Rib fail, Suggestions please.

[sjturbo]

Second rib failure. Used a combo of kingsford brics and mesquite chunk. Trouble keeping heat under control at times. Generally was able to keep between 225 and 235.Total time approx. 4hrs in smoker. Used water pan. Sometimes dropped to 219 for very short periods. Great tasting bark, somewhat the texture of shoe leather (bit to chewy), fat did not render out very well. Suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[a075923]

Generally if a fire is dying it isn't getting enough air.

 

[chipmanbbq]

Sounds like they weren't cooked long enough or hot enough if the fat didn't render.

 

[donegotfat]

Definitely sounds like they did not cook long enough.

I usually follow the 3-2-1 (spares) or the 2-2-1 (baby back) methods and it turns out well.

The end point can be found by temp, or the bend test. When you lift them with tongs from the 1/4 part, they should bend well, and the bark should crack like a seam opening in them. They should be probe/toothpick tender so that when you poke them the probe or toothpick go through with little to no resistance.

Final IT of 195-205 depending on how Fall off the bone you want them.

Your lower temps will cook them fine, but they will need longer to cook.

For me at those temps you mentioned it takes between 5-6+ hours depending on the ribs.

The longer cook time will of course render the fat better and give you them texture and tenderness your looking for.

 

[sjturbo]

Thanks! So maybe the temp should be higher say between 225-240? and maybe 4-5 hours? But what about the shoe leather bark. Was that not cooked long enough?

 

[SmokinAl]

Like said above the ribs were under done.

If you don't like the bark, then foil the ribs when the bark is to your liking.

Al

 

[wild west]

The bark only adds a crunch on the outside. Being undercooked is what makes them tough and chewy

 

[seenred]

 
Thanks! So maybe the temp should be higher say between 225-240? and maybe 4-5 hours? But what about the shoe leather bark. Was that not cooked long enough?

General rule is, the longer they cook - within reason - at low and slow temps, the more tender they'll get.  

In my experience even at 240 a rack of spare ribs can take around 6 hours to reach my desired tenderness.  Just have to remember that time targets are nothing more than rough estimates...every rack of ribs will have mind of it's own.  Some could get done in 4 hours...some might take 6 hours or more.  You'll read lots of folks here say "they're done when they're done".  

My advice is use the time estimate as only a guide.  When they get close to your time target, go by feel and looks to tell you when they are done to your desired tenderness.  As already mentioned above, you can probe or bend the ribs to get a good feel for how tender they are.

As Al suggested, if the bark is harder or tougher than you like, you can wrap them in foil for part of the cook, with a little splash or spritz of your favorite liquid in the foil (I like to use apple juice when I foil pork ribs).  This will help make them more tender, will speed up the cook, and will stop bark formation.

Hope that helps...

Red

 

[dirtsailor2003]

How about some more information. What type of smoker are you using? Were these baby backs, spare ribs, St Louis Cut, country style? I assume since you posted in pork forum they are not beef. Each of these cuts require different cook times.

Depending on the type of rib your 4 hours time frame is low for the temps that your smoker was running, Once again need more information to give you a better answer.

How are you measuring pit temp? Stock therms on smokers are almost always not accurate. Often low or high by 20°-30°.

 

[tropics]

 
How about some more information. What type of smoker are you using? Were these baby backs, spare ribs, St Louis Cut, country style? I assume since you posted in pork forum they are not beef. Each of these cuts require different cook times.

Depending on the type of rib your 4 hours time frame is low for the temps that your smoker was running, Once again need more information to give you a better answer.

How are you measuring pit temp? Stock therms on smokers are almost always not accurate. Often low or high by 20°-30°.

 

[sjturbo]

More data: St. Louis style rack. CSM is a Chinese SJ Longhorn combo with some mods. Monitored grate temp with Mavrick 732. Never monitored or checked meat temp. Interestingly enough the stock thermom was very close.

 

[wild west]

It's good you are tracking your pit Temps with an accurate therm at grate level. It would be impossible to track meat Temps with pork ribs anyway. If your cook Temps are accurate with pork ribs the meat is more by feel for doneness. The 3 2 1 Method for spares is a safe rule of thumb if you like to wrap. If you don't wrap you can go more by the bend test and poke with a tooth pick for doneness (I would still poke with the 3 2 1 method). Once you get the feel for how you like them (a little chew or fall off the bone)when they are done you will be able to reproduce the results consistently. The toothpick should go in between the bones with very little or no resistense

 

[sjturbo]

Update. My oven has been on the fritz so I worked on it and to test it I wrapped "rib failure" in foil, fired it to 350 for an hour. Put about a 1/2 cup of water in it too. That made all the difference. So here is my dilemma. I really was hoping to do them without wrapping. Can it be done? Will I need to go through the basting routine? Any suggestions how to accomplish? Thanks!
 

 

[JckDanls 07]

I used to wrap as well... but I have since been going nekkid (no wrap) ... Contrary to belief... you can take the IT of ribs... I use my Thermapen instant read thermometer to check temps ... It has a very small point that will read temps of meat in between bones... I take IT's up to 195` and they are perfect... A clean bite with meat pulling from the bone clean... but as others said.. If you can't take temps accurately .. do the bend test... grab ribs from the end (about 1/4 of the way in) with a pair of tongs... when it bends to a 90` angle... they are done...

 

[ghoster]

 
Thanks! So maybe the temp should be higher say between 225-240? and maybe 4-5 hours? But what about the shoe leather bark. Was that not cooked long enough?

So now you know that your failed attempt was because it was under cooked.  I don't know about the show leather bark?? Are you referring to the bark or the surface of the meat.  If the bark is not set it will not form a crust. Same goes if you wrap it - the bark will not harden. Only thing I could think of was maybe your smoker got very hot for a period and you burnt the bark, which was perhaps too high in sugar.

I cook my St Louis cuts at about 230 using the 3-2-1 method, so they cook for pretty much 6 hours.  I've tried leaving a rack in the smoker without wrapping, and tasted the two side by side.  Both were fine, but I found the wrapped racks were juicer and more tender. Personally I like mine glazed, so just wrap them now.  You can leave them without wrapping, but you will need to use the bend test to see how they are going.  you can also spritz them into the cook with apple juice or something similar.

lastly, i found early on that recording all the variables helped me make corrections and work out how to cook faster/slower, etc.  I recorded the external temp and other relevant items, and monitored and recorded the temp at the grate (and in the meat if I was doing anything other than pork ribs). I took these readings every 30 mins. this helped me to work out just how long it would take me to cook so I could predict the times. I also recorded the effects of higher temps which happened unintentionally, and was pleased to see I could ramp up the temp towards 275 when cooking to speed things up.

good luck. post the results of your next effort.