Blowout bones on ribs


 
Donna Fong

Donna Fong

TVWBB Super Fan
Does anyone have a working theory on how to prevent bones from blowing out of the meat on ribs just before they finish?

Once in a while, a bone or two at the end of a rack pulls out. I cook St. Louis, with the top membrane removed, wrap in foil, meat side down and cook at 275F. I know removing the membrane, cooking too hot, wrapping too tightly exacerbates the issue. Not sure what I can really do about it other than maybe move the ribs to the lower rack where the heat isn't so strong? Any ideas?
 
Are you foil cooking the whole way or setting a bark, then foiling and then resetting the ribs for last 10 mins on rack to reset bark? I’m a little confused on your full cook method.
 
That usually means the ribs are overcooked and left too long on the smoker. I made some (very meaty) St. Louis ribs tonite, too. 4 hours on the smoker at 255, wrapped in double foil for one hour with brown sugar and agave, and unwrapped and finished with very light sauce for 30 minutes, all at 255. I usually start until I get the color I want, in this case 4 hours, sometimes as little as 3 hours. Sometimes the wrap time is less depending on how much meat is on the ribs, 30-45 minutes. Finish time usually doesn’t vary much.
 
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Almost every time I cook ribs the way my wife likes them,by that I mean fall off the bone I lose a bone or two on the end of the rack. Especially the short end of the rack where there is less meat to hold the bone. I just figure that is the price to pay for FOTB. I myself prefer a bit of a bite to my ribs.
 
Donna... Interested in your comment regarding wrapping too tightly. Could you comment more on this...
For ours, we wrap per class instructions and normally don't have blowouts.
 
To answer Brett's question, I smoke until the crust sets and then I wrap in two layers of foil (because I want to minimize any chance of foil rupture). In order to get the level of tenderness I need to for comps, it has to be very tender but not overcooked. My technique is basically the same as Mark's. To answer Bob, I think wrapping too tightly results in higher temperatures inside the foil pouch. Kinda like an instant pot. Kenji Alt Lopez mentions this idea in his beef stew video he released a few days ago. What he says about Dutch oven cooking I think applies to foiled ribs.

But after hearing your comments, yes, I think I am overcooking them on the ends and need to make adjustments for more even cooking. Based on your comments, I will:

1) use one layer of foil, not two
2) move the foiled ribs to the bottom shelf (closer to the diffuser to blunt the hot air being pushed by the Stoker)
3) don't layer any more meat on top which increases the temperature differences between the bottom and the top of the rib rack
4) consider jacard to tenderize the meat (anyone try this with success?)


Thank you everyone!
 
Donna Fong said:
To answer Brett's question, I smoke until the crust sets and then I wrap in two layers of foil (because I want to minimize any chance of foil rupture). In order to get the level of tenderness I need to for comps, it has to be very tender but not overcooked. My technique is basically the same as Mark's. To answer Bob, I think wrapping too tightly results in higher temperatures inside the foil pouch. Kinda like an instant pot. Kenji Alt Lopez mentions this idea in his beef stew video he released a few days ago. What he says about Dutch oven cooking I think applies to foiled ribs.

But after hearing your comments, yes, I think I am overcooking them on the ends and need to make adjustments for more even cooking. Based on your comments, I will:

1) use one layer of foil, not two
2) move the foiled ribs to the bottom shelf (closer to the diffuser to blunt the hot air being pushed by the Stoker)
3) don't layer any more meat on top which increases the temperature differences between the bottom and the top of the rib rack
4) consider jacard to tenderize the meat (anyone try this with success?)


