Baby back ribs came out dry

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Jaspreet

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 12, 2019
21
0
Hello maybe someone can chime in or give me some help, i bought the three pack of baby back ribs from Costco, seasoned them with SPOG the day before.. set the electric smoker to 225 followed the 3-2-1 procedure
3 hours at 225
2 hours in some brown sugar and apple juice
1 hour opened

the ribs on the skinniest part was were tender Fall off the bone, the thickest part was little hard..

I’m using a Dyna-Glo DGU505BAE-D 30" Analog Electric Smoker

i didn’t check internal temp as a lot of people say it’s hard to get a good reading due to the bone to meat ratio
 

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I've been staying away from BB lately, as they've been coming thru with a big chunk of loin meat on top. That may have something to do with your issues. It also sounds like you went with time verses temp and tender based cooking. If going by temp 195* is a good temp for ribs. I use the bend test to tell me when the ribs are done. Pick up your ribs about a third of the way down. They should freely fall to at least a 45 degree plus angle. The greater the angle the closer to FOTB you'll have. Remember time is just there to give you an idea on when meat is close to being done.

Chris
 
I can’t do the bend test since my smoker is not wide enough to fit a complete slab in it.. so cut the slab in half.. I might do another slab this weekend and try the 2-2-1 method and probe it to 195 internal?

i see a lot of people talk about Jeff rib rub recipe and his sauce any feedback on this? Or should i just stick to SPOG
 
No matter what kind of ribs i'm doing, I find that 3-2-1 is just a little too long. As mentioned before, I stick with 2-2-1 and I finish them on the BBQ to set up the sauce.

Jeff's rub is really good, i would recommend giving it a try.
 
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really can't add anything but keep on trying, the others got you covered. but I always do the st' louis ribs they are a little more forgiving .
 
I have done several batches of BB ribs with no wrap (linked the process) and they were good. mostly going with the bend test, but a temp and probe test would be comparable. I made some while and some cut in half. I bent the the halves just the same. they were FOTB on the reheat, but ate real well day of. meat was juice and tender and came right off the bones.

Spares are more forgiving. But I am moving on from my days of wrapping. seems like a hassle that is not required unless time is an issue.

I did spare only on 3-2-1 for years. they are WAY more forgiving, but I have not had issue with BB ever. So I cant speak to what I did different - besides using less foil (none)

good luck! You will succeed!
 
Cooked too long. If I cut them in half, I would probably do 1.5, 1.5, 1, but watch them really close along the way and adjust as necessary.
 
I do 2-2-1 on mine. I am with gmc2003 gmc2003 though. Lately the babybacks I have made tend to dry out easily. I prefer doing spares these days.
 
I’m using this temp probe i feel like it may not be reading my internal and smoker temperature right..
Veken Meat Thermometer for Grilling, Wireless BBQ 2 Probe Touch Screen Digital Instant Read Smoker Grill Thermometer with Large LCD, 328feet Cooking Thermometer for Oven & Roasting, Orange
 
A toothpick that goes in and out with little resistance is also an indicator of doneness. Knowing the actual internal temp of your smoker is important. BTW never trust a built in thermometer, use a known calibrated 3rd party therm probe. Not familiar with yours but you can verify its accuracy by testing it in ice water 32ºƒ and boiling water 212ºƒ. Also stopped wrapping years ago, way too much hassle.
 
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Sounds like you maybe under cooked the thicker half of rack. Toothpick test like mentioned above is pretty much money.
 
A toothpick that goes in and out with little resistance is also an indicator of doneness. Knowing the actual internal temp of your smoker is important. BTW never trust a built in thermometer, use a known calibrated 3rd party therm probe. Not familiar with yours but you can verify its accuracy by testing it in ice water 32ºƒ and boiling water 212ºƒ. Also stopped wrapping years ago, way too much hassle.

Ok I’ll do the test tomorrow, so you gave up wrapping , so what method do you follow 2-2-1 is wrapping so you just do 4-1? What’s your technique ? Besides the toothpick what internal temp should i be looking for i know a lot of people say the range is all over the place.. 165-190 i have been reading
 
IT for a nice bite thru rib is 195, if you want FOTB ribs let them go to 200-205.
You need a good thin needle probe to get an accurate reading.
Here is the one I use .
Hope this helps!
Al
 
I’m using this temp probe i feel like it may not be reading my internal and smoker temperature right..
Veken Meat Thermometer for Grilling, Wireless BBQ 2 Probe Touch Screen Digital Instant Read Smoker Grill Thermometer with Large LCD, 328feet Cooking Thermometer for Oven & Roasting, Orange

Not familiar with that brand but if you are looking for something new and accurate try out Inkbirdbbq Inkbirdbbq thermometers. They are a sponsor on here and run some great deals and promotions for members. This one is affordable and on sale at the moment. I have one coming next week!

 
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Ok I’ll do the test tomorrow, so you gave up wrapping , so what method do you follow 2-2-1 is wrapping so you just do 4-1? What’s your technique ? Besides the toothpick what internal temp should i be looking for i know a lot of people say the range is all over the place.. 165-190 i have been reading
See my sig below for how I do naked ribs. Al's comment right above is spot on if you are looking for a temp doneness guideline.
 
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Not familiar with that brand but if you are looking for something new and accurate try out Inkbirdbbq Inkbirdbbq thermometers. They are a sponsor on here and run some great deals and promotions for members. This one is affordable and on sale at the moment. I have one coming next week!

Thank you! Inkbird won't let you down.
 
I can’t do the bend test since my smoker is not wide enough to fit a complete slab in it.. so cut the slab in half.. I might do another slab this weekend and try the 2-2-1 method and probe it to 195 internal?

i see a lot of people talk about Jeff rib rub recipe and his sauce any feedback on this? Or should i just stick to SPOG
Order ya some Killer Hogs THE BBQ RUB from Malcolm Reed. It is my favorite of all the rubs that I have used through the years. He has several products on his site. Google it. He has lots of good videos on YouTube. I guess my favorite YouTubers are T Roy Cooks and Malcolm Reed. They have a ton of real world smoking videos. Also a ton of knowledge on SMF.
 
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