I have a question: When utilizing the 3-2-1 Method for barbecuing ribs, or when you wish to wrap a brisket after a certain point in order to steam it the rest of the way, I've heard of using foil or pink butcher's paper. Has anyone had any experience with placing the ribs or brisket in an oven bag with holes punched in the top to vent a little steam and finishing that way? Thanks.
The 3-2-1 Method with an Oven Bag
- Thread starter Wayne RI
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- 3-2-1 method
Just finished taking a rack of ribs off of the pit. It worked perfectly. After 3 hours the rack had picked up enough smoke flavor, color, and aroma. Putting it into the oven bag and going for 2 more hours really tenderized them and broke down the collagen. I've seen Youtube videos where, once wrapped, the pit temp is brought up as high as 300 degrees. I didn't do that. I held the pit temp at 246 - 250 degrees the entire time, wrapped or unwrapped. I unwrapped for the last hour and they firmed up nicely. Incidentally, I did not add extra moisture, like bbq sauce or vinegar and water to the bag, just a light coating of rub sprinkled on the meat side. I punctured the top of the bag 3 times with a dinner fork to vent some of the steam. Plenty of moisture was evident in the bag when I opened it.
I haven't seen a down side to it, after only one session of course. I was concerned that not enough steam would escape and they would turn out mushy but that was not the case. You can easily pull the meat from the bones cleanly but the meat doesn't "fall off the bone". After unwrapping the rack tightened back up to exactly where I wanted it. The rack bent easily when picked up by the ends but it didn't break apart. Also, after unwrapping, instead of going exactly for the last hour I went by temperature and made sure they finished at 205 degrees. I think it took only 45 minutes or so to get to 205 degrees once unwrapped.
I'm encouraged by the results and I will try it this way again next time, either with more ribs or a pork shoulder. I find it to be much more convenient and less time consuming than wrapping in foil, especially on a breezy day. Thanks for your response by the way. I appreciate it.
I haven't seen a down side to it, after only one session of course. I was concerned that not enough steam would escape and they would turn out mushy but that was not the case. You can easily pull the meat from the bones cleanly but the meat doesn't "fall off the bone". After unwrapping the rack tightened back up to exactly where I wanted it. The rack bent easily when picked up by the ends but it didn't break apart. Also, after unwrapping, instead of going exactly for the last hour I went by temperature and made sure they finished at 205 degrees. I think it took only 45 minutes or so to get to 205 degrees once unwrapped.
I'm encouraged by the results and I will try it this way again next time, either with more ribs or a pork shoulder. I find it to be much more convenient and less time consuming than wrapping in foil, especially on a breezy day. Thanks for your response by the way. I appreciate it.
Dustin Dorsey
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Interesting idea. I know one of the things people do is wrap ribs as tightly as they can to prevent the steaming effect. For pork shoulders, one of the things you are trying to accomplish is breaking through the stall by preventing evaporative cooking. Any air pockets allow this to take place. Some of the "second stall" people experience is that pockets form when the meat shrinks allowing more evaporative cooling to take place. I think this why I've seen weird things with paper, is because it's impossible to wrap that tightly. But people also place meat in pan and put foil over it. It depends on what you are trying to achieve I guess.
It's confusing. I have been working under the assumption that the middle step in the 3-2-1 Method was specifically for providing a moist environment in order to keep it from drying out while slowly breaking down the collagen. I also think that both wrapping in foil and wrapping in butcher's paper are intended to provide a moist environment combined with an imperfect seal so as to vent steam and, therefore, excess moisture, so it doesn't become the equivalent of boiling. My main reason for using an oven bag, aside from the fact that I just plain forgot to buy foil and didn't feel like going out again to buy it, was that it does essentially the same thing. It allows me the low and slow moist environment that results in collagen breakdown without drying out the surface, and I can punch holes in the top to allow steam pressure to escape. It just so happened that I seem to have punched just enough vent holes in the bag on the first attempt. Had that not been the case, I could have punched more holes or fewer holes each session as necessary to zero in on the right number.
I simply find it easier, especially when unwrapping for the final stretch (the 1 in the 3-2-1 Method). I just pretty much tip the bag so the contents slide out, with the liquid falling into the water pan. I have used foil in the past but not butcher's paper. I'm curious to find out what I should be looking for regarding the difference between using foil and butcher's paper. You either want a moist environment or you don't, and if breathability of paper versus foil is the issue, you could wrap the foil less tightly or punch more holes in the oven bag. I think it's simply a matter of keeping it moist without building steam pressure and therefore excess liquid while breaking down the collagen. Thanks for your response.
I simply find it easier, especially when unwrapping for the final stretch (the 1 in the 3-2-1 Method). I just pretty much tip the bag so the contents slide out, with the liquid falling into the water pan. I have used foil in the past but not butcher's paper. I'm curious to find out what I should be looking for regarding the difference between using foil and butcher's paper. You either want a moist environment or you don't, and if breathability of paper versus foil is the issue, you could wrap the foil less tightly or punch more holes in the oven bag. I think it's simply a matter of keeping it moist without building steam pressure and therefore excess liquid while breaking down the collagen. Thanks for your response.
ChuckO
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Truthfully I don't know why you would want to wrap your ribs at any point of the cook. I'm guilty of having done the 3-2-1 cook a time or two, but I'll never be guilty of doing it again. Simply BBQ your ribs indirect (Kettle or WSM) at 225 for 5-6 hours, they will be amazing. Yes there are high-heat methods to cooking ribs, and they have been superb cooks, however the low and slow indirect method is nearly bullet proof
I usually do keep them unwrapped the entire time since I've gotten the bullet. I got introduced to 3-2-1 pre Bullet days when I would smoke ribs in my 22 inch diameter Weber kettle. It's much harder to keep the process low and slow with something that was really intended to sear a steak. They would tend to dry out when unwrapped the entire time, but I've done it successfully using the 3-2-1 Method modified. I can't apply 3-2-1 directly because of the higher heat. After the 3-2, 5 hours later, they would be done while still wrapped. They never had a chance to firm up again which the last hour unwrapped would accomplish. Now I wrap them at a temp of 160 and unwrap them at a temp of 190, finishing at 205 degrees, regardless of elapsed time. Using 3-2-1 in the bullet was just an experiment to see if there is a difference between 3-2-1 and just running them unwrapped the whole time. I think, after the first 3-2-1 trial in the bullet, I would still prefer the texture of ribs unwrapped the entire time. The desire for a comparison is what led me to the oven bag question in the first place. Thanks for your response.
I guess everyone has their preference. I loved the 3-2-1 method, particularly the juice left in the foil after the wrap. I try to save as much of that as I can and use it as a base for a sauce. Fantastic flavor. I wasn't that big on sauce until I tried this.
Good point. I like that too. Next, I'll try not wrapping them at all and putting a drip pan on the second rack beneath them, adding the same amount and type of liquid directly to the drip pan as I would have added to the foil. Hopefully the rendered fat, along with some of the rub, will drip into the drip pan, mix with the added liquid, and come out tasting as good as the liquid that's drained from the foil when using 3-2-1. We'll see if I can reap the rewards of both processes.
