America turned 235 years old on Monday and I must to say, she doesn’t look a day over 120. To celebrate, the Hapa’s crew grilled up a feast that would have made General Washington proud. Nothing like ribs and tri-tip to make you appreciate what our fore fathers fought for all those years ago. Without them, we’d probably be writing about tea and crumpets.
The Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker didn’t make the trip, but a propane grill provided all the heat we would need. The ribs were prepped and cooked with the same method as past barbeques. The difference when cooking with a gas grill is the use of indirect heat, whereby only one burner is fired up and the meat sits over the other two. This combined with a smoke pouch allowed us to cook with the same low and slow technique that produces fall-off-the-bone ribs.
Rubbed and ready for the grill Rolled and cooking over indirect heat with a smoke pouch
After cooking for nearly five hours the ribs could be pulled apart, were wrapped, and placed in a cooler to stay warm while the tri-tip cooked. Four large pieces of tri-tip would not fit on half the grill so indirect heat was not an option. The meat was first seared at a high temperature before the burners were turned down low. The low temperature prevented flare ups and allowed for a slower cook.
The tri-tip was allowed to rest while the ribs were unwrapped and cut up. It was then carved up and both meats were served with jalapeno cornbread, watermelon salad, and cole slaw. Happy birthday America!
Searing the tri-tip Pledge allegiance to the meat