Back Ribs for Comp


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
Hi All,

I'm competing for the first time in an amateur rib comp in my home town. The event will be providing 2 racks of backs and turn in is 6+ bones. I've always had a bit of an issue with backs where the top white meat gets a little dry while the rib meat stays tender. Broad question, but how do you all handle this?
 
James, I'm no back rib expert, but foiling them meat side down with a small amount of AJ or something is the typical solution. Already doing that?
 
Aanother technique is a spray mist of juice. Are you finding your final rib dry? I find that at around 3 hours they appear dry, but then fat renders and they are not so much anymore.

Ribs for comp will more than likely be sauced and that too will soften up the bark.

Harry Soo's style is a popular method in competitions.
 
I'm torn over foiling. I find that the ribs come out very tender (almost too tender depending on timing) but dry up really quickly once released.
As for spritzing/misting, I haven't really found that it adds much to a cook but it does increase cook times.
I've used Harry's method in the past and it is good but not the best I've ever made. My problem still remains the really meaty top meat on the rib. Perhaps this is indicative of where I buy and may not even be an issue in the comp as the sponsor supplies the meat.

I'm pondering doing a Memphis dry rib a la Chris Lilly but I expect the judges in my area will be looking for a sweet tomato based sauce. Even if the taste is best< I think I'll lose based on perception.

Anyway, thanks Dave & Jeff. Let's see what is to come.
 
James, you're probably onto something with the butchering of the backribs. If memory serves, I believe that IBP's aren't nearly as meaty as the Swift brand ribs at Costco.

As to saucing, I definately would. Actually, I think that St. Louis ribs are a better candidate for going dry. I think that spares have a richer flavor and the herbs, sans sauce really brings it out. I plan on trying some freshly minced herbs with my post-cook rub on my next dry rib cook. I love what they do to grilled russet wedges, so why not? Anyways, just sayin', when in Rome...

By the way, Chris Lilly's dry rib recipe in my BBG book is for St. Louis ribs, sans foil. Both of his backrib recipes in the book are foiled with liquid meat side down and glazed on the cooker. Like a lot of others on the MBN, he suggests 250*, not 275-300* as so many of the guys on the KCBS circuit do with St. Louies.

Let us know how it turns out, and good luck with the comp!
 
Thanks Dave. The backs I get from No Frills (cheapie supermarket in Canada) are really meaty. We go from 3" on the fat side down to less than 1" at the tail. Tough to cook evenly.

Also, you're right. Lilly's dry ribs are sides and the backs are foiled with liquid. I've done backs foiled and not and I still have issues with dry top meat.

In my first 2 cooks with backs this year I pulled them and foiled earlier than I used to and I still get dry top meat. I can't see pulling them earlier as they were bite tender and would have probably been chewy with less time.

I'm going to try and find out where the backs for the comp are coming from so I can gauge cooking times better.

My biggest worry is that many friends will attend this event and I at least want to finish in the top half
icon_smile.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James Harvey:
I'm torn over foiling. I find that the ribs come out very tender (almost too tender depending on timing) but dry up really quickly once released.
As for spritzing/misting, I haven't really found that it adds much to a cook but it does increase cook times.
I've used Harry's method in the past and it is good but not the best I've ever made. My problem still remains the really meaty top meat on the rib. Perhaps this is indicative of where I buy and may not even be an issue in the comp as the sponsor supplies the meat.

I'm pondering doing a Memphis dry rib a la Chris Lilly but I expect the judges in my area will be looking for a sweet tomato based sauce. Even if the taste is best< I think I'll lose based on perception.

Anyway, thanks Dave & Jeff. Let's see what is to come. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>James i am a true believer in spritzing, i do not spritz to add flavor, i spritz to control the bark formation.
 
I'm not a fan of foiling ribs and I do not spritz. How do you cook the ribs laying down or standing up in a rib rack? I've done them both ways at 275 and I have never had trouble with them in a long time. When I first started off I did experience problems and what I did was I was foil either the end of the ribs or I would foil the end of the cooking great directly below where the ends of the ribs would be. I also make a point of getting the 3 packs from Costco at 9-10 lb. I find that anything less then 9 lb produces shiners, less meat creates a high probability of drying out, imo.
 
I try to find the smaller racks from costco and that helps but if one is uneven and i don't feel like trimming I will lay a piece of foil under the "skinny" end. I don't seal the end but may loosely cover the top depending on bark formation. It seems to help prevent the direct heat from the edges.
 
[/QUOTE]James i am a true believer in spritzing, i do not spritz to add flavor, i spritz to control the bark formation.[/QUOTE]

Noe, I know you don't use a pan, and even if you did, "dry heat" is the Texas bbq way and water in the pan is taboo. For what it's worth though, water in the pan does the same thing and I don't have to lift the dome every 20 minutes. It really makes a difference, believe me!
icon_wink.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top