Need cosmetic help for dark ribs


 
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Rita Y

TVWBB Emerald Member
Hi Everyone!

A famous quote from my Mom: "They're not burned - they're just dark brown!"

So?..I could sure use some rib advice from you good folks.

I've been using a less salty variation of the BRITU rub (changed table salt to same volume of kosher salt) and the ribs taste great, but cosmetically, they look too dark, even though they have no "burnt" flavor at all.

On a previous cook, I covered the ribs loosely with heavy-duty foil during the last 1 3/4 hours of the cook, but that didn't really help either.

For my last cook, I changed from the granulated sugar & dried brown sugar to all turbinado sugar and reduced the total sugar a bit, but the darkness of the ribs wasn't noticeably any better.

Here are the details:

RIBS: 3 slabs of loin back ribs

RUB: BRITU, using 1/4 cup kosher salt instead of 1/4 cup table salt + all sugars changed to turbinado (I reduced total quantity of sugar slightly as well)

WEATHER: 68?F, winds 9 mph, WSM sheltered

Used a rib rack on top rack of WSM
Minion method, 8 quarts of Kingsford
Hot water in the (large) pan
WSM took 1 1/2 hours to get to 225?F (lid) with all vents 100% open

TEMP RANGE: Mostly 240-245?F, with one peak to 252?F for about 10 minutes after moping & turning

TOTAL TIME: 4 1/2 hours

Fantastic smoke ring - red all the way through. Looked too dark, but tasted great.

Any suggestions to lighten their color a bit?

Rita
 
Rita
Couple of items, what did you use for wood and how much? What is in your mop?
Both of those items will effect the finale color.
Jim
 
Good point, Jim.

I used 6 ounces oak (2 med-large chunks) and 4 ounces cherry (1 large & 1 small chunk).

I sprayed with Martinelli's apple juice 4 times through the lid vent and used about 7 or 8 ounces of it. Since I was spraying "blind," I'm sure some of it didn't hit the ribs..

The ribs were beginning to darken at the half-time, when I began the mopping.

Just checked the NuTemp probe that I was using in the lid - it's running about 5-6? low. Should be 210-211?F here at boiling and it reads 205?F.

Rita
 
Rita
Just how dark are they, doesn't look like there is much out of the line as far as your technique is concerned.
Jim
 
Jim, When you first look at them piled on their serving platter, your first thought is "are they a little burned?" Not charred, mind you, and as I mentioned, they don't TASTE burned. I guess the best I can say is that they're pretty dark brown, as my Mother used to say. Not the greatest presentation, in my opinion.

I was just looking at Paul Kirk's videos (Volume 1, about halfway through) where he is showing the competition presentation of the cooked ribs. As a comparison, mine have been a lot darker than those shown on the video.

I've been using about 1 tablespoon of my adjusted BRITU rub per pound of loin back ribs (7 tablespoons for 3 slabs weighing a total of 7 1/4 pounds). I think I'll try cutting back to about 4 1/2 to 5 tablespoons the next time and see what happens, color-wise and flavor-wise.
 
Rita
Based on what you have told us, the only way to keep the color lighter would be to foil at the point the ribs are the color you want.
Jim
 
Thanks, Jim,
I'll definitely do that the next time. So many people use that technique that I should give it a try. I've always been afraid that the ribs would have a steamed texture.

What's the best approach after they're done? Unwrap and finish in the WSM or on the grill? My standard approach has been to give them 2 minutes per side on a low direct heat gas grill.
Rita
 
Rita,

A couple of quick questions.

-Was 240?-245? the cooking grate temp?
-How much charcoal is 8-quarts either in pounds, or in relation to a ten-lb bag of Kingsford?
-Did you put all of the smoking wood in at once? { “6 ounces oak (2 med-large chunks) and 4 ounces cherry (1 large & 1 small chunk)”}
-Were there any bitter, over-smoked flavors or a sheen of slightly oily black residue (creosote)?
-You used 3 racks of loin backs that totaled 7-1/4-lb, correct?
-You mentioned that you had one peak to 252?, is it possible that there were spikes that exceeded 338?? Sugar starts to brown at 338? and burn at 350?
-Were the ribs dry and chewy? (Overdone)

These questions, in addition to the perceptive questions Jim and Dennis have already asked, should help clarify the problem.

