Skip to main content

10 replies

Babyback rib failure - No idea what I did wrong

FM Former Member
I've now used my smokette three times, and I'd have to say that two of the three times were complete failures and the other one wasn't anything to brag about. I am truly baffled by this latest failure and hope someone can suggest what I've done wrong. I'm actually a pretty good cook normally! So this is extremely frustrating. I've thrown away a lot of time and expensive food.

I decided to make babyback ribs, which I love. I read everything on this forum and formulated a cooking plan. I bought a slab of ribs, prepackaged, at the grocery store. The night before, I removed the membrane from the underside of the ribs and applied the rub (mix 1/2 spicy chicken rub and 1/2 rib rub). I wrapped the slab in plastic wrap and then in foil and put it in the fridge. I got the smoker ready the next day around noon with about 3 oz of apple wood. The rib slab was too long to fit, even diagonally. So I cut the slab in half, put both halves on the middle rack with nothing else in the smoker at all. I then smoked the ribs, meat side down, for 3 hours at 225. At the 3 hour mark, I opened the door, spritzed the ribs with apple juice and turned them over. I closed the door and continued smoking them for 1 more hour at 225. At the 4 hour mark, I opened the door again. The skin was cracked, indicating they were done or close to done, but the meat had not pulled away from the bone much at all. I tried jiggling a bone, and they didn't seem to move much. But since it had been 4 hours, I decided to proceed with my original plan. I removed the ribs and place them on foil. I basted them with the spicy bbq sauce, wrapped them tightly in the foil, and put back in the smoker to hold at 140 for a little over an hour. Everything else was ready to eat at this point, and I figured the ribs must be ready after like 5 hours of cooking time. I started eating them and realized the edges were tough...but as I got in a rib or two, they were clearly not done (very pink inside). At this point, I gave up on the smokette and put the ribs on my Weber gas grill to cook them through. This, of course, overcooked them on the outside (burnt) and left still parts of the inside uncooked. I ate about half and threw the rest away. I was very disappointed.

After undercooking the ribs this time and previously undercooking a brisket and a chicken when following the basic guidelines, I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the smokette. I have not checked the internal oven temperature, although everything appears to be in working order (all the wood is nicely burnt). I'm open to suggestions at this point to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Thanks.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FM Former Member
Hi Steve. Sorry for your results. Have been there...many times. So, I know how you might be feeling.

There is one test for ribs that's infallable, the tear test. Forget the pulling away from the bone, etc. Simply pick up the slab, or in your case a rack, and gently try to tear two of them apart. If they start to tear easily, they are done. Period.

Please forget times, except as a guide, to start tear testing. Whether they take 4 hours or 7 hours isn't important unless you need to meet a deadline for company. In that case, I'd suggest getting your technique down first, and eating your mistakes, so to speak.

For example, a 2.25 and down spare I buy has taken 3.5 hours per slab every single time out. However, I still run the tear test on each slab before removing it from the CS.

Use the tear test and I guarantee you'll be very pleased next time out.

Double Lazy
FM Former Member
Steve,
Sorry to hear that you've had two strikes and a ball. Eeker

My suggestions would be that, first; you check the temperature of the oven. Chances are, it's within tolerance but it never hurts to verify. Then, I would suggest that you start your ribs off with the meat side up, allowing the fats and juices to soak through, basting them to the bone. You didn�t remove the fat, first, did you? As an alternative to removing the membrane on the back, you might consider cutting it in a criss-cross manner to allow the juices to flow through. As the ribs get done, these cuts will open wider and pull away from the bone. Although it's a little difficult with ribs, I would also suggest that you verify doneness with a digital thermometer (Polder type), until you have a better �feel� for them. Good luck and don�t give up!
T tomMember
Hey,SteveD.

Both of above had good points.

You didn't give us weights,but time doesn't count much except when to check....Foiling them at 140� won't help cooking,just keeps them warm.

Another easy check, if you are not comfortable with bending ,tearing or looking at meat pullback is to stick a toothpick between several ribs.

If it passes through easily,you can be pretty sure they have reached pull off the bone.

