need advice about slight dryness in babybacks...


 
B

Bill S (billgator)

New member
Hey guys,

I've been making ribs for a few months now, and I'm having a blast with my wsm 22. The last few times I've cooked, I've had more stability and temp control, but the babybacks im making are coming out just a little bit dry. They are still delicious, but I can't figure out what's going wrong. Here's how I do it:

1) I put the ribs on when the smoker reaches about 220 degrees (I use a maverick digital thermometer). I cook with kingsford, with sand in the pan, and I have only been using the top grate.

2) I leave the ribs on the smoker with dry rub for 2 hours with the temp floating between 225 and 240.

3) At the two hour mark, I place the ribs in wrapped foil with brown sugar and let them cook for 3 more hours.

4) After the 3 hours in foil (5 total), I unwrap them, apply sauce, and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the sauce thickens.... still around 225.

When I take them off they are very tasty, and almost fall off the bone, but just a bit dry. Any idea what could be going on here? THANKS!!!
 
I dont have mutch xp with foiling done it a few times but i still think my best ribs comes unfoiled.

And 3H in foil that sounds ALOT.

I would try changing 1 thing at the time to perfect your ribs.

The 3-2-1 is used by many ppl
or you can tweak it abit after own taste
3h unfoiled - 1-1.5h foiled - 0.5-1h to get the bark back on track.

If they are dry they need to be pulled of sooner,for reference next time pull 1 slab sooner and leave 1 on and se what you think about texture/moist/flavour.

But i shouldent give advice on foiled ribs couse i dont do it myself.
 
Baby backs aren't near as tough as spares, so just try pulling sooner. If there's a little tug to 'em, I guarantee they'll be a little juicier. Heck, most folks grill 'em, anyway.

Also, I'd try cooking over 300 ala Kevin Kruger method. I tried his method last week with some spares, and if it wouldn't have been for the phospates in the "enhanced ribs"
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they would've been great. I cooked 275-300, but he cooks baby backs even hotter if I'm not mistaken.
 
Bill, welcome to the forum. I would second the idea of less time in foil. I would also suggest spritzing with apple juice before they go in the foil and perhaps even while uncovered at first. Overal sounds like too much cook time tho. Good luck and report back with pics.

Mark
 
Bill, u are just over cooking the bb ribs, bb should not take more than 4hrs and that is at 225, i cook bb at 275 for 2hrs max, wrap in foil for 1hr then unwrap and back on grill for 15 mins max, 30 mins if u sauce i never sauce, pull ribs off and let rest
 
They said it!! Foiling speeds up cooking. You can look at the forums for a HH as was mentioned, but even at 225 3 hours foiled is to much.

I'd go for 2 hours, 1 in foil (with a bit of juice, butter and brn sugar, or honey), and then out of foil for any additional time. The liquid in the second stage adds flavor (and can help with moisture).
 
Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I am going to tweak my method just a bit and we'll see what happens. Is there any way to get ribs fall off the bone AND completely moist on the smoker? That's what I am aiming for. I'm close, but not quite there. I'm thinking of a heavy apple juice spritz when the ribs go in the foil. Also, I understand that foiling may speed up cooking time, but shouldnt it also hold in the moisture?
 
Bill, when u wrap the ribs in foil what u are doing is braising the ribs getting tender dont over do it or u will get mushy ribs or hammy ribs. The ribs are pretty much cooked after the first 2 hrs.

Now u can cook the ribs without foiling and still come out moist. Stay at 225-250 for 3-4 hrs max , mop or spritz the ribs every 30-45 mins after the 1st hr.

If pressed for time grill the ribs for 1 hr flipping the ribs, then wrap in foil for 1hr. Theres a lot of ways to cook ribs or any meat for that matter, experiment and see what works best for u.
 
Foil does help with the juices, but its like a covered pot of boiling water. If you leave it on too long the water will still boil away.

Most folks here aim for pull of the bone not fall off the bone.

Having said all that, I think you should look at a HH cook. If you search the forums you will find them.

Add a bit of extra wood.
Cook at 325ish for 1.5 hours (long enough to get good color and smoke ring).

Foil for 45 min with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of juice.
Check for done at 45 min (use tear test or probe).
Continue to check every 15 min till done.

Option
When it's close throw it back on (no foil) to firm up the bark.
 
I don't foil, but from what I've read - the guys that do foil usually do it for an hour at the most. 3 hours in foil sounds like a lot to me. Maybe u might want to try and scale back on your foil time and see if you get better results. Good luck.
 
Bill, Have you tried the recipe for 'the best ribs in the universe' on the home page? I have tried it twice,(the 2nd was just this evening) and both times, they have been superb!! I don't know how you could make (in my opinion) perfect ribs any simpler. No muss, No fuss. I think the hardest part, is the 3 hour wait after you put the ribs on the smoker. Give it a try, you won't be sorry!
 
I've been using a 4-1-1 method at comps that's been working well. I cook in aluminum pans with wire grates. 4 hours uncovered, spraying them down at hours 2 and 3. At hour 4 I add about 1/8" of liquid into bottom of the pan and cover. At hour 5 uncover and start checking for pull away.

They've been coming out super moist but not mushy.

Russ
 
Expereince is our best teacher, but not all the time will simply timing the ribs alone do us right. This weekend I cooked two St Louis trimmed out spares. They were really thick and meaty. My normal time for spares is 3-1-1 and normal time for BB's is 2-1-1 at 225 degrees.
Even tho the spares were super thick, I decided to stick with the 3-1-1 plan and adjust extra cooking time on the end if needed. After the foil phase was completed, I unwrapped the ribs and picked them up. Half the bones started falling out of the racks and I knew they were wayyy too done.
So, just when you think you got it figured, this kind of thing happens. I guess we are dealing with the meat itself and the layers of fat in the thick meat. What else is there if all else stays the same? I run a Guru which keeps temps on target.
 
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