methods of smoking ribs

vartz04 · Jul 11, 2015

For baby backs I do 2-1-2ish and the 1 hour in foil is with some margarine and some beer. If I do 2-2-1 it's mushy and falls off the bone. I like a little pull to the ribs.

For spares I just do 3-1-2 same process just longer before the foil.

damon555 · Jul 11, 2015

jond36 said:
If its charcoal or wood, that will be too much smoke. If it is electric or gas, put less wood.

I smoke with charcoal and my ribs (or whatever happens to be in the smoker) get smoke the whole time....If you use the right wood it shouldn't be a problem. Apple,pecan and oak are my go to choices.....Hickory is ok in moderation but I do not care for mesquite at all.....The last two woods I mentioned can be overpowering in excess....

jond36 · Jul 11, 2015

Sorry. I meant 7 hours of smoke may be too much, but yeah, definitely smoke apple.

harleybike · Jul 11, 2015

Damon555 said:
I smoke with charcoal and my ribs (or whatever happens to be in the smoker) get smoke the whole time....If you use the right wood it shouldn't be a problem. Apple,pecan and oak are my go to choices.....Hickory is ok in moderation but I do not care for mesquite at all.....The last two woods I mentioned can be overpowering in excess....

Ahhh Ok. Maybe it was the Hickory then. I'll go with Apple then and not worry so much bout smoke time. Mouth is watering already

Rafter H BBQ · Jul 11, 2015

Everyone has a different sensitivity to the different smokes ! I mainly use hickory or apple on everything... I personally do not care for mesquite ! But I know some folks that will use hickory for a salmon smoke cause they like the taste... Others don't wanna use hickory on some things like salmon because to them it's overpowering... I just think everyone has different likes or dislikes !

Rafter H BBQ · Jul 11, 2015

Harleybike said:
WaterinHoleBrew said:

Harley, what temp did ya smoke em at

Click to expand...

Smoked em at 225 in my MES30 and I used Hickory/Apple

Have you checked your MES chamber temp with a reliable therm ? I know some, not all MES smokers are not always accurate ! I've checked mine with my Mav & igrill2.... My MES can be off as much as 20+* ! Just a thought if ya haven't checked chamber temp. Maybe they were cooked hotter than ya thought they were... Not sure !

harleybike · Jul 11, 2015

WaterinHoleBrew said:
Everyone has a different sensitivity to the different smokes ! I mainly use hickory or apple on everything... I personally do not care for mesquite ! But I know some folks that will use hickory for a salmon smoke cause they like the taste... Others don't wanna use hickory on some things like salmon because to them it's overpowering... I just think everyone has different likes or dislikes !

Ya definitely. No different than anything else. I'll experiment but fornow I'll stay away from hickory and mesquite for the ribs.

harleybike · Jul 11, 2015

WaterinHoleBrew said:
Have you checked your MES chamber temp with a reliable therm ? I know some, not all MES smokers are not always accurate ! I've checked mine with my Mav & igrill2.... My MES can be off as much as 20+* ! Just a thought if ya haven't checked chamber temp. Maybe they were cooked hotter than ya thought they were... Not sure !

Ya know. I checked it with my thermometer after the first batch ofile ribs and reading this forum about the fluctuations in the MES. The thermometer reads bout 15-20 deg hotter then the MES. I didn't know this the first time I did ribs but have adjusted the temp since then. So the first ribs definitely were cooked hotter than the 225.

Rafter H BBQ · Jul 11, 2015

Harleybike said:
WaterinHoleBrew said:

Have you checked your MES chamber temp with a reliable therm ? I know some, not all MES smokers are not always accurate ! I've checked mine with my Mav & igrill2.... My MES can be off as much as 20+* ! Just a thought if ya haven't checked chamber temp. Maybe they were cooked hotter than ya thought they were... Not sure !

Click to expand...

Ya know. I checked it with my thermometer after the first batch ofile ribs and reading this forum about the fluctuations in the MES. The thermometer reads bout 15-20 deg hotter then the MES. I didn't know this the first time I did ribs but have adjusted the temp since then. So the first ribs definitely were cooked hotter than the 225.

Just somethin to keep in mind... May not be the answer in whole, but IMHO... Keep putting little pieces of info together & ya will get to the bottom of it... We are here to keep helping ya too ! Thumbs Up

harleybike · Jul 11, 2015

WaterinHoleBrew said:
Just somethin to keep in mind... May not be the answer in whole, but IMHO... Keep putting little pieces of info together & ya will get to the bottom of it... We are here to keep helping ya too ! Thumbs Up

For sure. Every little bit helps and as I fine tune my preference from all the suggestions and advice it will come together. Thanks man. I'll start a new thread for my next rib smoke.

harleybike · Aug 8, 2015

[quote name="jond36" url="/t/189564/methods-of-smoking-ribs/30#post_1431057][/quote][quote name="jond36" url="/t/189564/methods-of-smoking-ribs/30#post_143

Hot and fast: I have heard 3 hrs to 3 1/4 hrs at 275 works well.

