First Smoke Saturday; Baby Back Ribs! Any suggestions?

[cookie1985]

I am doing my first smoke tomorrow in a MES 30' - it is suppose to rain a little mid afternoon. I got a tailgate tent that has 3 sides so i can block out the wind if I need. I am going to get 3 slab of baby backs today, and after removing the membrane i'm going to leave them over night in the fridge smothered in my dry rub (I am going with Smoking Als dry rub recipe....I have read many reviews and it sounds great figured would be a good idea to use it for my first smoke).

I am not really sure when and how often or long to put the wood chips in the smoker. I have some Cherry and Apple wood I am going to use. Can anyone advise some further info on when and how often to do this?

I am going to go with the 3-2-1 method instead of the 2-2-1 simply due to the fact that we love them fall off the bone, and we like most our meat well done, we don't mind it a little dry.

Please comment below with any suggestions or opinions....I will work to post pictures throughout the process tomorrow.

 

[jimmyinsd]

what temp you doing that 321 at? its been my finding that 321 really is to long. i am usually about 2.5, 1.25, and .5 but I run ribs around 270 or so. the 321 is really a suggestion IMO, the ribs will tell you when to foil and depending on what you put in the foil for liquid it really can speed up the process with the braising at higher temps.

be careful when you take them out of the foil.... if you go to long they will just fall apart trying to get them out. I will sometimes open one end of the foil, dump off the liquid and the slide the ribs onto the grate for glazing.

 

[troutman]

I suggest 3-2-1 at no more than 225 for the 3-2. The last or (or part thereof) should just be for glazing your ribs at fairly high temp. I usually finish on my gasser fairly hot for say 15-20 mins. But that's me.

 

[SmokinAl]

Good luck!

Sounds like you have a solid plan.

If you have a good therm, with a thin probe needle, FOTB ribs are 200-205 IT, just like PP.

Al

 

[johnmeyer]

There is a really, really good thread about this, with some fairly recent posts, where the 3-2-1 method is modified based on taking temperatures before each transition (in and out of foiling). You use a Thermapen or other instant-read thermometer. I'd provide the link but the search appears to be completely broken at the moment.

Oh wait, I can still use Google and restrict the search to this site. Here is the thread you should read:

PERFECT RIBS EVERY TIME! This really works!

 

[greatfx1959]

I am doing my first smoke tomorrow in a MES 30' - it is suppose to rain a little mid afternoon. I got a tailgate tent that has 3 sides so i can block out the wind if I need. I am going to get 3 slab of baby backs today, and after removing the membrane i'm going to leave them over night in the fridge smothered in my dry rub (I am going with Smoking Als dry rub recipe....I have read many reviews and it sounds great figured would be a good idea to use it for my first smoke).

I am not really sure when and how often or long to put the wood chips in the smoker. I have some Cherry and Apple wood I am going to use. Can anyone advise some further info on when and how often to do this?

I am going to go with the 3-2-1 method instead of the 2-2-1 simply due to the fact that we love them fall off the bone, and we like most our meat well done, we don't mind it a little dry.

Please comment below with any suggestions or opinions....I will work to post pictures throughout the process tomorrow.

I do mine 5 hours @225 ish, (there is no constant temp with a masterbuilt lol) with no foiling as i have read on here, perfect ribs every time, not fall off the bone, but jumpin jehosaphat they are delicious every single time. But that is what makes this place so great, to each his own and we all share...........roll tide........t

 

[cookie1985]

I was going to do them around 230-250 degrees. What temp do you recommend finishing with them for the last hour to create that bark/glaze?

I have a probe that i can leave in the Ribs and monitor from the wireless control. What temperature do you suggest to them to be at during each stage?

Thanks all for the feedback.

Any info on the wood?

 

[greatfx1959]

I was going to do them around 230-250 degrees. What temp do you recommend finishing with them for the last hour to create that bark/glaze?

I have a probe that i can leave in the Ribs and monitor from the wireless control. What temperature do you suggest to them to be at during each stage?

Thanks all for the feedback.

Any info on the wood?

leave em at the temp you started with, use the KISS method..........keep it simple, explore and you will find the sweet spot for YOU!.....................t

 

[phatbac]

I agree with greatfx keep the temp low on the sauce step. depending on what kind of sauce you can burn the sauce really easily. i like a nice dark red color on my ribs not a blackened color. so avoid sauce with honey or go low temps and it will set up- at like 215-220 in about 30 minutes.

td9.jpg

• phatbac
• Aug 4, 2017

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[johnmeyer]

Read the first post in that link I provided. He was very specific about temps during the entire process, including the finishing IT.

 

[myownidaho]

I was going to do them around 230-250 degrees. What temp do you recommend finishing with them for the last hour to create that bark/glaze?

I have a probe that i can leave in the Ribs and monitor from the wireless control. What temperature do you suggest to them to be at during each stage?

Thanks all for the feedback.

Any info on the wood?

If you're using a probe, you can skip the wrap. I keep it simple and keep the same temp throughout. Follow Al's temp guide and you'll achieve your goal and they shouldn't be dry.

I vary on what smoke I'm currently hooked on. At the moment, cherry and pecan is a favorite mix but hickory and apple are superb for pork as well.

 

[lovethemeats]

After reading all the replys. All I could add is that I use them aluminum pans and throw the ribs into it. Thicker than aluminum foil and you don't have to worry about something poking through. I pick the containers up at any decent dollar store. You'll spend 10 times less buying from there instead of a regular store. Plus you can add more liquid if need be for the brazing part. Best part is you can clean them out and reuse it for the next time. You just wasting foil for the lid.

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!

Just a heads up the MES probes are NOTORIOUS for being off... both the meat and the smoker temp probe.
I would suggest you get a 2 probe thermometer like the Thermopro TP20 or the Maverick 735.

This is just a part of owning an MES and you would probably want a dual probe thermometer anyhow even if you were using a different smoker, those things are ALWAYS handy to have.

There is a thread by member SmokinAl where he cooks his ribs by Internal Temperature (IT) and for fall off the bone IT shoot for 203-205F. This way you can be more precise with less messing around with the meat and smoker. Also it allows you to crank up the heat and smoke at like 275F if you like and finish those ribs in like 4 hours'ish :)

Finally, cooking at a higher temp would ensure your chips do not have a "not smoking" problem. I have not ever cooked anything with my MES chip loader but I would imagine you would add wood chips every 30 minutes and apply smoke as long as the ribs are not foiled. If using cherry or apple or both I would apply smoke anytime the ribs are not wrapped or the entire cook if you decide to cook high temp and not foil. At 275F ribs can cook in 3.5-4 hours'ish so I apply double smoke with my Maple, Cherry, Hickory blend of pellets and my A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) so I can do a double up on the smoke. You won't have that capability so I recommend you apply smoke as long as the ribs are not wrapped :)

I hope this info helps :)