Thank you everyone!
Click to expand...
i am not a competition cooker so my input is likely less valid than a comp cooker's.

from my experience, when the bones blowout or literally fall off the ribs, the rack is over cooked.

here's a link to my most recent St L cook just a few weeks back: https://tvwbb.com/threads/some-st-louis’-on-the-grill.89772/

i cook till the ribs give a gentle bend, which on my E6 is around the 2.5-3 hour mark running anywhere from 225-250 on the cook temp (dial temp, no probes).

i only do a single wrap of heavy duty foil, leaving no air gaps as i don't want to promote the ribs steaming in the foil.

i am usually only in the foil and recook around 30 mins max, with a small amount of liquid and always a retopping of rub.

after the 30 min foil, the ribs come out of the foil and onto the grill , with a little more rub sprinkled on (very lightly) for 5-10 mins to dry them off and reset the bark.

the meat on these is a clean bite without the ribs falling off the bone (which we don't like that level of doneness).

hopefully this is helpful to you based on my pics as results.

note, when i started to get into making better ribs, amazingribs.com was my goto. the temps listed there really helped improve my rib game. idk if 275 is you temp due to time limitations or your preferred temp zone. and i've found the E6 to be so well insulated that cook times are less than i've ever had on any charcoal/lump fired grill.

if you ever need a taste tester, i can make myself available. just note i'd be coming down from the Sacramento area so give me enough drive time :cool:
 
Donna Fong said:
To answer Brett's question, I smoke until the crust sets and then I wrap in two layers of foil (because I want to minimize any chance of foil rupture). In order to get the level of tenderness I need to for comps, it has to be very tender but not overcooked. My technique is basically the same as Mark's. To answer Bob, I think wrapping too tightly results in higher temperatures inside the foil pouch. Kinda like an instant pot. Kenji Alt Lopez mentions this idea in his beef stew video he released a few days ago. What he says about Dutch oven cooking I think applies to foiled ribs.

But after hearing your comments, yes, I think I am overcooking them on the ends and need to make adjustments for more even cooking. Based on your comments, I will:

1) use one layer of foil, not two
2) move the foiled ribs to the bottom shelf (closer to the diffuser to blunt the hot air being pushed by the Stoker)
3) don't layer any more meat on top which increases the temperature differences between the bottom and the top of the rib rack
4) consider jacard to tenderize the meat (anyone try this with success?)


Thank you everyone!
Click to expand...
My technique was what I learned from Jim Minion during his competition days and when I competed. Jim never had “recipes” only techniques based on his judgement and experience so I rarely change how I do things, even though I haven’t competed in more than a decade. I always double foil also because of potential foil rupture. I really haven’t had the rib blowout issue unless I overcook the ribs. I would practice your planned changes several times before incorporating any into competition. You don’t turn in the ends of the ribs anyway, so that would only be a minor concern for competition. Make single changes each time so you know what works or doesn’t and what you like. If you’re only home cooking, taste should be your primary goal, followed by next by tenderness and lastly, appearance (if that matters to you).

1642459814235.jpeg
 
Donna you are on the right track. In my class I teach when you wrap, leave the ends open. Meat side down, add your wrap ingredients, fold foil lengthwise over the ribs from each side, and leave the ends open but gently turned up to keep the liquid in. You still get the braising benefits, but you give yourself a bigger window before they blow out.
 
Donna I smoke ribs for 2hrs at 250 wrap them after 2hrs meat down with a vinegar sauce with barbecue sauce for 40 minutes unwrap glaze with your favorite barbecue sauce for about 15 minutes
 

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Rob, your suggestion makes total sense. I wish I had the idea during the comp. I still blew out my ribs but there was enough to salvage. I will try your technique next time. Also, I didn't remember to try a jacard. I'm still curious about that.
 
Donna Fong said:
Does anyone have a working theory on how to prevent bones from blowing out of the meat on ribs just before they finish?

Once in a while, a bone or two at the end of a rack pulls out. I cook St. Louis, with the top membrane removed, wrap in foil, meat side down and cook at 275F. I know removing the membrane, cooking too hot, wrapping too tightly exacerbates the issue. Not sure what I can really do about it other than maybe move the ribs to the lower rack where the heat isn't so strong? Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Donna,
The thing that strikes me when cooking the first stage of ribs is they darken on the ends first. Obviously, they cook from the outside, inward and end ribs, toward the middle. I like very dark bark on my ribs. Probably more than you do in comps. By the time I "wrap" (aluminum tray), the end ribs are almost ready-to-eat tender, but not the middle ribs. The first stage seems to be the most obvious stage to slow the cooking of the end ribs. You might try loosely foiling the end ribs for a period of time to slow their cooking, say after you get bark to set on the outer ribs and it has yet to set on the inner ribs.
 
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