lip-Smacking Ribs and Pig Shots on Big Black

Recently we loaded Big Black, my Meadow Creek TS250 Tank Smoker trailer with a case of baby back ribs, several racks of St. Louis style ribs, and a tasty batch of pig shots. The results were fabulous as you can see in the photos. Feast your eyes on the fun and flavor in the photos below.

There was enough room to hold the 17 or so racks of ribs and several trays of appetizers.

We mixed up a batch of jalapeño cilantro sauce, a variation of AmazingRibs.com's Alabama white sauce, and Jeff Phillip's famous barbecue sauce the day before.

The pig shots were prepared the day before. We sliced kielbasa into small rounds and wrapped them with half slices of bacon, and then secured each one with a toothpick. I cut some of the kielbasa into larger pieces to wrap without stuffing.

Next we stuffed each one with a cream cheese mixture. (You can use a plastic bag with the corner cut off or an icing dispenser.) And finally, sprinkled the tops with barbecue seasoning.

I bought four 14-ounce packages of kielbasa and four pounds of thick-cut bacon. It was enough to make 64 pig shots and 20 bacon-wrapped kielbasa bites. We used 3 jalapeño peppers, 4 boxes of cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon of barbecue rub for the filling.

Here they are ready to cook!

I fire my Meadow Creek tank smoker with 100% hardwood charcoal briquettes, a couple of splits of smoking wood, and a propane torch.

To prep the ribs, we simple removed the membrane, trimmed off some excess pieces of meat, and sprinkled them all over with Meadow Creek Brisket Rub.

We smoked the ribs for about 3 hours and then wrapped them in foil for a couple of hours or until they were tender and the meat pulled back on the bone. Then we unwrapped them, brushed the top of the rack with Jeff's homemade barbecue sauce, and set them back on the smoker for 30-60 minutes.

The ribs were delicious, and in my opinion, beautiful!

We fired the BBQ42 Chicken Cooker on the front of the trailer with 100% hardwood charcoal briquettes and grilled several kinds of sausage links and bone-in chicken thighs.

After each batch of sausage was grilled, we put it in aluminum pans covered with foil and set the pans in an empty ice chest to keep them hot until serving time. 

Then we cooked a full case of bone-in chicken thighs in one batch. After a little trimming of the thighs, they were ready to put on the grill and season.

About an hour later, the thighs were perfectly cooked and ready to serve.

The lid helps control the airflow and temperature in the grill. It also helps more smoke penetrate the meat.

After the pig shots were done, we kept them warm in the warming box.

Are you hungry yet?

These ribs were easy to make, yet fabulous!

Are you looking for a bigger smoker to handle crowds of 50 or 100 people or even more?

Nothing makes an impression quite like an offset smoker... and a decked out Meadow Creek Tank Smoker, such as Big Black, is the ideal rig if you're looking to serve small crowds with this type of cooking style.

These smokers feature reverse flow draft, which helps maintain more even temperature, and we offer a wide variety of customization options, including stainless steel shelves and trim package for making a great impression on the road!

Click the button below to get started...