fine tuning smoked spare ribs in an electric smoker

[helenglo]

hi - i feel like i've read all the basic stuff but there are some finer points i seem to be missing in the quest to get the perfect DRY pork spare ribs w/ a good bark.  i've got the masterbuilt 30' with the window.

1. water bath - i've tried it w/ - ended up with steamed ribs. tried it w/o - ended up with jerky.  how much should you put in and should it be refilled during the process?

2. dripping in the electric smoker - when i put in several racks of ribs, the juice drips and messes up the dry rub.  

3. timing - i've read about 3-2-1, last time i tried it, my ribs were overcooked.  and again, i get nervous about soggy ribs when i wrap in foil.  i usu have to halve the entire rack to fit it on a shelf in the electric smoker.  and what's the max frequency that i should be popping the hatch to spray down w/mop?  seemed like every 1h was causing me to lose a lot of heat and smoke.

4. wood chips - i usu soak apple/hickory about 1-2h before, and jam the smoker full of chips, refilling every 1h.  its a lot of maintenance.  is there a better medium?

any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[pgsmoker64]

I'll try to help with your questions individually.

hi - i feel like i've read all the basic stuff but there are some finer points i seem to be missing in the quest to get the perfect DRY pork spare ribs w/ a good bark.  i've got the masterbuilt 30' with the window.

1. water bath - i've tried it w/ - ended up with steamed ribs. tried it w/o - ended up with jerky.  how much should you put in and should it be refilled during the process?  I don't use water - I put sand in my water bowl to act as a heat sink.  Never had anything dry come out of my smoker that wasn't my fault for overcooking. 

2. dripping in the electric smoker - when i put in several racks of ribs, the juice drips and messes up the dry rub.   You can't expect all the dry rub to stay on and a little dripping should hurt the flavor.  Try doing what I do...I put the dry rub on the night before and then wrap in plastic and foil and keep in the fridge overnight.  The next day the rub has formed a nice thick paste and has soaked in like a marinade.

3. timing - i've read about 3-2-1, last time i tried it, my ribs were overcooked.  and again, i get nervous about soggy ribs when i wrap in foil.  i usu have to halve the entire rack to fit it on a shelf in the electric smoker.  and what's the max frequency that i should be popping the hatch to spray down w/mop?  seemed like every 1h was causing me to lose a lot of heat and smoke.

If you used 3-2-1 with babyback ribs - you overcooked them!  With babybacks go with a 2-2-1 instead - mine come out perfect every time.  Make sure you smoke at a steady temperature - don't go over 240 with these and try to keep the temp about 225.

4. wood chips - i usu soak apple/hickory about 1-2h before, and jam the smoker full of chips, refilling every 1h.  its a lot of maintenance.  is there a better medium?  I don't soak my chips but it doesn't hurt.  Only use about 1/2 cup each load so that they have room to breathe!  Or....buy an A-MAZE-N Smoker from A-MAZE-N Products - owned by one of our members, Todd Johnson.  Here's a link to his website...http://www.amazenproducts.com/   This little thing works fantastically in an electric smoker.  I have the old unit that uses saw dust but he has pellet smokers and even a new tube style smoker now that are affordable and work great!

any advice would be much appreciated!

Good luck on your next rib attempt and let me know if I can be of assistance!

Also, please stop by the Roll Call forum and introduce yourself so that we can give you a proper welcome!!!

Bill

Bill

 

[geerock]

Not sure what temps you are using so that basic 3 2 1for spareribs is overcooking. Are you monitoring temps with another gauge besides the mb readout cause the masterbuilt is notorious for temps way off. During initial 3 forget the water and just spritz with a little juice a couple of times...and do it quick and close the door. Forget the mop. I had the 40 mes and used small chunks and didn't have to babysit the smoker. After you foil and go back to the last hour of open rack cooking sprinkle on another layer of dust or rub and be sure to leave that vent open. Watch the bones and the bend to tell if they're done.

 

[bear55]

:yeahthat:

 

[turnandburn]

What is 3-2-1?? Anyone care to elaborate for me.??

 

[davidhef88]

What is 3-2-1?? Anyone care to elaborate for me.??

Smoked for 3 hours, put in foil for two hours, last hour back out of foil.

 

[seenred]

What is 3-2-1?? Anyone care to elaborate for me.??

Check out the article from TulsaJeff, our webmaster, from over on his SmokingMeat website:

http://www.smoking-meat.com/december-2010-smoked-ham-and-321-smoked-ribs#321ribs

He explains it great.

 

[turnandburn]

Thanks yall.

 

[chef jimmyj]

hi - i feel like i've read all the basic stuff but there are some finer points i seem to be missing in the quest to get the perfect DRY pork spare ribs w/ a good bark.  i've got the masterbuilt 30' with the window. Watch any video on Memphis DRY Ribs and you will see they are prepared the same Dry or Wet. Heavily rubbed with seasoning Rub of choice and Smoked without foiling at any point. During the cook many spritz or mop, at the end the difference between the two occurs... Wet ribs get Sauced and Dry ribs have another sprinkling of Rub applied before going to the table. That is the only difference... Smoke your ribs with Rub and no foil then add more Rub before they go to the table...

1. water bath - i've tried it w/ - ended up with steamed ribs. tried it w/o - ended up with jerky.  how much should you put in and should it be refilled during the process? As others have pointed out, you can add Sand covered with foil. Use nothing in the pan or I took mine out and get much more consistent heat. If you got Rib Jerky the ribs were either in too long or the MES was too Hot. Set to maintain 225 to 250 MAX and you should get a good result. Remember to Always leave the Top Vent 100% Open. This lets moisture out and lets fresh smoke flavor the ribs...

