the perennial question--country style ribs


 
D

DW Frommer II

TVWBB Fan
I am still trying to refine my procedures for cooking country style ribs--the sliced up pork shoulder chunks that are called CS ribs in some markets.

I did one batch last year that were perfect but the next batch were a disappointment--too dry and a little too smokey. The smoke was my fault but I don't know what I did wrong to make them dry.

I tried to cook them at about 275°-300° in both cases, for about 1½ hours.

Am I cooking them too hot? Too low?

Do you think foiling at some point would help? I am not looking for pulled pork just a nice tender, juicy piece of meat.

Would an injection of pineapple/apple juice help?

Any thoughts would be welcome...
 
I like grilling Country Style Ribs which are most of the time cut from the pork shoulder, but sometimes from the loin.

Here's some recent ones I did.

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+1 on the question above. Those look good Larry. I have seen some cuts in the store that were already cut with bones on them. What you cooked in the pic's above am I thinking of the same thing? Vince
 
The smoke was my fault but I don't know what I did wrong to make them dry.
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They were likely overcooked. If they were tough-and-dry they were undercooked.

As Larry notes, CSR come from two places and can be bone-in or boneless. Look at the meat color and the fat structure and you'll know from where they came.

They can be cooked hot or moderately - or even low if you're careful. You can foil in a moderate or low cook if you are looking to add flavors and want a braised-to-finish texture but foiling isn't necessary.

Larry's finish temps are apt. Even if cut from the shoulder their size doesn't really support high finish temps unless you choose to braise (that changes things), though shoulder cuts can support higher temps than those cut from the butt end of the loin, in most cases.
 
So, Kevin, Larry...give me a plan here...what's the best approach to accomplish what I want? Grilling, a moderate smoke, or a high heat smoke?

And am I looking for internal temps or time?

Finally, what kind of cooking times am I looking at?
 
Originally posted by Vince B:
+1 on the question above. Those look good Larry. I have seen some cuts in the store that were already cut with bones on them. What you cooked in the pic's above am I thinking of the same thing? Vince
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These particular ones were bone in, I will always pick bone in ANYTHING especially pork over boneless. So if you can find bone in, go for those.


Originally posted by DW Frommer II:
So, Kevin, Larry...give me a plan here...what's the best approach to accomplish what I want? Grilling, a moderate smoke, or a high heat smoke?

And am I looking for internal temps or time?

Finally, what kind of cooking times am I looking at?
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In either case (whether shoulder cut or loin cut) I would grill over moderate heat until within 10º-15º of the desired finish temp. Then sauce if desired, which I do.
 
Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
In either case (whether shoulder cut or loin cut) I would grill over moderate heat until within 10º-15º of the desired finish temp. Then sauce if desired, which I do.
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I'm cooking shoulder cuts, bone in...what am I looking at, time-wise, to get them to, what? 160°(?)
 
Originally posted by DW Frommer II:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
In either case (whether shoulder cut or loin cut) I would grill over moderate heat until within 10º-15º of the desired finish temp. Then sauce if desired, which I do.
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I'm cooking shoulder cuts, bone in...what am I looking at, time-wise, to get them to, what? 160°(?) </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Depending how they're cut, between 1.5 to 2 hours. If you don't want to temp, stick a fork in them and twist, if you can it's done. Even though there's a good amount of fat you don't want to overcook.
 
DW,I like to do a reverse sear on mine. Do indirect for about 2 hours or so at 300*,then sear direct and sauce. Always turn out great.
 
I tried the oven approach for country ribs. Seasoned them with Maurice sauce and rib rub and stuffed them in a aluminum pan. Cooked on the grill for 1 hr no liquid added just it's own fat. Then removed them and laid them out on the grill for 10 minutes flipping once. Came out tasty and tender. No extra saucing necessary.
 
Ok thanks Larry. Do you think it would be ok to remove the water pan and just grill on the lower rack? I just dragged the wsm out and have it set up. Also what cooking temp should I shoot for? BTW these are loin cut CSR's. I have some cherry, maple, jack daniels oak, and hickory. Any preference on wood? Vince
 
Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
If they are from the shoulder, I'll cook to around 165º-170º, if from the loin to around 160º, and sauce during the last 15 minutes or so.
Larry,
Question: (Lame, I know). Are the above the final temps reached after the 15 minute sauce period?
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Originally posted by Vince B:
Ok thanks Larry. Do you think it would be ok to remove the water pan and just grill on the lower rack? I just dragged the wsm out and have it set up. Also what cooking temp should I shoot for? BTW these are loin cut CSR's. I have some cherry, maple, jack daniels oak, and hickory. Any preference on wood? Vince
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Cook them on the top grate! If you remove the water pan the only thing it will do is ADD MORE FLAVOR from the drippings over the coals!! Take it out!!
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Cook between 325º-375º and you'll be good, ESPECIALLY since they are loin ribs! Do not over cook!! You could actually pull at 160º. If I had that choice of woods, I would pick hickory first, cherry second and maple third. Any of the woods you posted will work, except the JD, I think that's a little strong for pork!


Originally posted by Dave/G:
Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
If they are from the shoulder, I'll cook to around 165º-170º, if from the loin to around 160º, and sauce during the last 15 minutes or so.
Larry,
Question: (Lame, I know). Are the above the final temps reached after the 15 minute sauce period?
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Probably before saucing. Honestly, I'm not temping these but posting the temps as a guide for folks who want to temp. You want them almost done before you sauce if that helps.
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Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
Probably before saucing. Honestly, I'm not temping these but posting the temps as a guide for folks who want to temp. You want them almost done before you sauce if that helps.
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I understand. I usually temp on the first go, see how long the cook took at the temp range I used, make some notes, then don't temp the next time, or temp at the end just to see. Your pics looked so good, yesterday I bought a couple of pacs of the bone in for sometime during the next few days as I'm off until Thursday. So yes, that helps.
 
I've started doing them on the grill (not the WSM) for about 1 hour over indirect heat (for the thicker ones that are well over 1" thick, 45 min. for the thinner ones), then take them off and finish in the oven at @ 275 for another 45 min. to 90 min. depending on the thickness/ doneness (is there such a word?). I've tried doing them on the grill only, but have only succeeded in drying them out. I sauce them about 10 minutes before they come off the grill, and they go into a casserole dish that has a layer of sauce in it. I pour a little more sauce over the ribs, cover the dish with foil and put in the oven.

Some may say it's sacrilege to finish in the oven and not on the grill, but the ribs always turn out moist & tender when I cook them this way.
 
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