Mushy Baby Backs

[whisky]

Hello all, Happy Memorial Day to you all.
My problem is with my baby back ribs either being greasy or mushy.
Every other time I do them the meat tears and falls off the bone when I try to cut them.
I've tried to really watch the times/temps but the meat is greasy if you don't cook them long enough. Happens either on the grill at 250 for 4 hours or on my MES (2/2/1 @ 225 temp)
I use the same Smithfield baby backs from Sam's.
They always taste good but are more appetizing to me when you can cut an individual rib
off clean.

Thanks in advance,
Marc

 

[daveomak]

Did you marinate them in some sort of acid ?? Cola, BBQ sauce, type thing..

 

[chilerelleno]

Are you overcooking? Number one cause of fall off the bone ribs.
Are you crutching/wrapping? Braising and often overcooking can lead to mushy, fall off the bone ribs.

Straight smoking/grilling with no crutch/wrap will let them render out and stay firmer, if not over cooked.

As Dave mentions about marinating or glazing.
Colas, juices, sauces, tenderizers and more.
Marinating can be too much too long.
Glazing can be done too early or too much.

I cook pretty much St. Louis only.
Dry rub, no sauce and no crutch at 225°-240° takes an average of 6 hours.
Yields a light tug to take meat off the bone.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Have you tried using a different brand/processor?

 

[whisky]

No marinating, rub them down and put in fridge for next day cook. 2 hrs smoke, 2 hrs crutched(wrap in foil) @225. When I do them on the grill it's about 250 for 4 hrs. Some of them are OK but a lot of them are too "fall off the boney"...lol

 

[chilerelleno]

You're over braising and/or overcooking.
Try a 2/1.5/1 or 2/1/1
That or just straight smoke no crutch.

 

[elninohese]

try 3 hours at 280.....nakked...dry rub---come out perfectly..

 

[noboundaries]

Check the label on the ribs. I believe Smithfield ribs are injected with a salt and phosphate solution which denatures the proteins. When you rub the night before, which probably contains salt, you're basically breaking down the proteins further. Result? Mushy ribs.

Try rubbing just before the smoker. I use Hormel ribs which are pre-injected. No overnight rubs on anything I smoke from them.

 

[jokensmoken]

Over cooked...try less wrap time and finish to temp...195° tends to be just about perfect for me.
Search "perfect ribs, this really works" on this site...
It a step by step for really good ribs.

 

[whisky]

Thanks everyone.
noboundaries, what are the Hormel injected with?

 

[chopsaw]

Check the label on the ribs. I believe Smithfield ribs are injected with a salt and phosphate solution which denatures the proteins

Beat me to it . Yes they are . I think this is some , if not most of your trouble .

 

[pineywoods]

As a couple others have said overcooked less time in the foil will help as Chile said try 2-1.5-1 or 2-1.5-.45

 

[noboundaries]

Thanks everyone.
noboundaries, what are the Hormel injected with?

I don't have any in the freezer, but you'll see a note on the label "Contains a 12% (10%, whatever) of (then it lists the salt and phosphate).

I have a Hormel pork butt in the freezer and the rib label is similar to the pic below.

 

[Jonok]

Spares will make your life easier, unless FOTB is your thing. I really can’t think of a rack of BBR (out of hundreds) that I cooked and was really proud of.