Smoking Ribs question

[SkunkedAgain]

Over the weekend, I smoked only my fourth rack of babyback ribs. I keep a log to keep track of successes and failures. This was sort of a failure. I smoked a rack for three hours (2hrs of smoke) at 225 and no water pan. After 3 hours I wrapped in foil, increased the temp to around 250/260 and kept it in the smoker for another hour. I then finished them on the propane grill with sauce.

I know that I came short of the typical 3-1-1 for babybacks since it was more like 3-1-0.5 but I didn't get the usual pullback or tenderness that I would normally see. When I went to foil, there wasn't much pullback then and not much bend in the rack.

Overall the bark was good and so was the flavor but meat was sticking to the bone too much. Should I have left them in the smoker longer before putting them in foil? Should I have used the water pan? Should I have cooked longer in the foil or longer on the grill?

[Leaky]

A couple of thoughts: I always use the pan with a mix of apple juice & water. When foiling, I also spray with apple juice as to "steam" the ribs in the foil. I also go 2 hours in the foil maintaining 225, then just a 10-15 minute finish on a hot gas grill to tighen them up. If I'm doing St. Louis cuts, a full hour back in the smoker after the foil with some sauce.

[eyeguy 54]

tricky. can off Michelobe Golden Draft in my pan. 2-2-1 at 220 has been working great on St Louis Style, might be diff for BB? I don't really care for fall off the bone.

[SkunkedAgain]

I figured that I didn't cook it long enough. It sounds like it was that I didn't foil it long enough. I'll have to check my logs from previous racks but I probably always had water in the pan too. Sounds like that was the big mistake.

Thanks for the replies

[96trigger]

Remember that every rack will be different and that smoking meat is an art, not a science, like baking. I have done some ribs and other cuts of meat in varying times. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Every piece of meat is different. I would have definitely left them in the foil longer until they passed the bend test and/or were pulling away from the bone.

Outside temp, humidity, wind, all can play a big role in how fast or how slow it takes ribs or any smoked product for that matter to cook.

I smoke a lot of meat and have been doing it for many years.

[MontanaMax]

I Agree with your assessment. I have a Brinkman and smoke BB's 20-30 mins a side without pan or water and 45-60 mins with water pan before putting to foil (heat is fairly high with direct exposure to coals initially, and reduces when you add the pan with liquid (beer)). I think it helps to get a good sear but not burn before reintroducing moisture. I then do 5-6 hours in foil at 185-195. Finally, I open the foil top and add sauce to ribs and chips to coals for final smoke for 20 mins. Meat should fall off the bone but not be mushy.

[Farley]

I've always gone by the pullback, and have had good results but also have only ran a handfull of ribs through my smoker, so not an expert by any means.

[McGurk]

If you want them to come off of the bone easier, I'd go for more like a 2-2-1 with baby backs at around 225-250 deg, with some apple juice/ other liquid in the foil for steaming. After that you can throw some sauce on and up the heat, but I think they should stay on most of the 5 hours on low heat. The best part about learning to smoke is eating your mistakes. My wife thinks I'm crazy for never being satisfied with my "good" ribs, but I think I can always do better!

[96trigger]

I have yet to find a way to get good baby back ribs in under 5 hours. No matter what I do, it's almost always, 5-5.5 hours, or 10-12 beers, whichever comes later.

[Whoaru99]

or 10-12 beers, whichever comes later.

Well...just about anything seems good by then.

[Moose]

Baby backs in under 5 hours here ya go.

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/12/ezbb-ribs.html

[Jim Almquist]

When ever I serve my ribs I say the same thing as Thirdeye "...just do me a favor and try one without any sauce first"

[atvlaska]

peel and rub the ribs.....let sit to room temp.....pile coals in smoker wit some apple & hickory ...lite only 6 coals on/in another cooker.....place warm water in water pan .....use top rack in smoker(wsm).......lay the ribs bone side down .... add the 6 lit coals to very top of coal pile ....put smoker bach together...top vent open Never! closed.....bottom vents are open rite?.....let her go .....it will heat up slow ,taking in the smoke...running atout 205 to 225 the 1st 1-1/2 too 2 hours...no peeking.... the temp will run to 275-300 as the pile grows bigger.... bout' 4 hours in peek and mist them with apple juice or cider....never touch of flip..... bone should be pulling back about a 1/4 inch.... now u have 35/45 mins left,but meat don't care about time ...its dead so its done when its done btw... ...there u are 3/8 pull back of the bone or a bit of a lift in the middle of the rack and it wants to crack ........"Squeal On U BBQ" Nenana, AK

[atvlaska]

22nd Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue

Lynchburg, TN

Starts: 10/22/2010

Ends: 10/23/2010

Prize Money: $17900.00

Lynchburg, TN 37352

Contest Results: Grand Champion: QUAU

Reserve Champion: The BBQ Guru

Overall:

1 QUAU

2 The BBQ Guru

3 Habitual Smokers

4 Little Pig Town

5 Munchin Hogs @ the Hilto

6 Cool Smoke

7 Smokin Lipps

8 Extreme Roasters

9 Warren Co. Pork Choppers

10 The Long Dawgs

11 Kosmo's Q

12 I Smell Smoke!!!

13 Drillin' & Grillin'

14 Pellet Envy

15 River City Rub

16 Big Ugly's BBQ

17 I Que

18 Big T's Q Cru

****19 Squeal On U BBQ*****

not to bad overall running against 76 of the best bbq cooks in the world...11th in ribs to boot .....atvalaska

[thirdeye]

I think most folks are right about just not cooking long enough before the foil step.... but nobody mentioned enhanced ribs, which I am NOT a fan of.... so I'll bring up that subject. Enhanced is another name for injected or treated, or brined. Enhanced pork will have a snappy name like "Always Tender" or "Moist-N-Juicy". The fine print will say something like "enhanced with up to 14% solution...". The producers enhance pork to give it a longer shelf life and to help the less experienced cook when they are cooking.

Sometimes the side effects of enhanced pork is a ham-like texture verses a fresh pork texture. They also don't pull back like fresh pork ribs do. It has to do with the chemicals, salt and liquids having an effect on the strands of protein before cooking.... and for ribs, I like the old fashioned method of temp and time to tenderize the meat. (and I have no problem using a foil step either)

[thirdeye]

Congratulations, that's a wonderful showing. I took a joint barbecue class put on by Mike (QUAU) and Scotty (Cancer Sucks Chicago) a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it..... it's the little tips that help.

[Leaky]

22nd Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue

Lynchburg, TN

Starts: 10/22/2010

Ends: 10/23/2010

Prize Money: $17900.00

Lynchburg, TN 37352

Contest Results: Grand Champion: QUAU

Reserve Champion: The BBQ Guru

Overall:

1 QUAU

2 The BBQ Guru

3 Habitual Smokers

4 Little Pig Town

5 Munchin Hogs @ the Hilto

6 Cool Smoke

7 Smokin Lipps

8 Extreme Roasters

9 Warren Co. Pork Choppers

10 The Long Dawgs

11 Kosmo's Q

12 I Smell Smoke!!!

13 Drillin' & Grillin'

14 Pellet Envy

15 River City Rub

16 Big Ugly's BBQ

17 I Que

18 Big T's Q Cru

****19 Squeal On U BBQ*****

not to bad overall running against 76 of the best bbq cooks in the world...11th in ribs to boot .....atvalaska

Congrats!!!

[LindellProStaf]

After reading all of these ideas I am drooling and will be smoking some ribs on Sunday..... Thanks for the inspiration.