First Try at Baby Back Ribs

I don't use a dry rub often; my experience if it is left on too long it starts to cure the meat and I detect an odd 'pickle bologna' taste in the meat.

Try 250 degrees, leave the door closed, you don't need to add moisture.

I just finished a cook with two slabs spares and two baby back. Cooked three hours, opened the door to sauce the ribs, cooked another 90 miutes. The baby backs were tug off the bone tender, the full spares were so juicy my shears slid through anything that wasn't bone.

Did you read Ribs 101 and some of the threads under pork ribs?

You can spray them with apple juice, but after 3 hours once and again when you check for doneness. With opening the door so many times, they were probably not done. They normally take 4-4.5 hrs when you don't open the door. Do the toothpick test (slides easily through the meat when it's ready) and take the ribs out when they're done not based on time.

That explains the toughness, and you were probably dumping more moisture than you were adding with the juice. That'd be the dryness. Do read the 101' and threads. Your next effort will be great.

I did baby backs last night in my Elite. They were so good I almost cried.

I think the only issue was not cooking them long enough.

How much did the racks weigh? BB's can weight from 1.5 to over 3 and the time difference can be huge.

Let's get the time/tenderness down, then we can decided if the dryness was because they were underdone or what.

Thank you everyone. I'm goin to give them another try in a couple of weeks. I will try to cook them hotter, longer, and without opening the door so much.

They were 5 lbs total.

Once you find a method that works, you will never even think about the times they didn't turn out great. I've been doing nothing but ribs for the last three months trying to master my Amerique and they have been turning out great!

As a side note, I'm also in North Texas and our Super Target Stores have Hormel Baby Backs on sale for $1.79 per pound. I haven't seen them in person, but $1.79 is a hell of a deal!

Thanks, Bacchus2b. That's a great price. I'll check it out.

OK, I decided to give it another try today. This time I started with a half rack of fresh baby backs. I'm the only one home right now to eat them, so I did a half rack as a test.

I seasoned them with a little John Henry's Pecan Rub (not as much salt) and cooked them at 225 for 3 hours, meat side down. Then I flipped them over, lightly misted them with apple cider, and put them back in for another hour before checking them again. The internal temp was 190, but I tugged the bones and they were not falling apart, so I put them back in for another hour. The temp had risen to 192, but they didn't seem any different when I tugged on the bones. I put them back in for another 30 minutes in foil at 250. I don't have high hopes for this one.

Did I overcook them?

Question: Have you read the Ribs 101s?

Don't test ribs by checking the "internal temp." Try the toothpick method. If the toothpick slides between the meaty-ist part of the slab with little resistance, they are done.

Personally, I've never cooked with the meat-side up or flipped my ribs, always smoked meat-side (curve) up.

Each time you open the door you add a minimum of 30 minutes to the smoke.

Be patient and learn your smoker & what works best for you. Sounds to me like you are trying a bit too hard for perfection. Relax.

Again, read & re-read the 101s . Can't state how important it is to know the basics!

Hope this helps a bit!

Thanks Wheelz. I have read and reread the ribs 101. That's where I got the idea to cook at 225 for three hours with the meat side down, then flip and check every hour after that. I ran out of toothpicks, so I was using the internal temp instead. You are right...that doesn't seem to be a good test for ribs. And since this was just a half rack of ribs (5 ribs total), I was concerned that my cook time was too long. As it turns out, I don't think they were cooked enough. They were tough but not dry. I had to leave for about three hours, so I wrapped them in foil and a towel and put them in a cooler. When I got back home, they were very good and tender.

The 101's are a great starting point. But like you've said, I need to learn my smoker. My smoke times seem to run longer than others here, and I have a hard time smoking my wood to ash. I have checked the temperature probe in my Smokette against a remote probe that I calibrated with boiling water, and both are correct.

I don't mean to sound frustrated, because I'm not. I really enjoy this learning process. I'm posting to share my experience with other novices, and pick up great advice from more experienced smokers like you.

As for striving for perfection, you bet your *ss! Once I get this smokette dialed in, that's exactly what I'm shooting for.

Thanks again.

My baby backs usually run about 4.5 hrs at 225*. I can say usually cause I get the 3 rack cryovac pack at Sam's, and they are fairly consistent in weight. Toothpick test at the 3.5-4 hr. mark. They're getting close at that point. When I toothpick test, I spritz them with apple juice and then again when I take them out. I either immediately foil, towel and cooler or sauce/glaze them and finish on the grill.

I've also done them at 250* based on post recommendations here, and that temp produces more smoke and ashed wood. Make sure your wood is seasoned. Since they come in smaller chunks, I had better results after letting mine sit out and air dry for at least a week.

Thanks Pags. Did 250 change the moisture or the tenderness of your ribs? How did it affect your cook time compared to 4.5 hrs at 225?

Also, have you ever tried the 2-2-1 technique? 2 hours smoke, 2 hours in foil, and 1 hour to finish and sauce/glaze.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
I get the 3 rack cryovac pack at Sam's, and they are fairly consistent in weight.

And what weight is that, about 6 or 7 lbs?

I generally pick out a pack at around 6 pounds. The smoke time is a little shorter at 250*, but do the toothpick test. The moisture and tenderness are the same at either temp just done a little faster with the higher temp. I don't do the 2-2-1 method. Just stick the ribs on the rack and only open the smoker at the end to test and spritz.

Well, I decided to try another batch of ribs this weekend. I'm still trying to achieve those super-tender "fall off the bone" ribs, like the kind that I've had at Chili's. I understand that others will not think that Chili's should be my goal, buy my family and I REALLY like them, so that's what I'm shooting for.

