No foil ribs....

[pc farmer]

No foil ribs are not hard. Cook at what ever temp your want, cook to probe tender and sauce the last 30 mins if you want.

Simple.

 

[cal1956]

No foil ribs are not hard. Cook at what ever temp your want, cook to probe tender and sauce the last 30 mins if you want.

Simple.

I disagree with "cook at whatever temp you want "  if you exceed 225 degrees by very much the ribs will be tough as shoe leather , the key to tender ribs is low and slow ( but I have never cooked even the toughest ribs more than 5 hours ) after about 4 4 1/2 hour take the ribs out and let them sit for at least an hour , this lets the juice redistribute through out the meat 

  did an actual blind  test once...... on one plate fresh ribs ( right off the smoker ) 2nd plate.... ribs that had rested about an hour , 3rd plate .....ribs that had been smoked the day before  and rewarmed to 160 degrees ...... ..99% picked the day old ribs that had been rewarmed as best tasting and most tender ..( no sauce just dry rub  ) 

 

[pc farmer]

Sorry, I never cook under 275 and as high as 500.

IMG_20140703_200339240_zpszjbumupg.jpg

• pc farmer
• May 14, 2015

 

[dukeburger]

Sorry, I never cook under 275 and as high as 500.

IMG_20140703_200339240_zpszjbumupg.jpg

• pc farmer
• May 14, 2015

How long do ribs normally take at these temps?

 

[gary s]

Beautiful ribs  look great

Gary

 

[pc farmer]

:drool
How long do ribs normally take at these temps?

At 275 about 4 hours, at 500 bout 90 mins.

 

[inkjunkie]

At 275 about 4 hours, at 500 bout 90 mins.

Want to try them hotter and faster....

 

[noboundaries]

Interesting the turn this thread is starting to take with cal1956's comment.  I'm going to jump in the camp of chamber temp is relative.  Here's why:

Regardless of the meat, there is a huge misconception about the absolute necessity of low n slow for tougher cuts of meats.  Until I started smoking meat I never did anything low and slow in the oven (briskest, chuckies, butts, ribs, etc).  Sometimes I braised (cooked in a liquid), sometimes not.  The temps I used were always 350F or higher.  Collagen in meat, the connective tissue stuff that makes meat tough and must melt to make tougher cuts of meat tender and juicy, will melt regardless of the chamber temp you use.   Lower temps require longer exposure to heat; higher temps less exposure.  It all has to do with heat transfer, but I'm not going to get into that.   

The real issue is the window of perfection.  That perfection window shrinks at higher temps.  The lower the temperature you use, the better your chances of hitting that window if you smoke your meat long enough.  At 500F that window may only be 10-15 minutes.  At 225F that window could be 60-90 minutes or more, depending on the size of the meat.  It is that expanded window of perfection that makes low n slow smoking meat (225F+) more successful for folks.   

In just about every case where someone says "I smoked my ribs, brisket, butt at 225F for (blank) amount of time and they were dry and tough.  What happened?"  The answer generally can be explained as they were not cooked long enough.  If the connective tissue doesn't melt you get dry and tough tasting meat.  That often gets interpreted as overcooked when the exact opposite is true; they were undercooked. 

Bottom line, pick a temperature and time range that works for you.  Understand what is happening to the meat.  Then share that success with others, but please don't make the mistake of believing the myth that one temperature is necessary for perfection.  There is entirely too much evidence to the contrary.   

 

[inkjunkie]

Interesting the turn this thread is starting to take with cal1956's comment.  I'm going to jump in the camp of chamber temp is relative.  Here's why:

Regardless of the meat, there is a huge misconception about the absolute necessity of low n slow for tougher cuts of meats.  Until I started smoking meat I never did anything low and slow in the oven (briskest, chuckies, butts, ribs, etc).  Sometimes I braised (cooked in a liquid), sometimes not.  The temps I used were always 350F or higher.  Collagen in meat, the connective tissue stuff that makes meat tough and must melt to make tougher cuts of meat tender and juicy, will melt regardless of the chamber temp you use.   Lower temps require longer exposure to heat; higher temps less exposure.  It all has to do with heat transfer, but I'm not going to get into that.   

The real issue is the window of perfection.  That perfection window shrinks at higher temps.  The lower the temperature you use, the better your chances of hitting that window if you smoke your meat long enough.  At 500F that window may only be 10-15 minutes.  At 225F that window could be 60-90 minutes or more, depending on the size of the meat.  It is that expanded window of perfection that makes low n slow smoking meat (225F+) more successful for folks.   

In just about every case where someone says "I smoked my ribs, brisket, butt at 225F for (blank) amount of time and they were dry and tough.  What happened?"  The answer generally can be explained as they were not cooked long enough.  If the connective tissue doesn't melt you get dry and tough tasting meat.  That often gets interpreted as overcooked when the exact opposite is true; they were undercooked. 

Bottom line, pick a temperature and time range that works for you.  Understand what is happening to the meat.  Then share that success with others, but please don't make the mistake of believing the myth that one temperature is necessary for perfection.  There is entirely too much evidence to the contrary.   

Thanks for the explanation. For me I just want to try different ways.
That being said I like the larger "window" that the lower temperature provides. Being a novice at smoking I need as big of a "safety zone" as I can get.
But it is nice to know that there is more than one way to get a good tasting end result.

 

[joe black]

Very good post and well put. Its always good to have another opinion of this caliber to help with our learning curve. I hope mine is not flat.
Thanks, Joe

 

[cal1956]

regardless how you do it,  you still need to let the ribs rest  in order to redistribute the juices  

 

[dukeburger]

Is there a change in the amount of smoke absorbed using higher temps? A hot and fast piece of meat would have less time to snatch up that tasty goodness...

 

[pc farmer]

Is there a change in the amount of smoke absorbed using higher temps? A hot and fast piece of meat would have less time to snatch up that tasty goodness...:icon_eek:

Hot n fast still gets great smoke flavor. When i cook at 500 its a wood fire.

 

[mike5051]

I've got two slabsof SLC's  to do Sunday. No foil mega thread!

Mike

 

[nickthebeast]

I've only cooked a few times no foil. I've enjoyed the taste however they seem to take on a lot more smoke. Today I'm doing 2 slabs of St Loui. I'm cooking on a meadow creek off set. Today I'm using all wood for the first time in a long time. So far so good. Put them on about 30 min ago and temp is good. Holding between 230 & 260. does anyone have any thoughts on wrap or no wrap cooking on straight wood?

 

[nickthebeast]

20150516_100708.jpg

• nickthebeast
• May 16, 2015

Here is a little Q view. 1 1/2 hrs in

 

[dukeburger]

Can someone explain the bend test to me?

Is there a ballpark IT of when to start the bend test?

  *Edit- Just read 180 in an earlier post

 

[inkjunkie]

Can someone explain the bend test to me?
Is there a ballpark IT of when to start the bend test? :help:

Wondering why as well.

 

[noboundaries]

Simple bend test for SLCs: I pick up the heaviest end of the ribs with a pair of tongs, about three inches or so from the end. If the ribs bend 45 to 60 degrees they are done. Sometimes the bark breaks a little, sometimes not.

I have never checked the IT of ribs with a thermometer and I've done dozens upon dozens of racks.

 

[inkjunkie]

Simple bend test for SLCs: I pick up the heaviest end of the ribs with a pair of tongs, about three inches or so from the end. If the ribs bend 45 to 60 degrees they are done. Sometimes the bark breaks a little, sometimes not.

I have never checked the IT of ribs with a thermometer and I've done dozens upon dozens of racks.

Understand how to do it....but have no clue as to the "science" behind it...