I just can't seem to get the handle on ribs. I do spares rather than BB. This time I coated them with a rub that used Splenda instead of sugar. The lid temps were pretty consistant(between 250-260) for five hours. I used cherry and maple for wood. I took the lid off and they were black. Not charred but a very deep black. They were done enough that a toothpick went through the meat real easily. I wrapped them in foil and put them in a cooler. I'm a CBJ and seeing what is turned in for competition ribs as compared to mine well I'm not even close. I'm getting totally frustrated with how they turn out. They taste ok BUT the color leaves alot to be desired. HELP!!!!!
Rib Problems
- Thread starter Paul H
- Start date
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Are you slathering? Or were the ribs dry when rubbed? What else in the rub? Is Splenda necessary over sugar? What is the proportion of Splenda/sugar, by volume, in the rub (i.e., 1/2 c sugar in a total rub of 1 cup, e.g.).
Top vents open the whole time? Temp consistent? Any off-colored smoke?
Top vents open the whole time? Temp consistent? Any off-colored smoke?
Jason M. Park
TVWBB Super Fan
Personally, I like a deep dark bark on my ribs, like you describe. In fact I get a darker bark by using my kettle rather than the WSM, so I use that more often. They may not be prize winners in competition, but it's the way I like 'em.
Kevin, I added about 2 T of Splenda. I can't tell you about compared to the rest of ingredients by volume. I rubbed the ribs with Worcestershire sauce then sprinkled on the rub. The rest of the rub was onion and garlic powder,oregano,allspice,mustard powder,ground clove,black pepper,ancho and chipotle chile powder.Top vent open all the time. The temps never went over 265. Now that I'm thinking about it I might have put in too much smoke wood for ribs. I had 5 pieces of cherry and about the same of maple.
Rich Langer
TVWBB Guru
TEN pieces of wood???
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, RIGHT??
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, RIGHT??
Rich, I love smoke!!! I might have over did it a tad on this one
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rich langer:
TEN pieces of wood???
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, RIGHT??
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
TEN pieces of wood???
Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, RIGHT??
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I had 5 pieces of cherry and about the same of maple. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think you're right.
Ancho and chipotle will darken a bit when cooked, as will allspice; clove and pepper are already dark, but I'm not seeing this as an issue.
Splenda does not caramelize at all, unlike sugar. It goes from stable to burnt, period, but this happens only at much higher temps. (I could not reach the lab deparrtment at McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda's manufacturer, but the person I spoke to confirmed this though she could not give me an actual number. No one has ever asked before! She checked with someone else who thought 450 was its burn point. That, or perhaps slightly higher, makes sense to me.)
In the right conditions--a fairly full smoke stream, usually early on in the cook, coupled with cool(ish) temps (either smoke temps, meat surface temps, or both), plus the addition of moisture (the Worce and the normal moisture developed by the salt) can lead to what is called 'smudging'--black streaky deposits on the meat's surface. This continues as long as moisture is present if the rest of the conditionsare right. (This is why one forms a pellicle on belly and salmon, e.g., before low-temp smoking.)
I'd lean toward your suspicion. With the potential for the necessary conditions being right, plus the addition of a substantial amount of smoke, it seems quite possible that smudging might occur.
Try the same cook with substantially less wood and see what happens.
I think you're right.
Ancho and chipotle will darken a bit when cooked, as will allspice; clove and pepper are already dark, but I'm not seeing this as an issue.
Splenda does not caramelize at all, unlike sugar. It goes from stable to burnt, period, but this happens only at much higher temps. (I could not reach the lab deparrtment at McNeil Nutritionals, Splenda's manufacturer, but the person I spoke to confirmed this though she could not give me an actual number. No one has ever asked before! She checked with someone else who thought 450 was its burn point. That, or perhaps slightly higher, makes sense to me.)
In the right conditions--a fairly full smoke stream, usually early on in the cook, coupled with cool(ish) temps (either smoke temps, meat surface temps, or both), plus the addition of moisture (the Worce and the normal moisture developed by the salt) can lead to what is called 'smudging'--black streaky deposits on the meat's surface. This continues as long as moisture is present if the rest of the conditionsare right. (This is why one forms a pellicle on belly and salmon, e.g., before low-temp smoking.)
I'd lean toward your suspicion. With the potential for the necessary conditions being right, plus the addition of a substantial amount of smoke, it seems quite possible that smudging might occur.
Try the same cook with substantially less wood and see what happens.