Ribs with no bite


 
C

Chuck_H

TVWBB Member
I'm a rib rookie with only about 20 racks under my belt. I have only used the BRITU recipe and technique. The ribs turn out great but there's no bite to them, the meat just falls off the bone. A friend of mine commented that he is used to ribs that have a little more pull to them to get the meat off the bone. I also noticed on that BBQ show that ribs are judged on the bite as well.

Any suggestions on how I can get a little bit of bite to my ribs? Is there a different approach to use instead of the BRITU technique that would produce different results? Am I cooking them too long or too short?
 
MOST of the time I do not foil for that reason. Also, try pulling them off a little sooner and that should help.
 
Are you completely certain of your temperatures? Also, are you cooking St. Louis spares, full-rack spares or loin backs?

I've been doing loin-back ribs almost exclusively now for 2 seasons and have only encountered what you describe if I foil them and leave them in the foil too long. Otherwise, it's 3 hours on the grill bone side down at 225-240, 45 minutes in foil with apple juice and an hour or so back on the grill at 260 or so and the results have been excellent. I haven't done St. Louis yet, but expect longer for those.

Check your thermometer's calibration (boiling water and ice water) and try your next cook in the 225-240 range (grate temp).

Originally posted by Chuck_H:
I'm a rib rookie with only about 20 racks under my belt. I have only used the BRITU recipe and technique. The ribs turn out great but there's no bite to them, the meat just falls off the bone. A friend of mine commented that he is used to ribs that have a little more pull to them to get the meat off the bone. I also noticed on that BBQ show that ribs are judged on the bite as well.

Any suggestions on how I can get a little bit of bite to my ribs? Is there a different approach to use instead of the BRITU technique that would produce different results? Am I cooking them too long or too short?
Click to expand...
 
Me and my family also prefer ribs with some "bite" to it. So now I never foil and when the meat pulls back about 1/4 to 3/8 inch on the bone I pull it off the smoker. I also use a clay saucer placed in the water pan.

joe
 
I am also a rookie, but I have the opposite problem - want bb ribs with a little less bite, more tender. It was recommended to me (TVWBB) to foil in a 3-1-1 method. I will try it this weekend.

I see a lot of recommendations for Chuck's issue for less or no foil to get more bite - but I don't think foiling is part of the BRITU cooking methid. Do I have something wrong here?

Peter
 
You're right: no foil for that method.

I foil about half the time I cook ribs, for flavor purposes only. I loathe fall-off-the-bone ribs but never have that problem even if foiling. It's all about the time in foil. If ribs are FOTB and no foil was used then they simply cooked too long.
 
Also be careful when holding ribs for later use that are wrapped in foil and placed in a cooler. They do continue to cook after they're off the grill and will get a little mushy. I've had this happen a couple of times.
 
As always...thanks for all of the great advice. I'll try to answer all of the questions in the replies at once.

My thermometer is good and I always keep it at the grate level so my temps should be ok. I've cooked both baby backs and spares and both didn't have bite. I usually foil them before the rest of the food gets done.

I will try to take them off sooner next time. I guess I'm not very good at the pull test. I'll try to pull them off when they've got a little more tug to them. Is there any advice on foiling after they're done cooking? I'll try to avoid foiling at all in the future but it seems like I always need at least 30 minutes to get everyone and everything together at the end.
 
Hi Chuck - I've also used the BRITU method for my ribs and the first couple of times I was worried about taking them off too soon and one of the problems was leaving them on and too long = mushy meat. Don't just try staying with the stated time, but test with the touch/feel method and you will be able to tell they are done without getting over done and mushy. Bob
 
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