Foiling Ribs?


 
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Try it for a couple of hours in the middle of your rib routine; if your ribs were good before, they'll be great if you foil them...more tender. I use the 3-2-1 method on this site.
 
Foiling ribs comes from the "3-2-1" method. It says 3 hours in the smoke, 2 hours foiled on the pit and 1 hour unfoiled on the pit.

I for one have found that 3 hours is good on and then I foil with some apple juice off the heat, say in a empty cooler. Then I put my sauce on and finish them on the heat. It works for me.
Bill
 
The only reasons, IMO, would be to make them more tender or speed up the cook. Unless you like them literally falling off the bone tender, and some do, you need to be careful with how long you foil. It is a nice tool which I use infrequently.

Paul
 
It's also good to think of 3-2-1 as more of a ratio than strictly as hours, and a variable ratio at that. I typically cook closer to 250° than to 225°, so, for me-- with spares-- 3-1-1 (hours) works well. With back ribs, it can be much less total time.
 
I too have been happy with my ribs without foiling. But I think I might give foiling a try, just to try something new.
 
The last time I did ribs (back ribs) I foiled one rack and didn't the other.

Both were good. The un-foiled rack had more bite or resistance and the foiled rack was more falling off the bone.

The flavor was exactly the same. It all depends on how you like 'em. I like'em both !!!!

AL
 
At the end of the cook, I put a rib on foil, put on some sauce, and continue by stacking them on top of each other. Seal the foil and let sit for around 1 to 2 hrs. We like our ribs wet and this has turned out pretty good.

Sonny
 
Foil generally gives me more consistently tender results, but you have to watch the time in foil. Nobody likes a pile of meat mush with bones on the side.
 
Stone,

Doug D called it right. Temp is a big factor here. I usually do spares 4-1-1, or 4-1.5-1 if the rack is a little "stiff" after the first 4 hrs.

Too long in the foil (beyond 1.5 hrs IMO) tends to make the meat too fall-off-the-bone tender, and the texture gets a bit mushy. But hey, that may be just what you're lookin' for.

When foiling, I always add a mixture of about 75% apple juice to 25% apple cider vinegar, sprayed on generously with a squirt bottle.

The last hour is for finishing with a sauce, applied lightly. If the sauce has a lot of sugar, I hold back until the last 20 minutes 'cause it'll burn quick.
 
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