H.E.L.P. - No WOW factor (Baby Backs)


 
A

Another Bob B

TVWBB Pro
I did my first WSM cook yesterday with 2 sides of ribs in my brand new 22.5 WSM. After 4 hrs @ 250 they were a beautiful golden brown. I used 4 fist sized pieces of hickory for smoke. I put on a light coat of rub and after 1 hour, mopped them with olive oil and apple juice every 30 minutes. My problem - The flavor was bland. I used no other sauces. I don't know just where to go from here. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Bob
 
This is easy: use more rub, or a different rub!

In this hobby, we get to eat our mistakes. If you don't like the rub you used, or if your "light coat of rub" wasn't enough, or if the olive oil(?) and apple juice rub didn't work out, then do the next ones completely differently.

Use a lot more of the same rub--over long cooks, flavors of spices can fade, espcially if a mop is washing away the dry spices.

Use a completely different rub. There are tons of store bought rubs to use, or try one from the rub section on this site, or one of the varieties from the dozens of bbq cook books. Tinker with rub recipes a little to make 'em your own.

Try mopping only with olive oil, or only apple juice, or white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar, or beer, or Coke, or something else, until you find what works for your taste.

Did they "break" when held up with tongs? If not, they may not have yet been completely done, and so may not taste right.

Every hunk of meat is different, and doing them at 250 for 4 hours does not necessarily mean they are "done". They may be done in terms of the meat is fully cooked (150-160) through the center like a pork chop, but may not be bbq done to where they are tender enough to nearly fall off the bone (higher meat temps 190-200).

I don't ever use bbq sauce either, I prefer dry ribs. It took me a long time to get to where I was pleased with my various bbq output.

Don't get discouraged, keep experimenting until you are happy with your results. When you get it to where you are happy with the results, then invite friends over to enjoy your great 'Q!
 
Bob B

What Doug said. heavy on the rub. Oil and apple juice are not going to do a lot They will keep the ribs moist if you are foiling. I don't like using oil part way through it doesn't add any thing to the flavours IMO. You can spray with apple juice if it makes you happy it will add moisture to the outside only.
I prefer to brush lightly with a sauce every 30 minutes starting at the 1 1/2 hour mark this slowly builds up the flavours on the outside.
Unlike Doug I like my ribs with a sauce. I use an Asian infusion of Hoisin, Sweet Chilli and Smokey BBQ sauces over a Chinese 5 spice garlic, Paprika, Piri Piri, salt and pepper rub.
A very boisterous flavour. Heat has to be low as not to burn the sauce.

If you want to start from the beginning try the BRITU ribs in the cooking topics.

Cheers
 
When I have friends help me in my catering business, one of the first things they say is " I can't believe how much rub you use." Also, I would leave out the olive oil in your mop. Personally, I would leave out the mop altogether! The olive oil, is a "bland" flavor compared to what you are going for! You are probably washing off all the good rub flavor and replacing it with bland olive oil! God put all the fat in those ribs that they will need! Keep at it! DH
 
I never mop. Doesn't make it right, just my preference. Washes the rub off and destabilizes temps especially if you mop early and often as you say you did. Ribs on, lid closed, see you in 4-5 hours. I would have thought that your ribs would have at least tasted like hickory. 4 fist sized pieces for 2 slabs of ribs is a lot IMO, but if that's what you like then go for it. I think the mop was your problem, the timing and the ingredients.
 
I know how you feel Bob. Seems like us home cooks can barely keep up with the corporations of the world that liberally apply glutamates, inosinates, and guanylates to their otherwise lame food. I try to keep up by figuring out new ways to incorporate foods that are naturally rich in these three important food compounds (dried fish, dried mushrooms, seaweed, tomatoes, etc). It may sound weird, but look at a list of ingredients in a bottle of worchestershire sauce and it will start to make sense.

One simple suggestion is to consider the amount of salt you are using. If you made your own rub, it could be light in salt. I take my salt seriously, here's my list of priorities when smoking:

1) is the tenderness right?
2)is the salt right?
3)is the smoke right?
4) is the spice right?

IMO, salt is number 2 but luckily its, by far, the easiest to control.

Another suggestion, and something that I plan to work on this smoke season, is to incorporate into your protocol, a late-stage flavor layer that's a combo of wet and dry. This will be my opportunity to work in things like worchestershire sauce and vinegars (and spice flavors that fade) that will be absent from my initial rub. This concept came from an exchange between me and and Shawn W, and something he dubbed "bark boost." Shawn has already experimented with it some, you can read about it here:

bark boost recipe

recipe application

to mop or not (original thread)

also check this out for some more crazy ideas:

DIY worchestershire

ok, hopefully I'm not over thinking your problem. But this is the kind of stuff that's been in my head this winter.
 
My first thought is was the smoke flavor over powering the rub you used? My ribs have never been better since I cut the amount of smoke wood I was using in 1/2. Hickory is a pretty strong smoke wood too. I use about 2 tablespoons of rub per side of a rack of ribs.

I fall in the camp of no mop. Just put them on and let them cook, no peeking. My .02
 
I'd have to agree. Rubs are huge in the flavoring. I just did some ribs using the Sugarless Texas Sprinkle Barbecue Rub listed on the cooking page. Wow that was flavorful.

Also have to agree about putting olive oil on the ribs. Never heard of this one before. I only basted half way and 3/4 way through the cook not every 30 minutes. Turned out great for me.
 
You mopped your flavor off. You should not "mop"
any bbq meat until 3 or four hours into the cook
and even then you risk washing some of your rub off. Every 30 minutes is too much at the beginning of the cook. At the end if you are basting with sauce every 30 minutes is ok however I prefer to place sauce in a round stainless steel mixing bowl and roll the meat around in it to coat it then place it back on the cooker. Doing it this way decreases the chance of rubbing off your rub and cooling your cooker.
 
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