I don't like my ribs


 
P

Pete D.

TVWBB Member
The ones I cook, that is. They have absolutely no flavor other than the flavor of pork. Texture was good—moist, juicy—but no flavor. Here's what I did:

1) Removed membrane and applied Memphis Dust rub. Back in the fridge for about an hour.

2) Built fire in 18" WSM and tossed 6-7 small chunks of hickory (about golf ball - tennis ball size). Water in the pan.

3) Put ribs on and cooked at 225-250.

4) After about 4-4.5 hours, I wrapped in foil and put back in smoker. I left them in the foil for the remainder of the cook.

5) After 6 hours, I removed from the WSM and rested in the foil for about 15 min.

Like I said, the texture was just what I wanted, but there was no taste from the rub and absolutely no hickory taste. BTW, I couldn't really smell any hickory smoke while cooking either.

So, am I using bad wood? It's from a large bag that I got at Home Depot — Char Broil brand. Does wood go bad if it gets too old? I didn't do any soaking, so might it need rehydrating? Should I find a different supplier of hickory wood? If so, where? I used to get a better hickory flavor, but the last few years, I haven't gotten much. I'd be happy with just salt and pepper as long as I got a good hickory taste.

It seems like wrapping the ribs in foil steamed away any spice rub that may have been on there. Could that have happened? I like the texture when I foil my ribs — both my guests and I like that "fall off the bone" texture, so I'd rather not lose that. In the past, I've reapplied rub after removing from foil, but then what's the point of putting a rub on before cooking if all I'm going to taste is what's been put on at the end.

Any ideas for me?

Thanks
Pete
 
Did you forget or forgo the sauce?
To me... wrapping/foiling tends to homogenize ribs, so sauce becomes necessary.
 
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Pete,

Takes a lot of trials to find the method that works for you. Here are some things I know.

Other than rotted to dust, no, wood doesn't go bad, no matter how old it is. That said, some wood just has more aroma to its smoke than other. It has to do with what time of year it is harvested and how it is dried, among other things. If from the bag you had, 6-7 chunks wasn't enough, try 8-10. Not to be picky, but there's a big difference between a golf ball and a tennis ball. It would not surprise me that 6 golf ball chunks wasn't enough. 6 tennis balls sounds like enough.

I will agree with you that foiling destroyed your bark. If you're going to foil, be sure you leave yourself some time at the end of the cook to put them back on unwrapped for at least a half hour -- an hour would be better.

I've not used a WSM in years, and not sure I ever used one for ribs, but with a water pan, I would at least try one time not foiling at all. I like a firm, not quite crunchy exterior with a moist interior, and I get that without foiling.

I don't know your rub brand, but Bad Byron's Butt Rub makes for an excellent slab of ribs. I rub my ribs with oil before I apply the dry rub. It keeps the rub on. I put on a lot of dry rub on, too. I've got a thread I just started in the Gas forum that shows a slab of ribs I prepped. You can just barely make out the difference between fat and flesh after the rub is on.

Hope this helps.
 
I salt mine a day in advance. I avoid presalted rubs like a plaque.
You may not have enough salt in your rub. Salt is key to flavor
 
Pete D. said:
Like I said, the texture was just what I wanted, but there was no taste from the rub and absolutely no hickory taste. BTW, I couldn't really smell any hickory smoke while cooking either.
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Hi Pete, a couple things I'd do different

1) double check, are the ribs you're buying fresh or frozen? Are they Baby Backs or St. Louis'? Spareribs are OK, but not the best ribs out there (imho)
2) Make your own rub, so many of the rubs off the shelf are lacking. Here's Steven Raichlen's basic rib rub recipe. It's a gem (imho)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/basic-barbecue-rub-242244

Hickory is not the wood I'd use for pork ribs, I like cherry, it gives a real smooth flavor

3) BBQ Sauce: The last half-hour of the cook (or less) I cook in my BBQ Sauce. I really like Stubb's Sweet Heat. Priced right with some fantastic flavor
 
Hey Pete, I make my own rub and put it on at least for 12 hours prior to smoking them. I do the 3-2-1 method and trim my spares down to St. Louis style ribs. I almost always use apple wood chunks and I get the Weber chunks at Home Depot and I have great flavor and I put water and apple juice in my water pan and when I wrap my ribs I put some apple juice in the foil with the ribs meat side down.
 
I don't think wood ever goes bad but I do believe in using wood that is around a year old. too green is not good and too old has less flavor in my opinion. I also try to avoid kiln dried wood pre packaged in big box stores. I like to cut and age my own wood if possible. I don't know if science backs up my wood claims but just throwing it out there. I would also consider trying other wood types as well. Maybe you will find different smoke woods suits your taste buds. I prefer apple over hickory in most cases. I fully stand behind the "BBQ does not need sauce IF it is good enough" thought process but I ALWAYS sauce ribs.

