Thoughts after two tries at baby back ribs


 
G

Grant Narita

TVWBB Fan
Tried a couple dry slabs tonight as well as my wet ribs. The first time I cooked two slabs of ribs I cooked around 275-290 for 4 hr 15 min.. They were good but overdone.

This time I cooked them around 255-270. I figured the lower temp would mean I should cook it longer, at least 4 hours...but after 3 hrs 45 min, two slabs broke in half when lifted with the bend test, and the other two hardly would bend. I switched the two bottom slabs and top slabs after the 2 hr 30 min mark. But it was one of the slabs on each grate that broke, and one slab on each grate that didn't bend much.

Each grate had the same weight for the slabs. For example, the starting bottom grate had slabs 2.3 lbs each. The other grate had two 2.6 lb slabs. I guess what I found is you cant go by the weight. Two slabs of the same weight can cook differently. The thicker, shorter slabs probably were not done, and the thinner ones were overlooked, even though they were the same weight. Is this common? I figured the results wouldn't be so different, where one breaks and the other hardly bends.

The other thing I found is if the slab is too long, the ends get really burned.

Kinda frustrated. We were ready to eat and because two of the slabs were already too overlooked, I thought I would take the other two off. Also, I can never cut individual ribs, since the bark doesn't slice properly and will be stuck to one of the ribs with the other piece not having much of anything....so I cut every second bone. Don't know if the bark is too hard or it's just too overlooked.
 
IMO The only important think is thickness. About "burnt ends" is usually set some foil shield under the ends. About cutting problems do you mean the bark is too hard or the meat is overCOOKED? If so, I believe one reason + the other!. Don't forget that the knife is important. The bread tipe causes much distruction for me. I feel better with the rapala filleting.
 
Enrico said:
IMO The only important think is thickness. About "burnt ends" is usually set some foil shield under the ends. About cutting problems do you mean the bark is too hard or the meat is overCOOKED? If so, I believe one reason + the other!. Don't forget that the knife is important. The bread tipe causes much distruction for me. I feel better with the rapala filleting.
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Might be a combination....maybe the bark is too hard, or maybe the meat falls off when cutting and takes the bark with it... The truth is, I don't know what a perfect bark is, and never even heard of bark till I started reading this forum right before my first try.
 
To add to Enrico's good suggestions, personally, I prefer to either foil ribs some during the cook or use water in the pan. Otherwise, it's easier for me to get the "jerky bark" texture that most folks, or me and my crew at least, don't care for. I know you don't HAVE to foil or use water, but I just think it adds some forgiveness. (The water in the pan steams more in the 18" wsm though, since the pan is closer to the coals.) You might try rolling and skewering ribs, also. The wsm is a vertical cooker, so rolling or racking ribs works very well, especially if you have more than what will fit on the top grate. Just start checking with a toothpick after you see some pullback of the meat from the bones.
 
I've found an electric carving knife gives me 'smooth' cuts.

As far as 'overdone', using those temps are you trying for quick cooking? Because its way too long in the wsm. I do 4 hr max at 225 and they're perfect FWIW. Not fall of the bone as I like some 'substance' to what I'm eating as I still have my own teeth ;)
 
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Based on my limited experience, I would guess your latest cook was maybe a bit overdone. Just my preference, but I am of the belief that when ribs "fall off the bone" that they are over-cooked. I prefer a firm bite that stays together yet is juicy and tender. This also provides for easy slicing (I typically use an electric knife) in which the meat & bark stay intact. For ribs, and especially given the temp that is easiest for me to dial in on my WSM 22- 275-290 seems to be the sweet spot. Not exactly sure on the timing, but spares seem to take at least another hour compared to baby backs. If I remember correctly baby backs for me go for about 2.5 - 3 hours or so.

