Dry rib question

In my experience 'dry' ribs are not really dry, just under cooked. As long as you cook ribs relatively slowly to the appropriate temperature they will not be dry. (assuming they are good pork to start with)

When I mention dry ribs I am referring to an absence of sauce not a lack of moisture in the meat.

I bet the site you were reading about dry ribs was the Smokin Tex site, I saw it there too. Don't worry, if done correctly your ribs will not come out dry in a Tex, a Cookshack or a trash barrel for that matter.

If indeed it was a Smokin Tex you were looking at, do yourself a favor and buy a Cookshack. They are about the same price and from what I gather the Cookshack is far better built and has better customer service. (not to mention this great forum)

Cookshack tends to go the other direction.

It does not flow large volumes of air,as some stickburners might.

Many CS rib cooks actually open the door a couple of times to let out excess humidity.

CaptainKidd, you are right about the SmokenTex site. I didn't want to bad mouth anyone. I am trying to learn as much as possible before I start and this kind of had me wondering. Low and Slow seems to be the buz words to live by. thanks Bo

dry ribs in my 08, dont know how I could do that. The cs is a moisture in mind smoker. love my 08!!

I guess I have always thought of "dry" ribs were those smoked with a rub but no sauce. Sauce was served on the side. But in warmer weather, I grill ribs and always use sauce.

bob

Keep in mind also, low and slow is for big fatty cuts of meat. If you cook the ribs too low and too slow, they might get dry. We dry jerky at low temps. You don't want jerky on the rib bones. 225-250* is great for ribs. They will retain more moisture simply because they aren't in the smoker for so long.

"Ribs" is a funny thing, I think, and everybody seems to like them a little bit different. It took me two readings to realize Bo was saying that the dry ribs were a 'problem' that he was looking to avoid. Whereas, I too, think of 'dry ribs' as heavily rubbed, but unsauced... AND I don't mind so much if the ribs do dry up a bit. I like the taste of 'rendered fat' ...the kinda crispy bits of fatty tissue after a slow cook, and a dash on the grill.

HOWEVER, a cookshack can properly render the fat and gelatinize (is that a word?) the connective tissue and make the meat itself taste good...and be kept moist (whether sauced or not). Then if you're LOOKING for a dry rib, stick it on the hot fire grill to crisp up the little critters.

Man, this forum makes me hungry!!!

Dry ribs.

Well, like being asked, what does dry mean?

Could be undercooked
Could be cooked too long
Could be not enough fat
Could be not enough meat
Could be just bad ribs

LOTS of potential problems

The crutch is to juice and foil them to "solve" the problem, but as someone who learned without the internet, you need to figure the problem first. Foiling IS a crutch, and you just don't know the problem it fixes.

That's why many (not most) use the 3-2-1 method for ribs. Smoke three, foil 2, finish cook/glaze for 1 hour.

This last Saturday I did 12 racks of babyback ribs in my AmeriQue. I used a dry rub, hung the ribs on rib hooks, put them in the AQ, set the temp at 225*, used 4 oz.of hickory and 2 oz. of cherry wood and left for 5-1/2 hrs. I then took them out, sprayed with apple juice and foiled for about 30 minutes. Had 7 men over and everyone enjoyed every last bite. The ribs were plenty moist and really tasty. Everyone said they were the best they had eaten.

I think another challenge to ribs is balancing the salt factor. Too little and you miss that 'naughty-salty-snacky' appeal of crunching into a crisped rib. Too much salt and your tongue swells up after only 30 or so ribs and you can't eat anymore!!

Nice win Tigerfan...would love to have seen the Trojans and Tigers match up! And I reckon the ribs wouldn't have been so good if the Buckeyes had been the opponent they were supposed to be! Nonetheless, congrats on the ribs and the 'pigskin!'

And if you rely solely on the sauce for your salt, your ribs will have suffered. I do think it's hard to please everyone with ribs.