Excellent "falling off the bone" ribs, finally


 
J

Jimbo B

TVWBB Fan
I've hit the mark a few times, where I felt my baby-back ribs were "close" to what I wanted. Basically, say you have a section of a rack that is 4-bones. I want to hold that by one bone and it not rip out, but if you did the same thing with a piece that was 6 bones, the extra weight would cause the bone you were holding to rip out. Make sense?

Anyhow, I finally got it very close.

About 3 hours anywhere from 255-290 at the top of the lid. An hour and change in foil w/ pineapple juice. Then an hour w/ BBQ+honey on them.

The bark had candied bbq on it in places from the long period of heat exposure and the meat was perfect. What most people would probably consider "mushy".

Picking a rack up with tongs from the bottom grate in the WSM basically mauled the rack, ripping meat and bones out, so some extra care had to be given.

If you like "mushier" ribs that are not tough to pull apart, I highly recommend a slightly higher temperature (270-280 at the top of the lid) and an hour of foiling (whether it is a crutch or not). I also find that less emphasis needs to be placed on the cook time. 30-60 minutes of extra cooking has never caused any harm to my ribs at <280 at the lid.

I don't consider myself a pro by any stretch, but thanks to the advice on the forum, I finally got close to what I'm after. Thanks
 
Yo Jimbo,

Its great that you got the ribs the way you like them - thats what everyone aims for.

Most of us would consider your ribs mushy and over-cooked, but you didn't invite us to your party. Seems a guy named Ed decided that ribs are to be cooked a bit less them you like them - but in YOUR backyard, YOU RULE
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Jimbo B, I have come to the conclusion that most folks don't know they're not supposed like fall-off-the-bone ribs. When folks like you and me find out that ribs aren't supposed to be cooked that way, we try to cook them the way they're supposed to be cooked. Then after you find out people don't like your ribs any more, you go back to cooking fall-off-the-bone ribs. No offense y'all
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Well Steve, do you prefer mushy meat or meat that has a bit of resistance?

Having had both, I prefer ribs that have to be bitten off the bone, and in MY backyard, that is how the ribs are cooked. In your or Jimbo's backyard you guys make the call - but I do it the way I do because I prefer it that way - and from the way my friends snarf up my ribs, so do they.
 
Any ribs that you and your friends can eat and enjoy are good ribs. Do them the way that you like them, not how someone else thinks they should be done.
 
Rich, mushy meat is kind of subjective. Just because I can pull the bone out of the meat or the rib meat tears, I don't consider it mushy. By the same token, I think it's hard to measure what "a bit of resistance" is. I have actually lobbied the KCBS to perform more scientific tests on ribs turned in at comps rather than rely on the KCBS judges wide range of judgement on what is too mushy or too tough. I feel that any rib that measures between 450-550 ohms should be considered properly cooked and not have points deducted for being too mushy or too tough. Rib meat will tear at 450 ohms though. Ribs that measure less than 450 ohms are certainly too mushy and ribs over 550 ohms are definitely too tough. I appreciate the comments though.



I'm just keeeeding!
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I'm not sure that's the right kind of resistance, Steve. hehe

What about this...

Dangle 3 bones from the top bone w/ fishing line from a given rack. Add weight to the bottom bone via an attached line with weights. Assign a ranking system based on the weight required to tear the bones apart from the meat.

Repeat tests thousands of times until fat and satisfied.

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p.s. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow ?
 
Jumping in here to agree that just about everyone I know who doesnt compete or cook thinks falling off the bone is the way they should be. When I screw up and over cook them, they are always a hit with friends and family. I dont mind that at all
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.I really dont want them to fall off the bone, but I prefer them fairly close to that point, but not to where you cant pick them up whole. I do like them tender not mushy. I bet some judges like them soft and I dont care what they were told to do, they will score it the way they want. Right or wrong. Tender beats tough any day. Everyone has a right to their opinion and thats mine.
 
I know what a proper rib for competition feels like, and can usually get them there when I'm aiming for it. That doesn't change the fact that, at home, Robert and I actually like them right at the point of falling off the bone. If we can grab a bone in the middle of the rack and slide it out slicker'n' a whistle, that's OUR personal favorite point of doneness.

The key is to be able to INTENTIONALLY cook them one way or the other with some level of consistency.
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Keri C, still smokin' on Tulsa Time
Hot Wire BBQ
 
I also agree with you Keri. I have to intentionally cook different for comps than I do at home. At home I want the bone sliding out and that is not to mushy to me and in my experience there is about a 15 minute window between done the way I like and getting to mushy and gooey, but competition ribs to me are to tough and chewy but I do understand the KCBS standards and have judged and cooked accordingly instead of my personal taste.

At comps I usually have one rack of ribs just for test purposes and once it gets close to done I really have to watch them every few minutes to find that window of doneness. My test rack gets left on the cooker and by the time turn-ins are done that slab is perfect for my taste of doneness.

Dale, you have a good point as well, when you cannot pick up a whole slab without it falling apart they are over-cooked. Fall off the bone is not overcooked for me. To me there is almost 3 levels of doneness, what we do for comps, fall off the bone just perfect for me, and overdone to mushy and falls apart, you cant even cut them apart, the meat just falls off when you try to cut with a knife and won't even cut good.

Like others have said jsut my opinions and experiences.

Randy
 
That is a good idea Keri, never thought of that, I normally use regular pork butt meat, will have to try that.

I have taken overdone rib meat and put in a hot dog bun which is pretty good.

Randy
 
Jimbo,

An African or European swallow...? (How do you know so much about swallows....???)

I'm surprised no one asked this question....!

I have my new WSM going, My 1st attempt at ribs have been on for 3 1/2 hours, just sprayed them down.... We'll have to see how they turn out!

Gary

PS.... "Listen, chaps.... suppose we build a large, wooden badger....."
 
All this rib talk and the fact that spares are $1.49 a lb. here right now has convinced me to do some falling off the bone spares this weekend
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gary H.:
Jimbo,

An African or European swallow...? (How do you know so much about swallows....???)

Gary </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And I was wondering if it was a swallow of beer or of BBQ!
 
King Arthur: What manner of man can summon fire from neither flint nor tinder?

Wizard: There are some who call me... Tim.

Good luck with the spares.
 
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