I had pulled a couple of versions of the Chili's method off the web. Both recipes called for steaming the ribs in the oven at 300-350 degrees and finishing on the grill. I decided that the 2-2-1 method sounded closest to this since the meat gets foiled.

I started with two racks of ribs, some John Henry's Pecan Rub, and cooked the ribs meat-side down on 250 for two hours in my Smokette. I was using 3.8 oz of hickory and 1.5 oz of cherry. I then basted the ribs in watered-down BBQ sauce and foiled them tightly, and cooked them at 250 for another 2 hours. When I took them out of the foil, I had juice pouring out of the foil all over the place, and ribs were so tender that I had to be careful moving them to the grill for fear they would split apart. I grilled them on a gas grill over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side and sauced them in the last couple of minutes.

Here's what I got: The top 3/4 of the rib meat was as tender as I ever could have asked for, with GREAT flavor, texture, and moisture...sweet as can be! But the bottom 1/4 of the meat came out dense and rubbery. It was definitely cooked, but had a completely different texture like it was a layer of gristle(?).

I'm really happy with how the top 3/4 came out. Any ideas how the bottom 1/4 got screwed up? BTW, both racks came out exactly the same and were one different racks in the Smokette.

Please, I'll tell you that you can do so much better than Chili's boiled ribs. PERIOD.

quote:

Both recipes called for steaming the ribs in the oven at 300-350 degrees and finishing on the grill.

Keep in mind, those methods are for people who don't have access to experts. You do, so please, go with our advice. I personally don't like the texture of ribs in foil (like 321 or 221 methods) but if it works for you, that's okay, we'll try to help.

I think the issue would be as simple as rotating your ribs (flip them) during the time they're in the foil.

There isn't gristle in ribs, so not sure. "another batch of ribs" were these baby backs? How big (weight?)

These were baby backs and about 2.8 lbs per rack. They were prepackaged, but had "no added ingredients" or salt solution.

2.8 is almost loin back, so they can be a little thicker. You might need more than the 2 2 1 method. That's why I don't like that method, hard to tell if they're ready.

I think they just needed longer to tenderize all the way through.

I know there are a lot of people here that know a heck of a lot more about these smokers than I do but I have to chime in. Also I am not ragging on you, Budge, from what I have read what you are going through seems totally normal. I worked with a Cookshack smoker at a restaurant for many years before I bought one. I saw some guys make some pretty darn good bbq while doing 16 other things and being half in the bag all at the same time. I read a lot of posts where it seems like people are making it way too complicated and are more scared of overcooking food than anything else. Dont be. Let it cook. Use the forum posts and then your own experience to establish a base time where the food should be done (or use a thermometer with butts / brisket) and dont mess with it until then. If it is not tender enough, it is not done. Give it some more time. After you are super comfortable with that you can try spritzing it with whatever or basting and foiling to give it your own flair. The beauty of this equipment is that you can turn out great food over and over again. If it is not cooked properly, it wont be great no matter what else you do. I hope this is not too blunt from a new guy.

quote:

I hope this is not too blunt from a new guy.

Not at all. You and Smokin seem to be saying the same thing.

So, my next rack of baby backs will just be cooked on 225 for 5 hours, then checked with a toothpick. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sounds like a plan Budge, a great plan! Learn your smoker and how it cooks whatever it is you're smoking - then - tweak it!

quote:

As a side note, I'm also in North Texas and our Super Target Stores have Hormel Baby Backs on sale for $1.79 per pound. I haven't seen them in person, but $1.79 is a hell of a deal!

Careful with the Hormel ribs - the ones I have seen are injected - a "natural enhancement". Good way for them to sell salt water at $2 or more a pound. The one time I tried them (on sale at what seemed to be a great price) they tasted like salty ham, not ribs. Not a great deal at any price, IMHO.
If you use them, cut back or eliminate the salt in your rub. That might help.

I tend to shy away from Hormel ,for the same reasons.

That said,another fine FEC cook was fifth overall in his last year on the Memphis in May circuit.

He would go anywhere to buy them for the KCBS/FBA circuit.

Another friend and comp cook around "Cowtown" had the same feeling.

Guess they knew how to cook them.

I use the 3-2-1/2 aproximately method for my BB's in my smokette 009. I know people on here hate to hear this but I use a aluminum pan with a raised V shape rack and pour a beer in the pan when I start (the ribs never touch any liquid in the bottom of the pan). I use Texas BBQ rub with worcestershire sauce..good stuff! I apply about 2 hours prior to the smoke and put back in the fridge until ready. Cook at 250 deg full throttle (my 009 averages 235deg at the 250deg setting) and only use 1 oz of cherry wood with no bark and one chunk of Kingsford charcoal. At the 3 hour mark I spray with pure apple juice & pour a liitle in the pan and foil the top tightly. At 5 hours I uncover and give it the tooth pick test and depending how they look and feel (pulling away from bone about 1/2 inch) I will take them out in 15 to 30 mins and put them on the grill for about 5-8 min per side to just heat the glaze or sauce that I put on at that point. I usually use a homemade glaze of 3/4 cup apple juice, 1/4 cup grade B pure maple syrup, a little more (tsp) Texas BBQ rub and a couple of swigs of Lousiania Hot Sauce heated on the stove prior to applying. I sometimes will dip these with other BBQ sauce for those that like them that way but these are great with just the glaze. These come out better than any Chilli's here in the Midwest and my friends say these are better than the ribs that they tried at the Naperville IL Ribfest held here every year. I tried changing the the times around but the 2 hour foiling really makes them fall off the bone like people are acustom to here in the Midwest. Good Luck you'll figure it out!