Hope this helps and don't give up. Big Grin
FM Former Member
Hey Steve....

One thing you mentioned was that the ribs were pink inside...this is NOT a sign of being undercooked. Most smoked foods will have some slight reddening of the meat near the surfaces. It is caused from the smoke and I realize that in the CS this is limited. I have had people throw away perfectly good food because they thought it was undercooked....NOT SO!

After 4 hours of cooking, those ribs may not have been tender, but they were certainly not undercooked. The same holds for chicken and other smoked meats...especially pork loins.

A tough rib is always a sign of not cooking long enough. In 15 years of cooking I have never been able to finish a baby back rib in less than 6 hours.....8-9 hours for spares. Part of this is the method I use to cook, but my point is...there is nothing "golden" about the 4 hour mark.

I was also curious why you took them off when you did. You then went on to hold them for an hour...that hour would have more than likely finished them off to perfection.

My suggestion for next time.........

Cook the ribs for yourself and don't have any deadline to finish them. Just let them cook.

Another test is to use a toothpick or skewer and push it through the meat...this avoids having to take the entire rack out and test for tearing. Just let them cook for as long as it takes and don't be surprised if 4 hours doesn't do it.

In closing, consider yourself LUCKY!!!! You have us to help you through! I wasted one years' worth of meat and gave up smoking for a couple of years. Later I found out I was cooking at a pit temp of around 190�...no wonder everything was tough!!

Good Luck

Stogie

FM Former Member
Thanks for the tips and the encouragement. I'm definitely frustrated, but I won't give up THAT easily. I'm just anxious to get this right, and this forum is a huge help, and I appreciate that.

I guess I've been too fixated on cooking times, and next time I won't be. I read all the posts I could find to come up with a plan. That's what happens when software engineers cook! I followed the instructions in Ribs 101 and saw the cooking times that people normally used (3-5 hours). I used this as my guideline. There were a few postings that said bad things can start to happen after around 3 hours or so of cooking time, with ribs drying out and such. So I was worried about cooking them too long as well as not cooking them long enough. Sounds like I'm consistently undercooking everything and should worry less about overcooking.

And I was wondering if a little pink was still OK and due to the smoking process. I couldn't see how the ribs could be uncooked after so much cooking time, but I didn't want to take the chance.
FM Former Member
Wise words from Stogie. I have had perfect results with baby backs. Only deviation from the method stated above was that I cooked at 250 and they cooked for 5 hours. Some would argue that falling off the bone is over cooked but thats how I like 'em and that's how they come out every time. Don't be discouraged. You'll get the results you want with a lillte patience and practice
FM Former Member
Steve,

You've got some great input there.

Here's my advice (stop me if you've heard this one).

When all instructions are confusing, never forget:

It's done when it's done

I think many beginners are expecting times to be like a cake recipe in an oven. Through the various discussion in these forums, there are SO many variations in the meats and methods, that the times are general guidelines. But I'll make sure my 101's reflect that when I update them. Your "lack of success" is certainly good feedback.

I would try spare (since they're generally cheaper) if you're having problems, get them to your liking, then go from there.

We're here to help, give us a shout on your next try.

Smokin'
FM Former Member
OK fellas, make it simple for me...ha, that was funny. Anywho, I have family coming up to visit this weekend and I would like to make some baby back ribs for them, nothing too fancy, just the Cookshack recipe with the rib rub and chicken rub...however here is the question. In order to time this right, has anyone used a standing rib rack to do their ribs? I bought one right after Christmas when I ran down to the sporting goods after getting my Smokette...and bought all kinds of spices and accessories, including the stanging rib rack, which I call the meat bookshelf.

I assume that I should put them in there heavy side down to retain any juices that soak in...but am not sure on times for cooking them...or temp. I would think that something like 3.5 hours at 225 should do the trick...any thoughts.

Thanks much
FM Former Member
First of all i don't think 3.5 hours will do it for you, most posts suggest 5 or more hours. Remember it is done when it is done. I haven't done any with a stand up rack but when there is an option I always put the thicker end down like you said to catch the extra juices. You may want to repost into a new post on the forum instead of in the archives for better responses.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×