2. dripping in the electric smoker - when i put in several racks of ribs, the juice drips and messes up the dry rub. This is unavoidable...Meat contains Fat and Water that will render and drip away. This is a benefit because top ribs Bastes the lower ones making them more tender. Again classic Dry Ribs is about adding Rub at the end.

3. timing - i've read about 3-2-1, last time i tried it, my ribs were overcooked.  and again, i get nervous about soggy ribs when i wrap in foil.  i usu have to halve the entire rack to fit it on a shelf in the electric smoker.  and what's the max frequency that i should be popping the hatch to spray down w/mop?  seemed like every 1h was causing me to lose a lot of heat and smoke. There is no Rule that says Ribs have to follow 3-2-1 with Foiling or any formula. Preheat the MES to 225-250*F, load it up and Smoke them until tender. This will take 6-7 hours without the foil because there is no steaming to hurry the tenderizing along. It is not necessary but if you choose, you can Spritz or Mop once an hour for the first 3 hours but then Stop to let the ribs Dry and Develop a good Bark. Also the more Sugar in the Rub the heavier the Bark will be...

4. wood chips - i usu soak apple/hickory about 1-2h before, and jam the smoker full of chips, refilling every 1h.  its a lot of maintenance.  is there a better medium? If you are Soaking Chips you are adding a TON of Steam on top of the Steam from the Water Pan, no wonder you are getting steamed ribs. Use Dry Chips at a rate of 1/4 to 1/2 cup every thirty minutes. Loading it up, as full as possible, will either result in heavy white smoke, which makes meat bitter, or Puffing, a build up of gasses periodically exploding and/or a Fire in the chip pan...

The BEST alternative is the AMNPS Pellet Smoke Generator. It was designed for the MES and has been proven by many here to be the best option for perfect Thin Blue Smoke (TBS) for up to 10 hours. The AMNPS has 3 rows with each full row lasting 3 to 3 1/2 hours each.  It generates smoke with the MES off for Cold Smoking Cheese and Bacon or at any temp the the MES can heat to...

any advice would be much appreciated! This should help you but keep accurate notes of Temp fluctuation and the amount of Time it takes to get to the desired tenderness. This will not only help you be consistent but if you are still not happy it will give us more info to diagnose where there may be a problem. Take pictures too, that helps and when you score the Perfect Ribs you can Show Off your success! Good Luck...JJ

 

[jarjarchef]

We have the same MES you describe at work. We use it to play with and too do small Chef Table type events...... You have been given great advice and way to solve it. I will cliff note a few things I do with ours.....

Things to keep in mind:

Never trust the stock thermometer. We use a secondary one for accuracy. No way to adjust theirs, just have to adjust by the settings.... ours is off by 20 degrees.....we set it for 260 to get 240....

Don't soak the wood. As stated it adds more moisture to the cook chamber....

No water in the pan.....same as above....

Vent wide open to allow proper air flow and exchange of smoke...... if smoke does not move and stays too long it will get stale and bitter

Stop spritzing....... if your lookin you ain't cookin...... you will get fluctuations in cook chamber temps and will increase the cook time....

As stated if you want dry ribs do a re-seasoning at the end........you can also mark on the grill a bit and that will set what is there and give a different layer of flavor....

You can get a rib rack that tilts the ribs to fit more on one shelf........ but anything under the top one will get dripped onto....no way to avoid it with that smoker, unless you only do 1 shelf at a time....

 

[helenglo]

thanks to all of you for taking the time to dispense such wonderful advice.  time to get some sand.  

in your experience, do you tend to put the thinner racks up top further from the heat, or stick it in the middle/bottom so that you get some drip from the upper pieces?

any "choice" thermometers that you'd recommend?

 

[seenred]

thanks to all of you for taking the time to dispense such wonderful advice.  time to get some sand.  

in your experience, do you tend to put the thinner racks up top further from the heat, or stick it in the middle/bottom so that you get some drip from the upper pieces?

I'm sure there are differing ideas on that, but yes, I usually put the smallest rack on the top grate so it is farthest from the heat source.

any "choice" thermometers that you'd recommend?

Lots of folks here use remote digital, dual probe thermometers.  A very popular one (and the I use) is from Maverick.  Mine is the older Maverick ET-73, but Todd over at A-Maze-N Products sells a newer and probably better one, the ET-732, for a real good price.  You oughta go check them out.

 

[chef jimmyj]

I'm with Red on this one...MAV 732 is real nice...JJ

 

[pgsmoker64]

I'm with Red on this one...MAV 732 is real nice...JJ

Yep X 3.  Great device!

Bill

 

[cowtipper219]

I've done about 6 racks in the past couple weeks I set at 225 and add hot water to pan about 2 to 3 cups add about a 1/2 cup of dry chips before I add the ribs and when I put them in I add them the same way again and once more about a half hour after and then just cook till I reach about 185 internal temp or till I can take a tooth pick and feel how tender they are and then turn it off when I get them about there and add sauce and let rest for a bit to firm them up. Always turn out moist and tender. Always cook to temp there is no certain time. Every cut of meat is different.

 

[cowtipper219]

Only reason to foil is to keep moist and keep from getting to dark. And if your smoking with a charcoal or wood fired smoker it's to keep from over smoking.

 

[cowtipper219]

Only reason to foil is to keep moist and keep from getting to dark. And if your smoking with a charcoal or wood fired smoker it's to keep from over smoking.