Foiling Questions

[pokey]

I'm sure these kinds of things have been addressed, but I didn't find the answers, so I thought, why not just ask. Please forgive a newbie!

Anyway, I recently tried foiling for the first time on some ribs. I followed 3-2-1 timing at 250. I foiled by placing the ribs in an aluminum disposable pan with a half cup of apple juice and used the lid that came with the pan. When I went to take the ribs out for the last hour of cooking, I found them hard to handle with tongs - bones would just fall out! I worked my way around that, but I think they were just a little to tender. I'd like to still have a little "tooth" in 'em. Might this have just been a matter of the spcific meat involved, or should I expect this to be the result of this timing in general? I guess trying different timings is just part of the fun of this sport.

I'm thinking of doing my first chucky this weekend. I'm assuming with this cut, it's easy for it to come out too dry, so foiling really is the way to go. I'll have a thermometer probe in the meat and when the temp hits 165 or so, I was thinking of using a pan again so I can retain the juices. I was wondering about the probe, though. when you foil, you still have the probe in the meat, right? You just crimp the foil around the wire to keep as good a seal as possible?

Not a foiling questions, but although I have the equipment to do so, I've stayed away from injecting so far. My thinking is that I should get some experience with different cuts and techniques (foiling, etc.) before I try injecting stuff. That way I'll have an idea of what results to attribute to the injection.

Or am I over-thinking?

 

[jirodriguez]

For the ribs: cook at a lower temp., 220-230, and cut the foil time down by half an hour to an hour. You really just have to play with the foil time till you get the texture you like. Or don't foil at all and keep the temps between 200 and 225 if possible.

For chuckies a pan works great! I like to put half a beer in each pan when I foil it, or a some low sodium beef broth.

You can inject anytime you want really. It is just another way to get flavor into the meat, especially the larger cuts.

 

[mballi3011]

I personally don't like my ribs falling off the bone either. I like my ribs to have alittle pull to them and that's a little pull to get them off the bone. I have adjusted the foiled time in half and foil for only a hour but then I check them by bending them and see if the meat starts to pull away or does it bend. Then I put them back into the smoker for that last hour. Now as far as the probe in the foiled ribs I always just porkit thou the foil and let-um rip and smoke on.