Ribs a little dry

[Peter Wells]

My first smoke went well - pork shoulder. But my second was baby back ribs. They came out a little dry. I followed the 3 - 2 - 1 method but think I over cooked. Any sage advice out there?

 

[JRAiona]

At what temp were you cooking them?

 

[Phil V]

3-2-1 is usually for side ribs. BB's don't have as much internal fat.
I think you may have over cooked them.

 

[Matt Rector]

I don't often go much over 5 hours when doing BB's. Try the tear method to check when they are done.

 

[ChuckO]

Any sage advice out there?

Buy more and BBQ more

 

[Peter Wells]

I kept it at 225

 

[Peter Wells]

I will now reveal my newbie status - what are "side ribs"

 

[Charlie L]

side ribs are spare ribs.

It seems like the meat names i see online and the names see in the stores here in the north east never match up. Cuts of meat have various regional names, i am often found in the meat department searching google....

 

[Peter Wells]

thanks - I do find the names confusing

 

[JRAiona]

It does sound as though they were overcooked, not hard to do with BB's.

 

[Bob Sample]

Were they fall off the bone or have a little toughness to them? Dry and tough are undercooked. I would try cooking at a higher temp and skip the foil.

 

[Jim Lampe]

side ribs are spare ribs.

It seems like the meat names i see online and the names see in the stores here in the north east never match up. Cuts of meat have various regional names, i am often found in the meat department searching google....

I've been smoking spares for years on top of years.... never heard them called side ribs. Could be a regional term.

 

[Charlie L]

I've been smoking spares for years on top of years.... never heard them called side ribs. Could be a regional term.

I dont see it often either. The poster who said side ribs was from Canada, maybe its more common there?
I read it as side ribs, as in not back ribs.

Checked online and confirmed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spare_ribs

http://legacypork.com/blog/article/know-your-back-rib-from-your-side-rib

 

[ChadVKealey]

I dont see it often either. The poster who said side ribs was from Canada, maybe its more common there?
I read it as side ribs, as in not back ribs.

Checked online and confirmed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spare_ribs

http://legacypork.com/blog/article/know-your-back-rib-from-your-side-rib

Maybe Canadians need to know what part of the pig a cut of meat came from. "Side ribs" or "Back bacon". I wonder how they'd classify Scrapple?

 

[Len Dennis]

Up "here", spares are spares or side ribs. Backs are baby backs or just back ribs. Most don't recognize the difference between 'baby backs' (<2lb) and back (aka back loin) ribs (>2 lb).

AFAIK, I don't know they even sell pork liver & offal here. Maybe some "ethnic" supermarkets but I don't think I've ever seen it advertised "in store". Chicken livers ya, but not pork (or beef).

It may be diverted into "other products" before it ever reaches the store.

As far as being a regional thing, NO ONE up here calls it "Canadian Bacon". It's just back bacon or pea-meal bacon (although pea meal has not been used for many many years. And what about that ugly so-called "cheese" in a wrapper you guys refer to as "American Cheese". They're just a "cheese slice" up here when someone wants one. That's a regional term for them.

 

[Phil V]

side ribs = spare ribs.
Sorry for the confusion. Regional term.
Why is it a "spare"? Do the pigs not need them?

Up here - Side rib denotes where on the animal this portion is located. Seems to make a bit more sense. Back bacon is loin bacon, the loin being located on the back, above "back ribs". Just easier to visualize.
its like geography...just follow the map...
Scrapple - we have a similar thing called "creton" (not "crouton")...

 

[S.Six]

I just did some of the beat bb ribs I've ever done. I cooked at 275 ° for 2hrs then foiled for 1hr (which was a little too long, 40-45mins would be better). Then i unfoiled them, put on a layer of sauce and back on the wsm for 15mins. They where very tender and delicious. I used one full chimney of lit on top of mostly used charcoal. I let the smoker get hot for about 5-10mins (btw, this was on a 22.5"wsm) then put the ribs on. Coals were hot burning clean and i used 2 chunks of cherry for smoke. Smoke was thin blue the whole time, and that was the key! Put your chunks on fully lit hot coals. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Frank Eriksen]

I'm not a big fan of foiling. Unless I'm doing a brisket or pork butt. Foiling speeds up the I cooking process and many say it yields a better product. I think it kills the bark. I guess I could foil for an hour or 2 and when the intenal temp gets to 175 or so remove it from the foil (saving the juices) and put it back on the smoker. Once the meat gets to 195 or higher it'll fall apart if you try and return it to the cooker. You may want to transfer thye meat to an aluminum pan.

That said, try the 3-1-1 method. But keep in mind. At 225-250 Baby Backs will usually be done in 4 hours or so. The math doesn't compute. Maybe go 2-1-1 and leave them on until you get the color you want or they're ready to eat.

My advice - no foil. Spitz with Apple Juice after 2 hours. When thy're ready, glaze with BBQ Sauce and pull once the sauce is set. Another 20-30 mins.

 

[Eric A]

Great primer and info on ribs rubs and butts Just click on "The Virtual Weber Bullet" on the menu bar across top of any page. Chris has filled the pages with what every newbie should know. And I know cause I use those pages a lot