Ribs on a kettle


 
M

M_Kuharious

New member
Hi guys, I am in little bit of a mystery. I kinda thought I knew what I was doing. I cooked some ribs this weekend on the kettle. Setup the minion method, with the charcoal on one side and water tray. I had put 20 unlit kingfords in a holder, lit about 20 kingfords, and added cherry wood chucks. Temp seemed to move up slowly, but when I put the ribs (4 racks) the temp was about 225. Within about 15mins I checked and temp was 325. I closed the top vent, temp went down to 275. Now through most of the cook the temp was 275-300. Took the ribs off after about 2:50 hrs. The problem was the meat was tough. Not even close to fall off the bone. Now could it be that I cooked too high temp, meat was not great(sam's club) or what? My guess is too hot. Help please, I feel the need to perfect this cook and I cant move on until I do.
 
You can cook fine ribs at the temps you were at, but you have to cook them until they are tender. You didn't cook them long enough. Don't sweat the temps. Cook until a probe inserted between bones goes through with little or no resistance
 
I agree with the others, not cooked long enough. One thing to keep in mind if you had 4 racks on a kettle you probably used a rib rack, I have found it adds to the cooking time because the racks are so close. Just my .02

Eric
 
Hi there,

As the other guys have stated, you haven't cooked them long enough.. The temps you were cooking at are ok as they are still in BBQ range of low & slow so no problems there, it just hurries the process a long a little from the 220's.
If and when you see the meat shrinking back from the ribs,this is a good sign you're getting reasonably close, I usually lift up one end (my ribs usually are laid flat) to see if it tears underneath at the bones, if not...keep them there and test them about every 20-30 minutes.It's also a good time to baste them with any sauces you might wish to use.
When the meat starts tearing away from the bone when you lift up one end..then they are ready.
This method works for me.
Pork Ribs in general usually take anywhere from 4-6 hours but usually closer to the 6 to be super tender.
When you use your kettle for this kind of cook, you need to close down the vents to about 30%% just after you put the lit coals on and the ribs, place a small pan of water over top where the fire is and this should slow down any temp spikes.Kettles need more monitoring than the WSM's but you can get the kettle to stay steady for the period it takes to cook ribs by using your vents.It's easier to catch the temp going up than to bring it down so if you have a temp guage on your kettle lid, when the temp shows 190F, start closing the lid down to about 1/3rd till the needle stops then just slowly re-open to about 50% and it should stay within the 220-250F range...a variation between these 2 temp ranges won't mean a lot of difference to the ribs.

Don't be too concerned about your efforts, it often takes guys many years to get ribs just the way they like em
icon_smile.gif

Keep trying and good luck

Cheers

Davo
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">My guess is too hot </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nope. I'm with the others. Not cooked long enough.

I cook ribs at 325-375 routinely. Works very well. But whatever temp you choose, cooking for X amount of time only - without checking to see if they're tender - is a crapshoot. Cook at whatever temp you choose - or wherever your cooker settles - and cook till a probe inserted between the bones goes in effortlessly. (If you are looking for fall-off-the-bone foiling during cooking will get you there easier.)
 
I'm with everyone they weren't cooked long enough. Don't forget just because the outside looks like it's done that doesn't mean it is.
 
I would have to agree with others in that cooking time should have been more than 2:50 hrs., especially if you were cooking 4 slabs at the same time.

Were you using some sort of metal plate/Smokinator/fire bricks to separate your fire from your cooking area? When I cook ribs in my kettle, I use 2 fire bricks wrapped in HD foil, standing next to each other on the long end to separate the heat from what I am cooking. Here's a pic of my setup. Fire bricks - BBQ chicken This serves three (maybe more) purposes - 1.keeps your food from cooking too fast by blocking direct heat, 2. acts as a heat sink, so when you open the lid, your temps won't drop off so much, and 3. helps your kettle maintain a lower temperature which is better for low & slow cooking. Give this method a try and I think your results will be better. As someone else said, if you are looking for fall off the bone tender ribs, try foiling about 2.5-3 hrs. into your cook.
 
I am on the side of not cooked long enough. I have done many ribs on a kettle and just let them go low and slow for 4 - 5 hours at time. I usually do the old turkey leg handshake test. When the ribs start to come apart they are ready for me. I have recently tried the fire brick procedure (learned it here) and have been very impressed with the results.
 
Thank you all. I will keep them on longer next time. the cookbook said 3 hours. Also, I removed one layer of membrane I think there were two, should both all be removed?

Davo - I used a water pan. had to refill a few times.

Jim H - where can you buy "fire bricks"? have to add them to my arsenal.

Thanks again! Wonderful help,
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by M_Kuharious:
Also, I removed one layer of membrane I think there were two, should both all be removed?

Jim H - where can you buy "fire bricks"? have to add them to my arsenal.

Thanks again! Wonderful help, </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

AFAIK, there is only 1 membrane to be removed. It is on the back side of the ribs, and can be loosened with a butter knife or even a paper towel. With practice, you can pull off the membrane in one piece. It's fun to try anyway.

Honestly, I use two paver stones I got on sale @ Home Depot for 29 cents each. For 58 cents, I converted my Weber kettle into a pretty good smoker. I made sure the bricks were very dry before I used them for fires, and I keep them dry. I rewrap them with 2 layers of foil about every 3-4 cooks, which keeps them from getting gunked up with grease.
 
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