Mama wanted FOB baby backs, a foil convert.

sawinredneck

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Jul 11, 2015

196

16

Wichita KS

• Aug 16, 2015

• #1

If you'd have asked me even a day ago I'd have told you not to foil, just no need! Well, never say never!
My wife crockpotted a slab of baby backs a few weeks ago, I just couldn't get them done right then, I have health issues with great days and really bad days! To say they were tender is an understatement! And pretty darn good! All I heard after that "Why can't you cook ribs that fall off the bone like that?"
Grrrrrr!
So today was my dads B-day and he asked me to do some smoking and invite some people over. I did "winglets" and three slabs of ribs. Two slabs I just did like normal, the third I planned to do the 2-2-1 method. Not exactly sure what happened, it was 92deg 46% humidity today and I averaged a cook temp of 208deg. Two hours I pulled one slab and foiled them, two more I pulled them, unfoiled and went to grab them with the tongs, they just fell apart! The other two had an IT of 150's, so I wasn't sweating temps. But man! It was night and day between the different cooks! I'm sold, more tender, more juice and I couldn't even cut them because they were so soft!
I have to concede defeat, I guess I'm a foil guy now.

 

bmaddox

Master of the Pit

Jan 5, 2015

1,705

144

Central FL

• Aug 17, 2015

• #2

I guess that's why they say don't knock it till you try it. Some people see foil as breaking the rules but at the end of the day the only rule is cook the best tasting food using whatever you have. 

 

for-q cookers

Fire Starter

Jul 6, 2015

44

12

Willis Texas

• Aug 17, 2015

• #3

If Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy..... Foil or no foil, it's all about the end product... Glad it was a good cook for ya...

 

S

smoking jo

Newbie

May 25, 2015

27

10

SE Indiana

• Aug 17, 2015

• #4

Funny, but I have a similar story with a different outcome.

This weekend was my second time smoking ribs and I thought I'd experiment.  Mrs G also wanted FOB style foiled ribs and nothing I could say would change her mind.

Unknown to her, I foiled half and smoked the rest of them unfoiled.  I gave her both versions and asked her to see which one she liked by saying it was trying out 2 different rubs (they were the same rub).

She said she couldn't tell which one she liked better as both tasted similar (at least I couldn't fool her with that), but she mentioned over and over how much she liked the unfoiled ones.

Both were very tender, but I tried to make sure the foiled ones didn't get more done (and actually fall off the bone).  When I told her the difference she said she was wrong (OMG, better take a note of the date and time) and preferred a bit more "bite" to it vs. the very soft FOB ones that she usually sees at the restaurants.

 

sawinredneck

Meat Mopper

Original poster

Thread starter

Jul 11, 2015

196

16

Wichita KS

• Aug 17, 2015

• #5

See, I always said I liked more bite or pull to them as well, but the foiled ones were just so much more tender and juicy, I can live without that bite!

 

phatbac

Master of the Pit

Jun 11, 2013

2,207

1,159

Monroe, NC USA

• Aug 17, 2015

• #6

sawinredneck said:

See, I always said I liked more bite or pull to them as well, but the foiled ones were just so much more tender and juicy, I can live without that bite!

Click to expand...

I find if you foil for like 1 hr 15 minutes or so (with some butter, juice, touch of vinegar and agave nectar) you will still get bite through tender without fall off and still retain all the moisture.

I'm glad you made some that made your wife happy and you liked too. that's the main thing.

Happy Smoking,

phatbac (Aaron)

 

westby

Smoking Fanatic

Jan 17, 2011

384

75

Winona, MN

• Aug 20, 2015

• #7

2 schools of thought on this.

1) Fall off the bone is the only way to go and foiling is the way to get there.

2) Fall off the bone is overcooked.

I'm in with the 2nd group.  I lost track of time and accidentally overcooked some a while back and my girlfriend loved them and still raves about them (she's obviously in the 1st group).  I couldn't cut the damn things without them falling apart and I thought they were horrible from a texture point of view.  Taste was ok, but texture wasn't even palatable to me.  I thought I was in my local Ground Round. . . . .

 

bbqbrett

Master of the Pit

Jan 17, 2013

1,655

593

About 10 miles from the blue turf!

• Aug 20, 2015

• #8

westby said:

2 schools of thought on this.
1) Fall off the bone is the only way to go and foiling is the way to get there.
2) Fall off the bone is overcooked.

I'm in with the 2nd group.  I lost track of time and accidentally overcooked some a while back and my girlfriend loved them and still raves about them (she's obviously in the 1st group).  I couldn't cut the damn things without them falling apart and I thought they were horrible from a texture point of view.  Taste was ok, but texture wasn't even palatable to me.  I thought I was in my local Ground Round. . . . .
[/quote

I agree with you...falling off the bone is over cooked. IMO there is no real trick to making ribs that way. As my dad taught me that anyone can make them FOB. I even did it on my first try.

Click to expand...

 

mummel

Master of the Pit

Apr 8, 2015

2,294

64

Massachusetts

• Aug 21, 2015

• #9

I hope you guys can help.  I've made many racks of spares and have only had 1 huge success following 3-2-1 exactly.

Last weekend I tried to go more FOTB (which I love), and tried 2.5-2.5-1.

The ribs were ok, but they were really fatty/rich.  To be honest, I felt kind of nauseous afterwards because of all the fat.  They are the exact same ribs I always get from Costco so it wasnt that they had more fat content etc.

One mistake I think I made was leaving them in the foil during the last stage.  I opened up the foil for braising and mopping, but left the ribs in the tinfoil bowl with 4oz of apply juice around them.

I dont know if it was the fat/juice that made them so rich, or perhaps the internal fat had not rendered yet??  I dont know.  What do you think?

 

bmaddox

Master of the Pit

Jan 5, 2015

1,705

144

Central FL

• Aug 21, 2015

• #10

@mummel  had the fat not rendered and was still solid or was it that they were greasy from all the fat? 

 

joe black

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Jan 25, 2015

4,535

341

Greenville, SC

• Aug 21, 2015

• #11

If I had some folks who liked the ribs so done that I couldn't even cut them, I would just take a butt to about 220*. Just as mushy, falling apart, still overdone, still tastes like pork, but much cheaper.

Saw a cartoon in the paper today. A little boy asked his mother, "does pork come from porcupines"?

 

mummel

Master of the Pit

Apr 8, 2015

2,294

64

Massachusetts

• Aug 21, 2015

• #12

bmaddox said:

 
@mummel  had the fat not rendered and was still solid or was it that they were greasy from all the fat? 

Click to expand...

Im not sure.  I dont think I bit into any hard fat blobs thats for sure.  Its was just greasy and rich. 

 

westby

Smoking Fanatic

Jan 17, 2011

384

75

Winona, MN

• Aug 21, 2015

• #13

mummel - take them off the foil for the last stage.  Get them out of the fat and let them firm up a bit.  Should help out with the problem you had.

 

mummel

Master of the Pit

Apr 8, 2015

2,294

64

Massachusetts

• Aug 21, 2015

• #14

Yeah thats what I thought.  Bummer.  Will try 2.5-2.5-1 one last time, otherwise 3-2-1 was actually pretty perfect!