Bummer BRITU


 
A

Andrew Sacco

New member
Tried my new WSM, first on chicken (great!) and then BRITU (not great). The WSM is a tank, great unit. I followed the BRITU method to the letter posted on this site, using two full chimneys of new Kingsford, and cooked two racks. After burning for an hour, and when putting the meat in, the temp stabilized and stayed rock steady around 230. At the three hour mark, I added hot water, noticed the ribs weren't done, and closed the lid and started opening bottom vents. At 4 hour mark, temp still at 230. Couldn't get the temp up no matter what. Seemed to me the charcoal was burning down to it's last embers? Try as I might I couldn't get temp up, so had to add more charcoal. Temp went then to 300 and I managed to lower it pretty quickly to 280 so I felt good. At the 4.5 hour mark my wife was complaining, kids had to go to bed and ribs were starting to pull off the bone, so I pulled the ribs and sauced them after a short rest. I know they probably could have gone longer, but they were dry. Not bone dry, but crunchy outside and rather just dry, but good flavor. Bummed out. Would the extra hour have helped?
 
Were they spares?

Spares usually take me anywhere from 5-7 hours depending on temps cooked at.

Was 230 measured at the lid or at the grate? If it was the lid temp and you were cooking spares, you may have needed more time.

IMO, the minion method is far more reliable and easier to control than the standard method. I use the MM for every cook except a high heat cook.
 
They were baby backs. Temp measured at the lid. They were cryovac Hatfield so don't know if that makes a difference. They weighed in at 2 lbs each. Mind you , they weren't bad, just maybe undercooked. My concern is that cooking them more may have really dried them out a lot more. I guess I'll try again.
 
230 at the lid still means you were cooking at around 215 grate. You probably needed more time.

My last batch of baby backs (3 slabs) took around 4.5 hours, including about 30 minutes wrapped in foil. These were cooked around 250 lid.
 
and that's assuming you were cooking on the top grid, not the lower which could be 10-15° colder again.
 
I was cooking on the top grate, using a drill through mounted Teltrue thermometer with a 4" shaft. Next time I'll place an oven thermometer on the grate itself to see what the temp is like. Still puzzled as to why my fire fizzled out. I am amazed at the way it holds steady at a certain temp for hours on end however.
 
Andrew--

As tough cuts of meat cook a little while they--if you were to taste them--are tough but moist. There is a point during the cooking where rising temps cause changes that squeeze out juices (read: water), much of which evaporates during the next roughly 20-degree rise in internal temp. During this time (especially toward the end of this time) the meat will seem dry. With further cooking the interior fat and connective tissue will start to soften and render, considerably moistening the meat (this process also traps some of the remaining water) and, after a time at this stage (which varies based on meat type, cut, thickness and internal marbling), the meat is done. Further cooking causes further changes in structure which release more rendered fat/tissue (it drips away) and the captured juices (they evaporate) leaving the meat dry once again.

From what you've written I'm guessing the ribs were undercooked, as you suspect.

Try a higher lid temp as Craig suggests. Shoot for 250--but if the temp settles in the 240s that's close enough.

During the 'done' window, when the internal fat/tissue has sufficiently rendered and is gelatinized, a probe, pick or skewer inserted between the rib bones will go in effortlessly. When visual cues suggest the ribs might be done confirm this with a between-the-bones test.
 
Kevin

Thanks for your detailed answer, makes sense to me. I will try again this weekend, and hope the fire still burns. I may try the Minion method instead.
 
Andrew,
I would definately use the minion method instead of the standard method. Kevin gave you some good advice but I noticed you mentioned that the ribs were "crunchy outside". I do not like the tough bark you get from BRITU. If that is one of the problems you have also, try what I've been doing. After the cook, I take all the ribs and wrap them in foil (one big wrap, not individually) and let them rest for about 15 minutes. That seems to soften the bark just enough for me. Other than that, I think you do need about 6 hours for baby backs using the BRITU method and taking the temp at the lid.
 
Jerry, thanks. I'm in the habit of resting meat anyways, just didn't have time this time (hungry wife and kids). The flavor was good on the ribs. I'll also look for other recipes. Looks for the foreseable future I'll be keeping the rib farmers in business.
 
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