Dry Ribs

quote:

Originally posted by Camper Bob:
Recently smoked some baby back ribs that came out a little dry. I dry rubbed them the day before smoking. Smoked with some apple chunks for 4 hours at 225 degrees. They were cooked ok and tasted good with some finishing sauce from the Neely's on the Cooking Channel. Their sauce is just slightly sweet with a little tang. Previously to buying my 025 I smoked on a stick burner using the 3-2-1 method. Has anyone used that method on the CS smokers, and were they juicier?

Most rubs #1 ingredient is salt. By rubbing the day before, the salt pulls the water out of the meat. Try soaking your ribs in apple juice overnight and rubbing an hour before smoking. I also smoke/cook ribs @250-275. "Low & Slow" is great for jerky. If you go with lower temps, consider spraying with apple juice hourly. At 3 hours I wrap them with a little mop sauce. They finish @ about 4 hours. I use a FEC which by all accounts is dryer than an 025.

How much did each rack weigh? ANYtime I talk ribs, it makes a difference in time discussions.

Were they tender and tasty just dry or were they overcooked and dry?

Not sure of the weight of each rack. They weren't bad, just not as juicy as I had expected. I never made them other than the 3-2-1 method, which includes 2 hours in foil with apple juice. Came out tender and juicy. I will attempt another batch in the CS but using the 3-2-1 method. With my stick burner, 225 degrees was the smoking temp that I maintained. Only difference is the juice bath.

Ok, it's not you, but I have to get on my soap box a little.

Just my opinion, but I'm not a fan at all of the 3-2-1 method. It predicts a great rib by blinding following a very arbitrary method.

Why Arbitrary?

First, that's for spares, not Baby Backs. I've seen 2-2-1 for BB but I don't like that either.

Why? Because they never mention weight. If you want to really get to be a better rib cook, weigh those ribs. You'll improve very quickly.

I've seen BB at 1.5 #'s all the way up to 3.5 and spares (trimmed or not trimmed, it doesn't say) can be from 2 to over 4, almost 5.

See why I don't like it. The weight difference makes a HUGE difference in the finished product. A 1.5 and a 3.5 BB will take a significantly different time to finish.

I'm more a fan of learning how to tell when they are done (the toothpick method).

If you must use the x-x-x method I higher recommend testing them after they come out of the foil. Smaller ribs will already be done at this point and large ribs will likely need more than 1 more hour to finish.

I have to agree with Smokin on this. While I do use a derivative of the 3-2-1 for SL Spares, I am keenly aware of what the weight is for each rack and adjust accordingly. And yes, I do use the toothpick method that Smokin speaks of. Listen to him, he knows what he is talking about.

Well with just the name of Ribdog and Smokin Oakie, who am I to argue. I certainly agree that the weight is critical to the cooking time. I will take your learned advice and apply it to my next rib smoke. Thanks for the help. Looking forward to many more smokes with my 025. Thanks again to you both.

Smokin and Ribdog have taught me a lot about smoking ribs. As they state, the ribs aren't perfect until the toothpick tells you it is.

I always shoot for 3 lb loin backs and begin the toothpick test at 3.5 hrs, smoking at 250*. Usually take a little over 4hrs.

I smoke ribs for my buddy's Super Bowl party every year. I was sick this year so I made the ribs, and my wife took them over. I stayed home. The next 2 days I received 5 emails complimenting me on the ribs. Nice endorsements. Never got responses like this till I joined this forum.

John,watch for Winn Dixie's pork butt promotion,altho you probably have.If not,they have been selling the same IBP's single pac that Sam's sells in the 2 pacs.They are always $1.49 a pound.They tend to limit numbers,but if you don't need a lot......you can work around them.