I also want to throw out the idea that maybe you are being a little hyper critical of your own work... I think we all put our own cooks under the microscope and find little things wrong and get frustrated. If you shared the ribs with anyone else did you receive positive feedback?
 
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I started out with the memphis dust recipe. I think it might not have enough salt. I think Meathead adjusted the recipes because he advocates applying salt and having your rub without salt separate. You need to adjust salt if you get "enhanced ribs" I try to avoid the enhanced but these days sometimes it's unavoidable. I too use the bags of chunks from home depot or academy on occasion. These are kiln dried and probably don't have enough moisture to produce a great smoke. I find they work ok but like some guys said you might look into better smoke wood.

I think wrapping ribs works great but I'd probably only wrap for about an hour. Did you put liquid in? The liquid could have washed off some rub. I'm just brainstorming here. Good luck!
 
Hey Pete - here are some of my ideas:

  • Use a slather - I like Creole Mustard - prior to adding your rub - this will greatly improve your bark and help the rub stick to the ribs.
  • Experiment with more/bolder smoke woods (or mixtures).
  • After slathering and rubbing, wrap your ribs in plastic wrap and allow them to rest in the fridge overnight before cooking them.
  • If you are in the sauce camp (many are not and that is fine), sauce or mop your ribs prior to foiling in order to build flavor. If you are not a 'saucer', reapply some rub prior to foiling - make sure the braising liquid you add to the foil is flavorful.
  • Return your ribs to the smoker after removing the foil and hit them with more sauce or rub to restore bark and flavor.
  • Consider forgoing the foil and using the last hour or hour and a half to build flavor with your mop/sauce/rub.

There are lots of variables so it can take a while to get everything the way you want it. Even when you find the 'right' combination, you will continue to tweak things to improve your product. Don't be discouraged - just try various things and learn from each cook...

Regards,

John
 
i'd follow chris' basic recipe to the T and then experiment on later cooks and adjust to what you like: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/rib4.html


btw I still use this rub and the mustard and love it. I do cut the sugar in half though. though my first try with that recipe were among the best ribs I've ever had. if you aren't going to foil just make sure you don't run the smoker over 240.
 
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The first time I made ribs was with the meathead Memphis dust. I also let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour. Mine was bland as well. When I foiled the ribs, all the fat rendering removed the bark.

The second time I made ribs I marinated it overnight and it tasted fantastic.
 
I often use Memphis Dust for my ribs, but if you're using the current (salt-free) recipe, it's pretty crucial to pre-salt. My method is to prep the ribs the night before the cook by removing the membrane, sprinkling with kosher salt (an even but light coating) and wrapping in plastic wrap. The day of the cook, I unwrap them, rinse and pat dry, then slather on spicy brown mustard and apply the Dust. Then, I spritz with apple juice about every 45 minutes. I haven't wrapped ribs in years; just didn't like the extra work involved and found they easily overcooked and fell apart.

I suspect that maybe you didn't pre-salt the ribs, or if so, not far enough in advance. Also, your misting mix might have been a bit short on sugar. You need some sugar in there to caramelize the rub into a nice crust. Also, in my experience, hickory isn't great with pork, at least not ribs. I much prefer apple or cherry.
 
I smoked 3 racks of St. Louis spares last weekend (homemade rub, hickory and apple mix). I spent a good amount of time out by the pit and grilling other bits. I ate one rib right after I pulled them off (Just to test, of course) and it tasted ok, just not very smoky. When I went inside, m wife told me I smelled like a burning building, but I didn't notice. I took a shower and changed clothes before the guests came and noticed that the ribs tasted nice and smoky. Since taste is highly scent-dependent, my backyard theory is that if you smell like you've been cooking all day, you become inured to smoke flavor. Wash your hair and change your clothes and you approach your ribs with a fresh new outlook.
 
Thanks everyone—you guys are great!

Like I said, I use the Memphis Dust recipe, though I took the salt out and salt the ribs separately. That way I can add more rub on and not have to worry about oversalting. For some reason, I didn't put more rub on after removing from the foil. There was a pretty big puddle of liquid in the foil pouch after I removed the ribs. I'm guessing that was rendered fat which washed away the spice rub. Not foiling would solve that problem, though maybe I'll try slathering with mustard first. I've never done that, so it's worth a try.

As for the smoke, I'm convinced that my hickory supply is bad. I didn't smell hickory smoke when I first started, just the charcoal smell. Maybe it was just too old (several years) or not stored properly (in the original plastic bag kept in my garage). Someday, I'll try different types of wood, but I do really like a strong hickory flavor. I'd rather figure out why I haven't gotten that strong wood smoke before trying apple or cherry. To me, that strong wood smoke flavor is more important than the spice rub.

Pete
 
Mark Barton said:
I know what you mean! This week I have been using the same "BBQ" clothes when cooking.
Click to expand...

I was going to say the same thing. If I hang around the smoker inhaling all that smoke smell from my cook most often it will not have a smoky flavor to me and seem kind of bland.
The next day it's oh wow what a great smoky taste.
 
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