Ribs - Strategies for not wrapping

[CrownPoint210]

Hello all!

As a novice I use Aaron Franklin's strategy for ribs of three hours smoking then wrap for three hours, come out great. I have a pellet smoker and I want a richer smoke flavor.

I remember when I asked how to use my new pellet smoker some of you experts mentioned not wrapping the ribs and it intrigued me. I would love more of a bark on the ribs as well. So my question is, since the ribs are not being wrapped, I assume they only need 4 - 5 hours in the smoker? Any tips? Thank you!

 

[JC in GB]

Having done ribs both ways, I can safely say I like my ribs wrapped better. Although I liked the extra bark, the ribs turned out too dry for me at the doneness I wanted them.

I pretty much use the 3-2-1 method but because my cooker seems a bit faster, 3-2-1 turned into 3-1.5-1

The last hour is back in the smoker to restore bark and sauce.

If you want more robust smoke flavor, you could try adding a pellet tube in your rig. That will give you a boost of smoke flavor.

JC

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Are you removing the membrane? It might be an old wives tale that it doesn't matter but in my experience when I remove it I get better smoke penetration.

What type/flavor of wood pellets are you using?

 

[tropics]

Try smoking at a lower temp that will generate more smoke flavor.What Pellet Smoker do you have?
Richie

 

[SmokinAl]

I don't have a pellet smoker, but I rarely wrap my ribs anymore, unless I have a bunch of hungry guests woe are asking "Is it done yet", but that is what a cooler full of beer is for. I spritz them with a combo of apple cider vinegar & a little brown sugar every 45 minutes or so. A rack of BB's usually takes about 5-6 hours with this method running the smoker at 250.
Al

 

[texomakid]

All great suggestions. For me I've had a lot of success setting my pellet grill on 230 with hickory/cherry mix of pellets. I usually run the ribs 5 to 7 hours total. I base on when their done by 2 things - IT of 185 to 205 and the "bend test". I only wrap if I think they need to be done faster or I'm in a pinch for time. This has worked well on untrimmed spare ribs, St Louis trimmed & tenderloin baby backs.

Wash, apply rub, into the smoker. Spritzing is an option but it will add time to your cook. I don't spritz much anymore but when I do I just use 100% apple cider. I actually did a couple of racks recently where I put them in the smoker and didn't crack the lid for 5 hours. That batch was done in 6 1/2 hours and they were great.

 

[browneyesvictim]

First I would ask- are we talking baby backs, St. Louis cut or full spares?

Baby's are a bit leaner and smaller and cook fastest of the three. There is lot more fat and collagen and connective tissue on full spares that benefit from breaking down in a longer cook. St louis is somewhere in the middle. I approach them each a little differently.

IMHO
BB ribs benefit the most by wrapping/braising step to help keep them moist and tender. In the opposite end we have the full spares that can be quite fatty and greasy. Therefore I have come to prefer those unwrapped to let much of that render out and that bark/char is fantastic. I like what Al said that mopping/spritzing is a great alternative to wrapping.

 

[noboundaries]

If any spare rib, wrapped or unwrapped, tastes dry, it is undercooked. An overcooked spare rib will fall off the bone and almost dissolve in your mouth.

BBs can be more temperamental. The tug off the bone gives a better indication of their doneness, but even overcooked they are mushy.

I don't wrap ribs whether pork or beef. I can't remember the last time I did BBs because I prefer spares. I don't spritz either. I do sauce because that's how my wife likes 'em. She prefers FOTB. So even when smoked for 8 hours at 225F, they still taste juicy, but mushy, like overcooked pulled pork.

 

[CrownPoint210]

Wow the community here is amazing with the responses. All greatly appreciated! Some of you bring up some great questions. I usually do BB ribs but was thinking of expanding to St. Louis or Spare since they seem more forgiving.

As my equipment it is a Smoke-Hollow pellet smoker I got on sale at BJs. I wanted a Traeger originally but my wife suggested I work my way up. LOL

 

[schlotz]

As you can see, there are MANY ways to do ribs, some wrapped and some not. One way is not better than the other as both make good eats. It's strictly a preference thing. It's always fun to experiment so keep trying until you land on what you like. If interested, see the recipe in the signature below.

 

[smokerjim]

I use the st. louis, my opinion they taste a lot better then baby back, I don't wrap, i smoke at 225 usually takes 6-7 hours, if you want more smoke try a smoke tube they work good in the pellet grills/smokers to get some more smoke flavor.