All are no foil to give a better texture. I have noticed covering ribs with mustard gives a dark crispier texture to the meat itself as well.[/quote]

So I would like to do ribs on Friday. But won't get em on till 3ish. Does this 3-3 1/4 hours fast and hot still turn out good? I wanted to do a later dinner and can only get em on bout 3p but don't wanna serve at 8p.

joe black · Aug 9, 2015

I'm with WHB, keep all of the little bits of info and also a log of your cooks to refer back to. This will help greatly in future cooks. As far as mustard is concerned, I use it as a binder for my rub, but I have never noticed any effect on color, maybe, but I don't know.

sauced · Aug 10, 2015

Some really great tips on ribs. My question is the use of a rib rack. Anyone use the racks and what method do you follow? I use a weber kettle and space is tight for more that 3 slabs.

Thanks!!

phatbac · Aug 10, 2015

Harleybike said:
So I would like to do ribs on Friday. But won't get em on till 3ish. Does this 3-3 1/4 hours fast and hot still turn out good? I wanted to do a later dinner and can only get em on bout 3p but don't wanna serve at 8p.

I did some no foil ribs last Saturday (Spares/st louis). i cooked "hot and fast" average about 260-270 degrees and i cooked mine in 4:15. I spritz every hour with apple juice/cider vinegar mix really good and let the sauce set on them for the last 45 minutes. (used pecan wood for smoke) the timing was right as far as done-ness just should have put the sauce on 15 minutes later because it singed a little and gave it a darker appearance than i wanted. Still good eats though!

Happy Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)

harleybike · Aug 10, 2015

phatbac said:
I did some no foil ribs last Saturday (Spares/st louis). i cooked "hot and fast" average about 260-270 degrees and i cooked mine in 4:15. I spritz every hour with apple juice/cider vinegar mix really good and let the sauce set on them for the last 45 minutes. (used pecan wood for smoke) the timing was right as far as done-ness just should have put the sauce on 15 minutes later because it singed a little and gave it a darker appearance than i wanted. Still good eats though!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

Great Aaron...thank you for the input. I'll do that. Least I can have ribs Friday evening/nite and not be a bust. I'll wait a little longer the sauce also.

harleybike · Aug 14, 2015

20150814_150341.jpg

harleybike
Aug 14, 2015

3pm and ribs are on...350 deg. Hope to eat bout 7 ish.

cal1956 · Aug 14, 2015

4 hours at 350 degrees !!!! holy crap ..I think i'll just stick to the way I do em

jond36 · Aug 14, 2015

They maybe overdone at that temp for that long, but hope they were good. Let us know.:grilling_smilie:

harleybike · Aug 14, 2015

jond36 said:
They maybe overdone at that temp for that long, but hope they were good. Let us know.:grilling_smilie:

Jond36, yes they were a bit overdone. But,not dry and just a tad chewy but the flavor was awesome. I used pecan pellets. They got devoured so fast no one knewill they were a tad over. 3 slabs. 14 lbs of pork butt going on at 12 midnight for tomorrow.

mmq13 · Feb 7, 2016

SeenRed said:
I like to mix it up...sometimes 3-2-1, sometimes no foil for the whole cook.

For no-foil ribs, I like to apply a pretty heavy coat of my favorite rub the night before and let 'em sleep in the fridge overnight. Take 'em out of the fridge right before I get the smoker fired up, and apply another dusting of rub and a little mist of olive oil to bind the rub and help promote a good bark. Then into the smoker @225* for around 6 hours...no peeking, no spritzing, no mopping...just a steady application of your favorite smoke (I like hickory, pecan, or apple). Once they've reached my desired tenderness, I'll mop a little of my favorite sauce on 'em for the last few minutes...just long enough for the sauce to set and form a nice glaze.

Red

This is great advice right here. I do the same, minus the olive oil. Will be trying said olive oil next time around. I have always found my ribs to be their best if I do not open the lid. I mix cherry and apple wood too.

I think the most important thing to remember is that there is no one way to do this. Experiment and have fun. Using a tablet now, sitting in a lawn chair in front of my stick burner thats had pork shoulder on it for 4.5 hours and ribs that just went on. Monk Balls to go on in another 3 hours. Nothing like meats sweats and the Super Bowl!

Happy Smoking!
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