I have tried different methods for ribs and have found that I prefer them one of two ways: either dry or "sticky', as I like to call them. It is my preference to always remove the membranes. I have discovered that I prefer the taste of meat that has not been foiled, as long as that was an option. When doing "sticky" ribs, after about two hours or so I pull them off. I lay out a sheet of foil, then cover the ribs in brown sugar, honey, and top with shot of squeeze butter. Then wrap, and put back on the smoker for 45 minutes to an hour or so. When the brown sugar has carmelized & the ribs are right on the brink of being done I like to unwrap them and throw them on the smoking hot grill for just a couple of minutes to finish off that carmelization process and to firm up the coating just a bit. I know this may not be to everyone's taste, but my family sure digs 'em this way.

Enrico brings up a great point about using foil as a heat shield to avoid any burning on the ends of the racks of ribs. This is another little trick I have picked up from this awesome resource of info known as the TVWBB and always have that as an option if I sense uneven cooking on the ends of the meat.

I understand the frustration given the time, money, & energy invested. I encourage you to stick with it. The learning curve & figuring this stuff out & experimenting is all part of the fun of it. It won't take long and you will figure out what works for you & just as importantly your cooker. Experiment. Take notes. Think outside the box. But most of all enjoy.

There is another thread on here about brisket and at what temp it should be done at. I believe the following post is some of the best advice I have read on here, and it's from someone that knows his way around BBQ very well:


"Originally Posted by K Kruger
Bravo.

And the same applies even for low/slow: Learn to judge tenderness by feel - make the focus the meat, not the temp - and cooking is less stressful, more successful and more easy to replicate."
 
I have solved most of my problems with ribs by the use of a couple of Brinkman rib racks. I cut all of my rib racks in two and put four halves on the top grate and four on the bottom grate of my 18.5, 14.5, and Mini-Joe. I get perfectly even cooking with NO overcooked ends like I used to do.

I use Harry Soo's recipe and foil the ribs when the bark is set. I remove the rib racks and just lay the foiled rib packets on the grates (taking care to put the ribs from the bottom grate onto the top grate and the top grate ribs on the bottom grate just to even out any temperature difference. The all seem to finish up at the same time.

After checking for tenderness, I remove the ribs and immediately sauce them. The heat of the ribs will set the sauce.

I get rave reviews. I give Harry Soo all of the credit he deserves - his methods have worked well for me. Thank you, Harry!

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Thanks for the great tips guys! I will try some of these out on my next attempt. The good part about this learning experience, is that even if you mess up, you still "usually" have some decent bbq to eat.
 
Grant, one thing I didn't see is what you are measuring your temps with, if it's your WSM thermometer that may be part of the problem. I don't own a WSM just a mini I built but what I've read on the forum they can be very inaccurate. Just a thought.
 
Rich Dahl said:
Grant, one thing I didn't see is what you are measuring your temps with, if it's your WSM thermometer that may be part of the problem. I don't own a WSM just a mini I built but what I've read on the forum they can be very inaccurate. Just a thought.
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I don't use the WSM one, and have a wireless one. My next try on tues is beef ribs. I figure I should cook those longer and at less temp. Do people foil their beef ribs?
 
Don't like my cooker above 250 for ribs cooks way too fast at the point in my opinion I cook 225 to 250 and do the 3-1 method 3 hours open then wrap in foil with nothing added for last 45 minutes to an hour and they're perfect made some for Dad today and they were awesome same as every time
 
What thermometer were you using? I initially used the one on top built into the WSM and would cook at 275. Only problem was when I actually took the grate temp it was about 30 degrees hotter so I was cooking my food and a much higher temp than I thought.
 
Hi Grant, I know your frustrations, pretty much if can go wrong it goes wrong for me, LOL

I'm not a big fan of the "bend" method for testing for doneness, I recommend that as soon as you start to see the meat retreat from the bone, start testing for tenderness with a tooth pick. When the meat is tender, it's done
 
Grant, while you are in the learning curve, try doing just 1 slab at a time until you have it dialed in. It won't be as painful that way.
Robert spoke of the Harry Soo method, a good one to try. Keep your heat down lower. It sounds like the temps you have been running
you could have had 2 hour ribs. Don't give up, it will come to you.
 
