Finishing Ribs in the Oven


 
N

NickB

TVWBB Member
I know, I know. I don't like the thought if it either. But as Curly would say, "I'm a victim of circumstance!"

Because of what I will call "temperature confusion," I took my ribs off after 8 hours and found them to be underdone. The seasoning was perfect, and the smoky flavor was fantastic, but the texture was too chewy, and they were even difficult to cut apart with a sharp knife. They had not shrunken down off the bones at all.

Anyway, I sealed them up with my Foodsaver, and put them in the freezer. Now I am wondering about the best way to thaw them, warm them, and cook them to completion in the oven.

What are your thoughts? Boiling water? Let them thaw in the fridge? What oven temp would you suggest? For how long?

I am flying blind here, so any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

NickB
 
I would thaw them in cool/warm water. Foil them. Put them in the oven at 325 for 45min to an hour. Only time I foil ribs is when they end up in the oven. I actually had the same problem a few weeks ago when I was taking some to a party and they weren't ready when I had to go. Turned out great.
 
Thanks, Bob.
When you say foil them, do you mean the individual slabs, or the container that they are in?
 
You could foil either in individual slabs or the container. I would add a little liquid either way, say a quarter cup if foilind individually and a small layer of liquid about 1/4 an inch or so if in a bigger container.

Personally I would braise them to finish and then put them under the broiler to finish. Add just a little liquid for an additional layer of flavor. When you get them to the tenderness you want add a little sauce and blast them with the heat for a second. As long as there is not a lot of sugar in the sauce.

Clark
 
You could leave then in the foodsaver bags and put in a pot of boiling water and finish them off in a Sous Vide fashion. Just keep the water to a simmer and leave the ribs in for a few hours and you get finished ribs without the risk of drying them out or overcooking them but keeping the flavor.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">What's an oven? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>think they're talkin' bout one of these...
011211-oven1.jpg
 
I wrapped the individual racks, no need to add any liquid to the foil. Since the ribs are pretty much done the way you want them, just not quite done, the oven doesn't really change your cooking style at all. After 8 hours they aren't taking on anymore flavour from the wood or charcoal.

If you braise them then you are doing an entirely different cooking style and will give the ribs a different texture and taste. Plus it's a lot more work.

Thaw,foil, put in oven, eat. No brainer.
 
More work? I guess but nothing really crazy. Can you just toss them in the oven, of course.....I would take advantage and add more flavors when I can, as for texture changes not for sure, if you watch them you can take them off whenever you need, plus the broiling after will also firm them up. As well if they are still pretty tough you will ensure tenderness by braising. We aren't just reheating to serving temp we have to get them to tender first as well.

Clark
 
Foiled in the oven will finish cooking them to tender. Same principle as foiling them and putting them back in the smoker.
 
Of course! We are essentially saying the same thing, I am just suggesting to add a little liquid to add another flavor. You would prefer to just add the foil and not the liquid. No big deal either way, just minor preferences.

Jim - how did you get a picture of my oven, were you sneaking into my house again!

Enjoy the day everyone!

Clark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Terre Hooks:
EIGHT HOURS? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

My thoughts too. How low were your temps??? I'm inclined to think that they were overcooked, rather than under.
 
I know, I know! I was shocked. Not to reiterate my other thread, but this was my first smoke with my new Maverick. The Weber thermometer was reading 50+ degrees lower than the Maverick. I guess now I know which one was "right."

But the Maverick is dead on accurate, with a boiling water reading of 212 on the nose. The last time I made ribs (which I must admit was also my first time), I had only the Weber thermometer. I kept that at 225, and they turned out great. ???

Even though I started with two full chimneys of briquettes, the heat began petering out after about 5 hours. I tapped on the legs, and got it back up to 200 or so, but it was on its way out. By the time I took them off, it was hovering around 170. At the time, I thought I just needed to keep them warm.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I was struggling to cut them apart with a steak knife.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I am intrigued by Brad's suggestion of leaving them in the Foodsaver bag and gently boiling them. Has anyone else tried this? Thoughts?

And Jim, my oven is not nearly as groovy as the one you posted...If it was, I probably wouldn't have a smoker.

NickB
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NickB:
I am intrigued by Brad's suggestion of leaving them in the Foodsaver bag and gently boiling them. Has anyone else tried this? Thoughts?
NickB </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You bet and it does work great. Like Brad stresses though keep them at a simmer and make sure to check them from time to time!

Clark
 
What I like about it is that it takes advantage of the effort I have already put in to lovingly seal them. I can't tell you what a rush it is to open the freezer and see them in there, ready to go. I found myself involuntarily humming the theme from The Flintstones this morning after I saw them.

NickB
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NickB:
... The Weber thermometer was reading 50+ degrees lower than the Maverick. I guess now I know which one was "right."

But the Maverick is dead on accurate, with a boiling water reading of 212 on the nose. The last time I made ribs (which I must admit was also my first time), I had only the Weber thermometer. I kept that at 225, and they turned out great. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have a Maverick and find that it can read quite a bit different from the Weber thermometer. I usually mount my Maverick near the edge of the top grate where it probably gets some of the air flow up the side of the WSM. Early in the smoke, the dome reads lower because it is closer to the meat. They tend to converge later in the smoke.

I found that using the smoker took some practice in the first place and then when I added the Maverick, I had to learn how to use that too. For now you might want to rely on the thermometer you are used to and see how the readings compare to the Maverick. I use both now and you will be too before long.

Also be sure to mount the Maverick probe where meat drippings will not fall on it as that will affect readings as well.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Sous Vide </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I just googled this. I had never heard of it. Just when you think you are getting "cooking" under your belt, along comes an entire method you have never hear of. Pretty cool stuff. If anyone is interested, here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide

And Walter, good call on the location of the probe. I did not even think of the ill effects of placing it too close to the edge. Would not right in the center of the top grate be the best location?

NickB
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NickB:
And Walter, good call on the location of the probe. I did not even think of the ill effects of placing it too close to the edge. Would not right in the center of the top grate be the best location? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I don't really know if any particular location is better. The middle would not work for me because there's usually meat there. I usually wind it up with it near the side and cross check against the dome temperature once in a while.

-walt
 
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