Rib Cook Yesterday- 3.5 Hours


 
K

KenB

TVWBB Fan
Cooked a small rack of SL ribs and they were finished in 3.5 hours. I was figuring on 4-5 hours but checked at 3.5 and they were done, maybe overdone. They we're fall off the bone but tasted great with only bone Suckin rub. I thought SL take longer?

I cooked with Royal Oak lump, cherry wood, water in the pan. The temp at the grate stayed between 250-275. I didn't wrap in foil. I must say that the lump didn't give off nearly as much odor as KBB but didn't burn that evenly. I can't seem to get a good system down for ribs,sometimes it takes 5 hours for a rack and sometimes less. How long does it take people to cook 1 rack of SL ribs(
 
KenB, I never cook just one, though cooking more won't make it much longer (and only because the temp may not recover as quickly when you add them, mop/sauce, etc, etc.) Of course if you load it up with five racks on each level, that will affect things a bit due to airflow. :)

I always try to find packages of ribs that weigh about the same (that used to be 9 pounds for a two pack of untrimmed spares at CostCo....then they switched it up on me with trimmed three packs!!) :) I cook my ribs at 240 lid temp, and they take 6-6.5 hours just about every time. Kingsford blue or competition, water in the pan. No foiling of ribs for me. Sometimes they will be done at 5.5 hrs, so I start checking then to be sure they are on track.

Now, I don't mop or sauce my ribs, and I don't foil. So, if you do any of those things, then my timing won't really be much use to you.

My guess is that running a bit higher temp, and having (as you referenced) a smaller rack of ribs is why that one didn't take long (my baby backs take about 4 hours or so at 240, I'm guessing maybe your ribs were in that size range?)

Hope that helps!

Rich
 
Last edited:
Rich G said:
I always try to find packages of ribs that weigh about the same (that used to be 9 pounds for a two pack of untrimmed spares at CostCo....then they switched it up on me with trimmed three packs!!)
Click to expand...
Along this line, I try to buy the same brand whenever possible just so there's 1 fewer variable to deal with.
 
Rich G said:
KenB, I never cook just one, though cooking more won't make it much longer (and only because the temp may not recover as quickly when you add them, mop/sauce, etc, etc.) Of course if you load it up with five racks on each level, that will affect things a bit due to airflow. :)

I always try to find packages of ribs that weigh about the same (that used to be 9 pounds for a two pack of untrimmed spares at CostCo....then they switched it up on me with trimmed three packs!!) :) I cook my ribs at 240 lid temp, and they take 6-6.5 hours just about every time. Kingsford blue or competition, water in the pan. No foiling of ribs for me. Sometimes they will be done at 5.5 hrs, so I start checking then to be sure they are on track.

Now, I don't mop or sauce my ribs, and I don't foil. So, if you do any of those things, then my timing won't really be much use to you.

My guess is that running a bit higher temp, and having (as you referenced) a smaller rack of ribs is why that one didn't take long (my baby backs take about 4 hours or so at 240, I'm guessing maybe your ribs were in that size range?)

Hope that helps!

Rich
Click to expand...

Is the 240 lid temp with the stock WSM thermometer? Thanks all for your answers.
 
KenB said:
Is the 240 lid temp with the stock WSM thermometer? Thanks all for your answers.
Click to expand...

Ken, yes, measuring lid temp with my stock therm (which I have determined to be accurate by double-checking with my Thermapen and Maverick probe.)

Rich
 
I took a rib cooking class a while back. The instructor said for 225 deg grate temp the total cook time is 5 hours. For 250 it would be 4 hours. At 275, 3.5 hours would be about right.
 
Kim H. said:
I took a rib cooking class a while back. The instructor said for 225 deg grate temp the total cook time is 5 hours. For 250 it would be 4 hours. At 275, 3.5 hours would be about right.
Click to expand...