Thanks for the encouraging and helpful words everyone! It's on to beef ribs tomorrow. Haven't eaten those in about 14 years, and never tried cooking them before. Should be interesting!
 
Bob H. said:
Grant, while you are in the learning curve, try doing just 1 slab at a time until you have it dialed in. It won't be as painful that way.
Robert spoke of the Harry Soo method, a good one to try. Keep your heat down lower. It sounds like the temps you have been running
you could have had 2 hour ribs. Don't give up, it will come to you.
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Good idea. I have two slabs of beef ribs, and only myself at home tomorrow. Was planning on doing both but now I think I will just do one since it's my first attempt at beef ribs.
 
I agree with the time too long for such a high temp. I myself don't like foiling because I don't care for the texture, but many swear by it. When I do ribs I cut them in half and use a rib rack, that way they aren't too close to the edges. Also I'll check after two hours or so, depending on where my WSM settles usually between 225 and 260, by pulling on the bones to see if they START to separate from the meat and I'll poke at the meat with a probe to see how much give I get. Depending on how it feels and looks, I'll call it done or give it a little more time. After a few mistakes, you'll begin to learn where the ribs need to be to your liking.

I've tried foiling a few times and the 3-2-1 method is too long IMO. I ended up with 2-1-.5. It's all a learning experience but the great thing is you get to eat all your test subjects!
 
Hey Grant...I'll echo what a few others have said. If you're using the dome thermometer as your guide, you're probably way off. Or rather, let me rephrase, that thermometer is way off. I used to do the same thing you were doing with the same results. I picked up a BBQ thermometer with a grate temp probe, and I'll be darned if my grate is consistently 25-35 degrees hotter. I had always thought heat rises so my dome must be hotter. As such, when my dome said 275, I was probably cooking at well over 300 on the grate.

Trust me, get a Maverick or something like that, and you'll do just fine. Here's the even crazier part, that dome temp swings wildly based on time of day, outside temp, direct/indirect sun.
 
I buy the Costco cryo-vac back ribs almost exclusively and cook them on my 18.5" using a modified 3-2-1 method.

* Smoke at 230-240 for 2.25 hours (apple wood and Kingsford Competition)
* Foil them with a little brown sugar sweetened apple cider vinegar
* Back on the smoker for 1.25 hours
* Remove from foil, brush lightly with Sweet Baby Rays and back on the WSM for another 30-45 minutes

After my first (failed) smoke using the dome thermometer as a guide, I invested in a Maverick 732 and have never had a problem since.
 
Hi Grant: I know this sounds sacrilegious, but I cook my baby backs in about an hour and 20 minutes on my Weber 22.5 and they turn out crazy good every time. If you want "fall off the bone" this method isn't for you. I like the rest of the meat to stay on the bone when I take a bite!

Salt and pepper, leave membrane on.
Full chimney of charcoal and then pour lit coals against one side of the kettle throw on some smoke wood if you want
Place two racks of ribs side by side on grill opposite the coals, membrane side down
Place cover on Weber, all vents wide open
15 minutes in: switch position of rib racks
30 minutes in: turn racks over (membrane up)
45 minutes in: switch position of racks
60 minutes in: turn racks over and slather with your favorite BBQ sauce
65 minutes in: switch position of racks and slather again
70 minutes in: turn racks over, slather
75 minutes in: switch position of racks, slather
80 minutes in: cut one rib off the end of a rack to see if they are done to your liking, if not repeat the five minute process

If you like a little char on your ribs (like me) throw them over the coals just before you remove them to your desired char-ness.

I usually do all the rest of the cooking for the meal in between the flipping and slathering.

Like I said: Sacrilege!

Cam
 
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