Enjoy,
Gary
 
Thanks, Jim. It's been too long.

Hello Gary - Here are the answers:

-Was 240?-245? the cooking grate temp?
*No, it was the lid temp. I just checked my NuTemp probe, which is 5? low, so the actual temps were 245-250, well within BBQ range.

-How much charcoal is 8-quarts either in pounds, or in relation to a ten-lb bag of Kingsford?
*8 quarts is about 8 or 8 1/2 pounds Kingsford (a Weber chimney holds about 6 quarts).

-Did you put all of the smoking wood in at once? { "6 ounces oak (2 med-large chunks) and 4 ounces cherry (1 large & 1 small chunk)"}
*Yes, all the dry wood went in when I added the 15 lit coals (a la Minion).

-Were there any bitter, over-smoked flavors or a sheen of slightly oily black residue (creosote)?
*No, the ribs had great flavor, no off-flavors at all. They just looked too dark, not burned or charred.

-You used 3 racks of loin backs that totaled 7-1/4-lb, correct?
*Yes. Each was cut in half and inserted into a rib rack.

-You mentioned that you had one peak to 252?, is it possible that there were spikes that exceeded 338?? Sugar starts to brown at 338? and burn at 350?
*I doubt that I had any spikes over 252?, since I was watching my temps pretty closely with my remote NuTemp receiver.

-Were the ribs dry and chewy? (Overdone)
*Nope - moist, great smoke ring, and they came off the bone cleanly with just a slight tug. That's what puzzles me - they were very good in spite of the fact that they didn't LOOK great.

Thanks Gary. I can always count on great advice here from folks on the BB.
Rita
 
Rita,

I have the same thing happen when I make BRITU ribs. Do yours look like this photo from the BRITU topic? This photo shows the ribs after cooking, but before application of the BBQ sauce/honey glaze.

Regards,
Chris
 
Now why didn't I think of checking your pictures? Yes, Chris, but I'd say mine're a little darker, but not a whole lot. Once I give them 2 minutes a side on a low heat grill, that nice sheen evaporates, causing them to look darker as well. Or do you lightly oil them so they'll photograph better?

I've been so pleased with the flavor of the BRITU that I haven't tried any other rubs lately. Along with other ideas I've picked up from the good folks on this discussion, I'll be cutting back a bit on the amount of rub I'm using as well foiling half of them so I'll have a comparison. I'll be sure to post the results.
Rita
 
Rita,

It seems to me that you are doing everything right, that’s just the way, using the BRITU method, the ribs are going to turn out. The reasons, as I see them, for the darker color is that you are using both chili and cayenne powder which have a tendency to turn ribs a darker color. You are also using cherry along with the oak and cherry has a tendency to turn the ribs a bit darker as well.

The one thought I had is that, judging from Chris’s tutorial pictures, (http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/rib1.html) is that the BRITU method calls for quite a large volume of wood to be used at the start of the cook. Chris, and I am assuming you as well, put the wood in the WSM just prior to adding the meat, though Ray Brasso, in the original BRITU text, adds the wood chunks one hour before adding the meat, which would moderate quite a bit of the smoke effect from the wood.

All in all, if you like the taste of the ribs I think the best advice is what you received from Mike Rockwood. “Eat them in the dark and be done with it. ~grin”

Since the darker color seems to be ‘just the way it is’ with the BRITU method, I am reminded of the old Doctor/Patient joke.

Hey Doc, my arm hurts like all git-out when I move it this way………….

Dr. to patient--so………don’t move it that way anymore.

Regards

Smoking in Chicago,
Gary
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rita Y:
[qb]...do you lightly oil them so they'll photograph better?[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't do a lot of food styling...what you see is what I got! /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
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