Ribs don't brown


 
B

Burt Alcantara

New member
Been away from BBQ'ing for a while. Cooked a rack of STL and baby backs on 2 separate occasions. Both times, the racks did not brown. Looked more like slab bacon. Tasted alright but could have been better. I used a Maverick to monitor temp. Both were in reasonable ranges, they just never got brown. Not exactly tender and "pull away" either. Used the snake on both with different rubs.

STL cooked over 6 hours, baby backs 4.5 hrs.

Any hints as to how to improve these? I have another rack of STL in the freezer but wont cook until I get good information.

BTW, I've visited many sites and followed advise as to temp, charcoal layout, rubs, sauces, mops etc. My grilling is fine -- great chicken and steaks. Just can't seem to get a handle on ribs.
 
Thinking you're not cooking high enough temp. Ribs can handle 275 well. I most of the time use a Memphis rub with a good amount a sugar so browning is never a problem.
 
what do you mean by brown...dark brown bark or the red brownish cooked brown? where is your maverick located on the grill? 250 at the grate is different than 250 at the lid.
Are you grilling or smoking these ribs? what type of grill or smoker do you have?.

I cook mine (stl's) 250ish 2hrs or so till they are the color I like more redish than brown.
then foil till tender about a hr then another 30-1hr to set the bark a little better.
the dark brown bark stage doesnt really hit till closer to the end of the cook.

I use a store bought rub and if sugars not a big part of the rub I'll add brown sugar to the rub then sprits it with pineapple juice in a spray bottle every 30 minutes or so.

If your not getting the color you want I'm thinking your rub and or mop doesnt have enough sugar which will brown over time.
Mops can also wash away your bark if your not careful so maybe switch to the spray bottle instead
I've noticed that the pepper content of the rub will also effect the amount of bark look to finished product so maybe look for a coarser grind on your pepper.

Good luck Burt and let us know how you make out.
 
Videos of cooked ribs are almost always of a deep dark brown color, what you'd expect when you talk of rib perfection. My ribs are reddish brown...more red then brown. Using the snake method with a slab on the grate, I'm never sure where to put the probe. The last time, the probe was over the first part of the snake. I got fairly hot readings...around 275 +/-. As the snake wrapped to the other side, the temps displayed much lower heat. I attributed this to the meat blocking some of the more direct heat so temp readings of 210 were more common. As the snake wrapped to the opposite side, I moved the probe and got the previously mentioned higher readings.

Note that I cut the back ribs into 2 pieces so there would be more even cooking as the single piece would have been a tad wider then the grill itself.

The rub was Meathead's Memphis Dust, which contains a fair amount of brown and white sugars. I applied enough but not so much that I couldn't see the meat. After 2.5 hours I did a light mop with straight cider vinegar. I was somewhat concerned about mopping off the rub. After about 4 hours, both pieces looked more like slab bacon and were stiff as boards. At that moment, my wife came home from work and it was getting late so I let the ribs contemplate Miss Piggy for about 30 minutes and served them up.

I will switch to a spray bottle in place of a mop brush for future cooks. I appreciate the comments and hopefully, my next cook will come out looking like a candidate worthy of a YouTube video.
 
You don't say what kind of cooker you're using. Temps can vary significantly from one area to another. As an example, take a look at this offset graphic:

char_griller_offset.jpg


Mopping over a rub can definitely remove it. Make sure you actually rub it in firmly, not just sprinkle it on. A spray will help. I've stopped using sprays on my cooks, I found it isn't necessary for my cooker.

I use Memphis Dust from AR quite a lot and do anywhere from 5-50 lbs. of ribs at a time. 220-230 for 6 hours does the trick. I have never had any trouble like you speak of, so I believe that you really aren't getting the temps you might think. Try putting the probe on the grate using the clip or a wad of aluminum foil, and put the ribs around it.

This is about 30 lbs., Memphis Dust and classic St. Louis style sauce, 225 +/- for 6 hours, no foil, no spray, no mop. Removed the water pan after 4-1/2 hours or so.

20150621_153254.jpg
 
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I have a Performer. I do put the probe on the grate and I've tried various placements. But, I always get the same readings. Perhaps, I should aim for higher temps? My racks are in the 3 lb range give or take.
 
Well, I can't answer that. I'm not sure you've really established what temp you're cooking at.

Remember this isn't really about weight, it's about thickness and the time it takes the heat to get to the middle. Two racks of different weight and size that are the same thickness will cook at the same rate. It really sounds as if your temps are a lot lower, but a Performer isn't that big of a space, so not sure what's going on.

Maybe someone who uses a Performer for smoking can chime in.
 
I have a Performer. I do put the probe on the grate and I've tried various placements. But, I always get the same readings. Perhaps, I should aim for higher temps? My racks are in the 3 lb range give or take. Me and and the wife are not big eaters. 1 1/2 skinless breasts is usually enough for us so when I buy a rack I always look for the smallest one. If there are leftovers, they are easily gone the next day. The performer is plenty big for us.

What I may try next is to stack the charcoal up on the side and use fire bricks (or a paver) to hold them in place. I could probably get a better read on the temp that way as well. I'll also try to start the cook a lot earlier so I can let it go longer if necessary. Perhaps, use more rub?
 
If your temps are 275 right over the heat and the ribs are away from the heat your probably cooking them at too low a temp.
I would put the probe as close to the ribs as you can get without touching them and shoot for a temp in the 250+ range.
If they look like they are getting dry spritz them with the spray bottle. Dont just spray them every hr or so or they can get dry.
My ribs end up looking like T Waite's pic so if thats not what your looking for disregard what I"m telling you. haha
 
Your Performer has a dome thermometer it in right? Have you calibrated it in boiling water? I am going to give you some advice contrary to what a lot of others will advise. Calibrate your dome thermometer, leave your probe in the drawer, do just what you said in your last post (consolidate fire on one side of box behind fire brick), tweak the vents to keep a consistent 275 and relax a little. It sounds to me like you're over-thinking this just a little and ended up not producing enough heat to get your ribs done. At 275 to 325, a meaty rack of St. Louis cuts will take 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 to pass the bendy test.
 
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