Ribs are dry


 
R

RobertE

New member
Smoked some beef ribs yesterday and I'm not sure why the exterior of my ribs were a little too dry and crusty. I cooked the ribs in my WSM on the top rack using the water pan for 5 hours. I kept the temps between 225-260. I had two racks onto and a 5 pound beef brisket on the bottom rack. I applied dry rub to the ribs prior to cooking. Not sure of the rub was bad or what since it was a rub I never used before. I have read a lot about spraying your meat with a spritzer bottle periodically. Does this really work and is it rely necessary? I figured the water pan would keep everything moist. I did not turn the beef ribs, nor did I spray them with anything. When they were done, I dipped them in BBQ sauce. Is it necessary to let ribs rest? Does the rub have anything to do with the dryness of the exterior? Perhaps I should only have gone 4 hrs. However I was checking for doneness at that time by seeing if the bones separated.
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If you don't like the crust that way spritzing may be the way to go. I just tried it on some baby backs and liked the results. It might make the cook take longer but you keep the surface from drying out. Otherwise than that wrapping might be the key.
 
If your rub has salt in it that will cause it to dry quick on the outside. Also if you put the meat in cold that will cause your meat to dry on the outside. I used to wait until a nice bark formed before I would sauce or baste them but I found a long time ago I was letting it bark up too much. So I do it as soon as I see a lite bark form. Also some ribs have a decent amount of fat in them but a lot today are very lean which translates into drying out pretty easily. I found water in the pan made absolutely no difference, I put a sand small gravel mix in instead years ago and foil the top. It works great. Also after I rub and let sit for awhile to get to room temp I rub them down with a little EVOO. I found some rubs and spices will draw out a lot of moisture if left on too long so I just rub and oil then cook when they are room temp.
Just some thoughts.
 
Thanks Bill, I will keep that in mind. My ribs went on cold and it was also cold outside. I usually do fine with pork baby backs, but this was my first beef rib smoke. Not sure if the type of rib makes a difference or not. I have seen a lot people use Beef back ribs vs. beef ribs. Is there a difference and should I request beef back ribs next time I go to the butcher? I generally do not like to use a lot of salt in my rubs. I think I will go back to my ceramic pan wrapped with foil as my heat sink since I have had luck in the past using that method. I could not tell the difference between a water pan or dish. Basting the meat throughout the cook is probably good advice using a liquid of some sort. My temps were spot on so I'm not considering too high of heat. I always let me meet tell me when it's done by feel.
 
You may have overcooked them. I just finished my beef ribs. I pulled them after 4:45, with the last hour putting a glaze on them. If you didn't overcook, then they may have just been just a bad cut.
 
Water in the pan won't add moisture to the meat. It's primary function is to work as a heat sink to help you keep lower more stable temperatures.
 
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