2nd cook, really tough ribs

Sorry about that bad smoke. Give a little more detail and we'll try to help you out. Were the ribs spares, baby backs, loin backs? What was the weight?

Total cook time of 4 hrs sounds like under-cooked ribs to me, unless they were loins. Did the toothpick ever go through with little resistance or did you assume that after 4 hrs they were done?

Resist the temptation to open the door unless you are doing it to release moisture.

I've had my unit seven years and cooked a bunch of ribs & have yet to foil any.

The more details you give the better we can help.

I agree with Wheelz that 4 hours doesn't seem to be long enough. Even if they are BB's I would think at 225 you should be around 5 hrs or more. If they're spares you should be closer to 6 hrs at 225.

When you opened the door at 2 hours, you probably added 30-45 minutes to your cook time.

I'm with Wheelz, give us more information on what you were cooking? Kind? size?

What kind and how much did they weigh?

ONE thing I advise on Rib cooks, when you're taking notes is to know the weight of the racks (if you're in the learning mode). There is so much variance in weight, you can't compare times without knowing the weights.

If we're talking about the majority/thickest part of the rib, tough is "usually" a sign they weren't cooked long enough. Thin parts will always be a little more done, sometimes dry if they're too thin, but they should fall off the bone if overcooked.

quote:

Originally posted by GrillMan:
Placed in the cold smoker set to 225.

One other option you might try is to bring your smoker to temp before adding meat. A probe thermometer can give you an accurate temp. My Smokette takes about 30 - 45 minutes to come up to temp, weather depending. Between that and the open door during the cook, your ribs porbably got about 2.5 hrs of steady 225 heat.

I agree with the others, they were most likely undercooked.

Thanksfor the replies. They were spares. I did start the timing after the cooker came up to temp,about 30 minutes into the cook. They were not fall off the bone by any means. I guess it is possible from what I'm hearing that they didn't have enough time. The toothpick didn't go in well at all. However, the thin pieces were extremely tough and dry. Thicker parts were more chewable. I can't believe they would have gotten more tender in more time. It was like eating jerky. My teeth hurt when the meal was over. I'm sure I'll lagh about this after a few more tries.

one other thought to tag on the good comments above,is I guess you used a verified therm,to check the actual/accurate cook temp at the cooking spot on the rack?

Pretty helpful,when keeping the good notes to improve future cooks.

Full spares will run 6-7 hrs till properly cooked. If the toothpick slides in easily, they will be a lot more tender. It sounds like they needed more time in the smoker.

Bet you'll like the next batch better, I'm sure.

quote:

Originally posted by GrillMan:
.... The toothpick didn't go in well at all...

Full spares or trimmed down to St. Louis?

The toothpick not going through tells me they weren't done.

They were full spares. Not trimmed down. Temp was checked to within +/- 5 degrees. As the cooker cycles off and on the temp fluctuates a couple of degrees. I just find it hard to believe that something that tough would get more tender with time, but I'll give it a try next time and see what happens. Thanks again for all the help.

Could of been bad spares, who knows. But... Everyone has stated that their opinion was "under-cooked. Everyone responding has cooked their fair share of spares - Smokin' & Tom much more that that. You'll have to learn to trust the good folks here. We're not gonna lead you astray.

Four hours, full spares="Under-cooked!"

We'll help you through the next batch if you give us a heads-up!

It is hard to believe that something which is 'done' will get more tender with time, but that is what happens with spares and other meats with a high internal fat content. About three to four hours into a cook at 250, I will cut off one of the 'thin pieces' to sample. I am checking for flavor and I am greedy, but I do not expect that piece to reflect the doneness of the final product.

As a green egg cooker, I am surprised that you tried 225. I used to try 'low and slow' on ribs, but soon learned that 250 was low enough.

Just decided to go with what I've been reading. Seems like most posts talk about cooking ribs at 225 for about 4 hours. I would set my Guru to 250 on the Egg for ribs. I went thru a learning curve on the Egg. I'm doing the same here. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I can be giving advise instead of asking for it. Thanks again for the help.

quote:

Originally posted by GrillMan:
Just decided to go with what I've been reading. Seems like most posts talk about cooking ribs at 225 for about 4 hours.

That's the problem with the web, you're reading something, but it's out of context.

Maybe BB will be done in that time, but Trimmed St. Louis at 225 will be more 5 to 6 hours and full Spares will be more like 6 to 8.

BBQ is NOT about recipes. There is so much missinformation or lack of information that your experience actually is typical. If they had posed full spares of xx pounds, then you might be closer.

Here's what I'm known for, and learn this well...

It's done when it's done

That's my philosophy on Q and I've said it for years (and others have copied it). What that means is that Q isn't baking a cake; xx temp for xx hours. It doesn't work like that, there's just too much variation.

The good news is one of the biggest things you'll learn in this forum is HOW to determine when it's done. Like the toothpick. It works, but you have to learn to use it until it goes through with almost no effort.

No worries, you'll get there. Just don't overthink it and try to go with our advice, we're not going to steer you wrong.

And keep asking questions, that helps us focus our responses.

Good luck on next batch