Hey, Kim! Can you clarify what kind of ribs the instructor was talking about in your class?? Lots of room for variation in this world of BBQ, but I will say that 4 hours sounds REALLY short to me for an average sized rack of spares (trimmed to St. Louis or not.) Smaller racks, or baby backs, that sounds a bit more like it. Like I said, though, lots of room for variation based on your meat, your cooker, your preferences, etc.... :) If I've learned anything since joining up here, it's that there's very rarely a single answer for any BBQ question! :)

Rich
 
Thanks for the replies. If I foiled, how much time do you think I would have shaved off my cook time? Why do all the comp cooks wrap?
 
Rich G said:
Ken, yes, measuring lid temp with my stock therm (which I have determined to be accurate by double-checking with my Thermapen and Maverick probe.)

Rich
Click to expand...

Rich, every one says the stock thermo that comes installed on the lid of the WSM is off by a lot but when I compared it to the oven thermo I had at the grate , it was almost the same up to about 250. When the temps get hotter I get a difference of about 10 degrees
 
KenB said:
Why do all the comp cooks wrap?
Click to expand...

some people feel it protects the bark from getting to dark and it makes them more tender. personally I find I prefer it best with 225-250 temp and no foiling (when I've foiled I've found it to get mushy), but it's just a preference. I'm also on the lazy side.
 
Last edited:
KenB said:
Rich, every one says the stock thermo that comes installed on the lid of the WSM is off by a lot but when I compared it to the oven thermo I had at the grate , it was almost the same up to about 250. When the temps get hotter I get a difference of about 10 degrees
Click to expand...

I checked specifically the last time I bbqed out of curiosity and the temp on the lid was 40-50 degrees lower than the grate the couple of times I checked. my wsm is only a couple of years old so I doubt they've changed the thermometer since then. I have had times when it's been pretty close. as to why the variation who knows?
 
The difference between grate and lid temp will vary depending on where you are in the cook. I find that I can get differentials of up to 40 degrees early in the cook until everything "settles down" (about 1-2 hours depending on how much meat, water or no water, etc.), then I tend to have very similar temps (5-10 degrees diff between lid and top grate, 10-15 between lid and bottom grate. Many years ago, I stopped caring, as I found a process that works for me, so all I watch is the lid temp, figuring everything else is somewhat equally relative.

I'm with Matt H., I don't foil because I also feel that the ribs get too mushy for MY taste (I also know lots of people who like them that way, so cook them to how YOU like them!) I don't have enough experience with foiling ribs to answer your question on how much time you shaved off.... :)

Rich
 
That's interesting rich I did check early in the cook. I suppose that makes sense because the the air and lid might not have come up to temp of the grate by then.
 
My spares usually take between 4-5 hours to get to where i want them when running at around 250ish but after about 3 hours im opening it quite a bit to mop which i suppose adds a little time. I also have converted over to not wrapping my ribs
 
Before I got my first WSM about a dozen years ago, I did spares on an old Genesis 3-burner with indirect heat at about 325-350 (as read on the unreliable lid thermometer). It took about an hour to a hour-fifteen. I had no concept of testing for doneness, so I took them off when they "looked good." Sometimes they were pretty good -- other times, dry as a bone.

I have smoked many racks on the WSM since and notice that a relatively small increase in cooking temp results in a large reduction in cooking time. If I smoke at 225, spares may take 5 or more hours. Compare that to the one or so hours at 325. The best rule to apply is the inviolable law of barbecue: when they're done -- they're done.
 
TPurdy said:
My lid therm is 30 degrees cooler than the top grate.
Click to expand...

At around 70 degrees ambient, with no sun or wind, the lid therm is fairly close to grille temp. A little wind, high or low ambient temp, sunshine, and other factors will alter that difference, sometimes by a lot. Measuring at the grill is far more accurate under all circumstances.
 
x 2 to what Rich G said. It's amazing how any factors do go into to differences in dome vs. grate temp. In Chicago I have noticed the on sunny days in the summer my dome temp can be as much as +30-40 degrees from grate temp, whereas in the winter the dome temp will be -30 degrees from grate temp. Heck, I have even noticed it change as the sun goes down! What's really helped is having the grate thermometer as well. That has helped me achieve much more consistency in my product.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top