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rib foiling qustion


 
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david blumberg

New member
Hi,

I am going to smoke some (3 racks) baby backs friday (dry rub). I want to smoke them about 3-4 hours, then wrap them in foil and finish in the oven another 3 hrs or so...Once wrapped in foil I cant see any benefit from being in the smoker as opposed to the oven. Is that correct?

Also: it would be easier and more convenient to put all the ribs in a large pan, add some apple cider and apple cider vinegar, and cover the whole pan with foil. Is this as effective as wrapping each rack separately and tightly?

thanks for your opinions....

david
 
David,

You don't mention temperatures, which makes it difficult. But I'll try and answer some of your questions.

Putting them in the oven to finish is fine. They won't pick up any more smoke flavor on the smoker wrapped that way, so bring them in if you want. I do that sometimes when it is real cold out.

It would definitely be easier to use one foil pan and just put all of the ribs and liquids in there, and then tightly seal the top with foil. There probably is a difference, but not one that is likely noticeable.

Now, the part that concerns me is the time in the foil. You'll have mush if you leave them foiled for 3-4 hours. Why not put them on the smoker at 230* or so for 3 hours, bring them in and foil for 1 hour (longer if you like really fall off the bone), and then unwrap and place back in the oven on a baking sheet. The unwrapped part at the end will help firm up the meat a little as it will get very soft from being in the foil. Bump your oven up to 275 or 300 for the final, unwrapped step. Figure 20-30 minutes. Good time to sauce if you are planning to.
 
Hi pat,

thanks for the reply. I shoot for 225 when smoking pork...I'll give your method a try...Plus, that way I can "sample" them sooner to be sure they are OK...Poke holes in the foil or not?

david
 
I agree w/ Pat..you will have mush. Forget the oven...those are for old ladies. For BB..Id do 2-2.5 hours or so on the smoker. Wrap for 45 minutes to an hour(on your BB, you really dont need to go over an hour, but if your temps are on the lower end 1.5 would work) after this point, apply your sauce and let it go for another hour or so. Then you can wrap em in foil and put in a cooler, or the oven to hold till chow time.
 
I'll do bb over 300* and they come out fine without foil in under 3 hours. I'll go this route when I'm not planning on hitting them with much smoke and or I want to cook them and eat them in short order.
 
If your WSM is still hot, why crank up an oven?
Good question about lumping them all together in a foil pan and covering. I've considered that, mostly for convenience, but never tried it. I wouldn't think you would want to poke holes in the foil, though.
 
Originally posted by david blumberg:
Hi pat,

thanks for the reply. I shoot for 225 when smoking pork...I'll give your method a try...Plus, that way I can "sample" them sooner to be sure they are OK...Poke holes in the foil or not?

david
Click to expand...

No, definitely don't poke holes in the foil. You are trying to tenderize the ribs through a steaming / braising effect.
 
Here's a thought. With three racks of ribs try a different approach with each rack and see what you like best. Cook one all the way on the WSM with no foil. Foil 1 after a couple of hours and keep on the WSM and foil the other and use the oven. Then you can decide pros and cons to each method.
 
Thanks for all the advice...

The reason for using the oven is that my large metal casserole pan wont fit in the smoker. also, I will be multi-tasking to the max friday getting ready for dinner guests and a BIG party tomorrow night for my 60th birthday! So, I am trying to make things as simple as possible, which to me means the oven, since the ribs wont get smoked thru the foil anyway. i spoze if the smoker is still hot I could throw them back on to firm up...I agree with the no-hole-poking theory...

to share a recipe of mine: what I have done lots of times is make up a casserole of baked beans from scratch using dried navy beans (soaked, cooked and seasoned); I place the casserole on the lower rack and let the juices (fat) from the ribs or pork butt drip onto the casserole. I get a yummy side of smoked baked beans, flavored by the pork.

thanks again everybody, I'll put your ideas to use!

david
greenville, sc
 
my 2 cents...when I do Baby Backs, do dry rub, smoke for 3.5 hrs @ 225-235, foil for 1 hr. in pinneapple juice, unfoil, cook another 1 hr in WSM, then sauce and grill direct for few minutes of carmelization...works great everytime, moist but not mush
 
UPDATE:

I smoked em for 3 1/2 hours at 225, foiled them all in a big pan with apple cider and AC vinegar in the oven at 250 for an hour and a half (bumping the heat to 300 the last 15 minutes.) then unwrapped and onto the still warm smoker for 15 minutes then dinner time....they were the best I'd ever made....cooked and tender, but excellent texture, nut mushy at all. They were all devoured with many compliments. Thanks to all for the advice.

david
 
I cook my baby backs (2 full racks cut in half) at 250 for around 5 hours. I take them off and smother them in my favorite sauce and wrap in Heavy Duty Foil and put back in the WSM for another hour. Pull'em out let sit for about a half hour. No complaints yet.
 
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