Foil Wrapping


 

BobJ

TVWBB Super Fan
Another thread reminded me...

During my last BB rib cook when I wrapped the ribs after 3 hrs the temp of the ribs went from 165 down to 140, is that normal?

On the 14.5 WSM I cut the rack in half. Carry the halves inside the house to wrap, guessing it takes about 5 minutes to get them back on the grill. I've been using honey, br sugar, and pats of butter under and over the ribs so it takes a few minutes. Double wrapping. Takes a good wile to recover the lost heat but finishes inside of 6 hrs.

Another thing is one half is a lot thicker then the other, has a slab of meat on one end so by the time the thick side is done the thinner side is falling off the bone.
 
They can drop some in temp after you wrap, but from 165 to 140 is WAY more than I'd expect. My guess is that your thermometer changed positions causing the change. Maybe you were on a bone and afterwards you weren't. The 140 was probably more accurate. It's hard to temp ribs with a leave in thermometer and get an accurate reading. I have a thermoworks smoke and I find their probes work well because they have a narrow, sharp tip. I wouldn't even try with my Igrill or Maverick probes. It's just too likely you'll get the probe in a bad spot.

When I place my ribs on the grate I try to push the ribs on the narrow end together to try to even out the rack a little bit if that makes sense. I don't know if it does that much good, but they tend to cook the way you put them in.
 
I've never really put a thermo in my ribs but I can imagine there would be a temp drop. I wouldn't sweat it. Some wrap some don't, I do because it seems to come out better for me. And if you are cutting them in half anyway you can pull the thinner pieces earlier. Just put them in a cooler with some towels and they will hold fine.
 
When I plan to "hold" ribs I heat a fire brick in my smoker, then wrap it in a towel and put it in the cooler with the ribs. This keeps them steaming hot for several hours.
 

 

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