Need Help with Ribs

[john c]

I just smoked some back ribs and they came out pretty dry.
I tried a new recipe, I coated the ribs with hot dog mustard and let them sit in fridge over night.
I then sprinkled them with an assortment of spices. They were smoked at 225 until they hit 170.
One recipie said to coat them with mustard only just before hitting the grill and then spice em up.
Did leaving the mustard on too long cause them to dry out too much.
What a piss off.
Thanks in advance, your smokin friend from the North.

 

[gypsyseagod]

try spritzing w/ a mix of evoo, apple/cran juice every couple of hours or every hour

 

[illini]

Welcome John C
I do not think that the mustard was your problem, although I never use the stuff on ribs.

It is difficult to determine the meat temp on ribs with a thermo.....Just use the look and feel test to determine doneness...when they bend real good or start to break when you lift them then they are done....bones sticking out the end of the flesh is a good indicator also.

Did you use a water pan and did you wrap the ribs for part of the smoke?

Look at the 321 method here on SMF, a very good tutorial

 

[ron50]

I'm in agreement with Marvin, I don't think the mustard slather dried them out. From what I have read the mustard, at least on a pork butt, is there to make the spices adhere better and to create more bark. I don't really see the benefit of the mustard overnight without applying the rub.

The temp of the smoker was right on at 225 degrees. Was the thermometer you were using calibrated? It's hard to get an accurate temp reading on rubs because the meat is so close to the bones, especially on back ribs. It sounds like they were overcooked. Back ribs are less forgiving then spares because of the lower fat. Did they pull off the bone? Did the bones fall out of the meat? How long were they in the smoker?

 

[johnd49455]

Try the 3-2-1- method on ribs I hear that for a beginners I is the best to learn with as a guide.

 

[gypsyseagod]

even for pros- when ya got only so many hours for a contest- the basic guidlines for 3-2-1(pork) & 2-2-1(beef & st. louis cut pork) works well. it's just a guideline. 3(when the ribs pull back 1/2-1") foil- a simple squirt or 2 of spritz - on the 2 part check after an hour, check the tug- if it's already pull off the bone- go to step 3- maybe just open the foil(not remove if ya can't)- let them firm up. heat @ 225-250 the whole time. hope that helps.

 

[seaham358]

How long did you smoke them for?

 

[gypsyseagod]

i'll boil my 3-2-1 style down.
225-250 until i see 1/2"-1" of pull back(2-3 hrs w/spritz after about 2 hrs(when it starts to shrink), spritz again & wrap, check per hour- if the bone is starting to pull clean w/ a little tug or too much shrinkage- i open the foil or remove from foil if i can w/out it falling apart & add the juice to my spritz. 1 to 2 more hours & spritz 1/2 way in between if it's 2 hrs(220 degrees) take the remaining spritz & juice- add 1/4 cup dark beer- bring to a boil- remove from heat- cool. thats your finishing sauce.let the ribs cool on the cutting board for 10-15 mins before slicing-there ya go.

the main thing is- good ribs(not too fatty)from the store

 

[cheech]

John C,

For some really great information sign up for Jeff's 5 day e-course this is extremely helpful.

Sorry about your loss of some good ribs. Now that you know about the 3-2-1- method you should never have bad ribs again