Foil (-ed)... Again...


 
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Alan Bosch

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I'm going to try foiling the ribs I'm cooking this weekend. The goal is to make them a bit more tender than they've come out in the past. Not mushy, just a little less tough.

My plan is to put the six racks on the WSM right after putting on the smoke wood (cherry) and filling the water pan. At about the two-and-a-half hour mark AFTER the smoker's reached ~225 degrees, the ribs'll be foiled and returned to the smoker for about 3 to 4 hours. Then they'll be removed, slathered with sauce, and returned to the smoker for another half-hour to 45 minutes.

Once the ribs are foiled, what's the best way to test for doneness? The last thing I want is to open the smoker too frequently sending the temps all over the place. Experienced rib foilers - how do you check the ribs to see if they're ready to be pulled from the smoker?

Or is it simply a matter of elapsed time?

Peace. Out.

Alan Bosch

"Vegetables aren't food! Vegetables are what food eats!!"
 
Well I am by no means experienced but have tried foiling. In my opinion after 4+ hours foiled you will not need to check doneness. I have foiled for 2 hours (total 6 hours) and thought it was too much. I will try again maybe for the last hour. I have so far served to 9 people foiled and non foiled. Without telling them all nine have chosen the non foiled. I was surprised. Though I do not like my ribs that soft I was under the impression that many do. The last two batches I have cooked at lower temps (200-210) for longer (7-8 hours) and they were excellent. The comments were even better.
 
If you cook for 2 1/2 hours then foil and place in foil for 3 to 4 hours they will be very tender, mushy.
That is too long in foil.
Foiling washes out flavor a degree in my opion.
Jim
 
I agree with Keith and Jim on this one. The only thing foiling accomplishes, in my opinion, is "falling off the bone" tenderness. If that's what you're after, 2 hours in foil is plenty to achieve it. I think it actually detracts from the taste and texture of the meat, though.

Steve
 
Hey, you guys make it look like I know what I am talking about. To me the proof is in the results. 9 peopple so far like them better unfoiled. 4 of them were women, who I thought for sure would like the foiled ones better.
If the outside gets too tough for you I have found that spray basting softens it up. I spray through the top vent frequently. The 7-8 hour ribs I made the last two times have been as tender as foiled but still able to eat off the bone.
 
Alan,

I tried this recently and will feature the technique soon in a topic on the Web site. I found that 2 hours in foil was long enough. I smoked two slabs for 3 hours, foiled for 2 hours, then unfoiled and finished with sauce for 30-45 minutes. One slab was really good, but the other was on the small side and had a couple of "shiners" (spots where the bone was not covered with meat--guess I wasn't paying attention when I picked out that one) and the bones just about fell out of that slab--too fall-apart tender for me.

Next time I use this technique, I'll pay more attention to the size/weight of the slabs and adjust my cooking time accordingly...and I won't buy another shiner by accident, either. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Anyway, experiment with the technique and see how you like it.

Regards,
Chris
 
Thanks for the comments...

Jim - Would you suggest only an hour, two at the most, in foil? If so, at which point?

Keith - I too would have thought folks prefer the falling-off-the-bone tender, almost mushy ribs. Your point is taken and heeded.

Steve - Do you think the detraction of the flavor is due to steaming? Wouldn't unfoiling and slathering and returning to the smoker compensate for that?

Again, thanks.

Peace. Out.

Alan

Famous last words: "What happens if you touch these two wires to....."
 
The problem with foil is at what point do you pull it, they go mushy real quick when it happens.
One to two hours max in foil.
Jim
 
Hi Alan!

As a long time foiler, here is my technique....

Fire everything up and put your meat on immediately. Start your clock at the same time.

Go for 3 hours and baste a few times. Before you wrap in foil, APPLY MORE RUB and baste again. This will avoid any perceived loss of taste.

Once foiled, keep in for 2 1/2 hours. Be sure to foil as tightly as you can. Last half hour, unfoil and sauce.

Now, here are the caveats.............

Temps....STEADY AT 225? for the ENTIRE cook. Not BETWEEN 225? and 250?. This is where the problems start. Now, I am NOT saying this is the only temp to cook at or even the best temp to cook at, it is simply my way of preparing ribs in foil. That 10-25? difference has a big impact on the finished product and how long you need to cook them.

I have chosen to be very anal about keeping the WSM at 225?. Why?? It assures me that I can duplicate any successful cook I have. As I mentioned, that small temp difference will have an impact on the doneness and the time of your cook.

PLUS...I think we all need to be anal about something in our lives!! LOL

Weight of the ribs.......Every rib I cook is 2 1/4 lbs./slab. If you buy them from Sam's that is most likely what you are buying. Many, many folks sell smaller ribs and the above method will not work...they will be way over done.

There are many techniques to use when cooking ribs. This is the method that has resulted in the most ribbons for me. Jim has a different technique and wins many ribbons as well. It may not be what YOU are looking for..that's OK.

Taste is a very personal thing!

Good luck!
 
Some things to think about, I'm not saying that foiling doesn't work, that would just be plain foolish, it works. As Stogie says the temps you cook at and the even the rub you would choose to use will effect the out come.
If I'm going to foil I would follow Stogie's technique or possibly that of Big Bob Gibson's cooking team but you have to follow the whole technique to make it work.
I have developed my style of cooking without the use of foil and it has worked better for us than foiling but then we haven't spent the time cooking with foil to adjust our cooking techniques.
Try them both, decide what way you want to go and
what you and your family like.
Jim
 
Although I prefer non-foiled ribs, I still foil them occasionally because my daughter likes them that way.

Taste is a matter of taste...

Steve
 
Alan,
Just my thoughts. Fugget about the foil, and keep cooking the ribs until they are tender. Raise your temperature, a bit to 250? if need be.
Don't forget, this is all about fun, friends, and good times. If you gotta go messin around with all these different methods of wrappin and timing it for a few hours here or there, you get lost in the shuffle.
Do a few web searches on, Danny Gaulden on the net. He is a primo cooker. No foil for Danny, just good old fashion cooking.
Have fun.

Jim
 
Thanks everyone!

I've deceided that having a bunch of friends and family over for some BBQ is really not the time to go mucking with a good thing. Experimentation, such as it is, should be left for immediate family only and not for the big crowd. The foil's going on only after the ribs are done. The chance of serving mushy ribs to a bunch of folks that are used to the ribs I've made in the past is too much for me. Pride and ego have won out over the quest for truth and enlightenment.

That said, I'll experiment foiling on SWMBO and the kids next weekend.

BTW, good points one and all. Have a great weekend!

Peace. Out.

Alan
 
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