how to: ribs without the 3-2-1?

[ellymae]

No foiling here... just cook till the meat pulls back from the bone...

 

[818smoker]

Seems like everyone does rib with there own little variations.  Mine is no foil, for most of my rib smokes.  I remove that membrane thing, and rub the night before.  Smoke at 225, and mop every hour till the meat pulls back from the bone, and it passes the bend test.  Every once in a while if the ladies aren't eating and no one else is watching their figure, I pull them off about 30 minutes early, wrap them in foil with a stick of butter, and set them back on the smoker for 30 minutes to finish off.  I serve them dry, If some one wants sauce they can have, but personally I think sauce takes away from the smoky goodness.

Grant

 

[pigcicles]

I'm not sure if you've tried it yet or not ... If you want to go without the foil to see how things come out GO for it. Use the bend test mentioned above and maintain your temps at your favorite temp. Don't make it rocket science - just do it. If you like to spritz then do it - but most important let them go til they're done ... aka watch the bend and the fibers in the meat.

Enjoy the results

 

[tasunkawitko]

everyone has a method that works for them - the trick is finding the method that works for you (and your familia!).

i give mine a light brushing of yellow mustard, then a good coating of rub. the mustard will NOT be tasted in the final product, but it will halp with a great bark. i put these, covered, in the fridge overnight and then smoke the next day in my SnP, heated to an average of 240 degrees, which means that i don't get concerned if it is as low as 225, or as high as 260, but it usually runs a very steady 242. i keep the smoker closed at least for the first 90 minutes, only adding fuel or wood for smoke as necessary. this allows the rub to set. after 90 minutes, i spritz/mop once an hour or so (shenever i am adding fuel or smoking wood) with a well-balanced mop containing a little oil. i never use foil on my ribs at any time.

the higher temps and oil-based mop keep the ribs from drying out, yet give time for the fat to render out and the bark to crisp up. they also promote the maillard reaction, which results in wonderful, savory flavour. ribs cooked this way do not need sauce, but i've found that people expect it, so at the least, i make it available.

hope this gives an idea or two to incorporate into the method you develop! good luck!

 

[jc1947]

Chef JJ,

 they did a blind BBQ sauce survey down here and had 6 different sauces. 3 store bought and 3 resturaunt entries.

 Plain kraft .99 a bottle won it by a wide margin.

That is something I would have never guessed......

 

 

[railrunner130]

Here are a few pointers from my experiences this summer with babyback ribs.

What I've done is to cut my ribs in twos. It was a result of two things- 1. I served them at a party and people cut them down that way. It sorta pissed me off until I realized the advantages. More on that. 2. I had ribs that didn't thaw as quickly as I needed them to, so I figured it would aid thawing.

The advantages of cutting them down are: The rub covers more surface area and gets deeper into the meat. As noted before, they thaw quicker. They also cook quicker. The smoke also penetrates more of the meat. They are also easier to handle, both for the cook and consumer.

I've mainly been using a brown sugar based rub, with somewhat random combinations of spices. While I haven't had any come out bad, I need to work on a more consistant recipe. My wash is pretty much the same way, using apple juice, cider vinegar and whatever else suits my fancy.

I've gotten to a point where I cook the ribs for two hours, then remove them, hit them with a coat of wash and swap the meat onto the opposite shelf in the smoker for more even cooking. (My Weber has two shelves.) From that point, I do the same thing the next hour and evaluate an hour after that. If they look done or nearly done, I'll put a coat of bbq sauce on them to seal the juices in. After 30 minutes, I'll remove them. I try to leave a few hours between the expected completion and serving, just in case. They'll go into the warming oven at 170'F, covered with foil, until ready to eat.

 

[fester]

Personally I don't like "fall off the bone" ribs. I like seeing the meat come off the bone easily when bitten into and the bones are clean after. Not slide off onto my plate. I put a good coating of my rub on the night before. I always use a rib rack when smoking in my smoke vault at 225 with a water pan but I foil the rack above the pan so the steam doesn't directly hit the ribs. I also usually spray the the ribs with apple juice about every hour till done. Oh BBQ sauce is served on the side If my guest want some.