Rib problem- Tough exterior

[walking dude]

oh my god............just a SIN..........SIN i tell ya...........SIN..........d88de just shakes his head

 

[placebo]

Thats just plain sacrilege there Bubba.

 

[fatback joe]

You finish them in the oven right?

 

[jbchoice1]

fresh is always best, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the cryovac version. add butter and apple juice to the foil and put it back on. it will essentially steam it. I also have a steamer (it's suppose to be a bun steamer, and it is) but I use it for all sorts of stuff. you can re add moisture that a way too. my .02

 

[bbq bubba]

Of course not you silly goose........Microwave!!

 

[jbchoice1]

Originally Posted by bbq bubba
If all else fails, try this method........


By imn88fan

wtf??? no, don't do that. that belongs in the boiling meat forums.

 

[walking dude]

no.........the foodnetwork forum............BWHAHAHAHA

 

[seboke]

Gasp! Gag! Spit! Sputter! Spill my drink! Knock over the ashtray! That's what I do to corn on the cob!

 

[walking dude]

gag spit sputter........you do that to you CORN ON THE COB......you should be shot for even doing THAT...........you SMOKE your coc...........

 

[kramer]

You might have something with too much sugar because I have been using a recipe from Dr BBQ which does use alot of sugar. Then when you are ready to foil you pour your apple juice in but then put honey and brown sugar on both side of the ribs....

 

[seboke]

You got me there, couldn't think of another vegetable quickly. BUT, if I have the little ears already shucked, they get the hot water. If I can get fresh in the husk, they get a good soak, then foiled, then direct on coals. Never thought about smokin ears, sounds great, might just hafta five it a shot this weekend... Tips?

 

[1894]

So that now this thread has gotten back on track , Help me out as well , too much sugar makes a tough exterior ? Too much carmelization ? Is this a general rule for most meats ?

 

[ron50]

Sounds like the toughness is jsut the bark on the ribs from the normal caramelization of the sugar in the rub. if you foil them you will have a tender exterior, or drop the sugar way down. Try turbinado sugar instead of brown or white, it tends to caramelize less.

Personally, I love the bark and the chewy texture it gives to the exterior.

And don't get to overanalyzing, spritz 30 or 60 minutes won't make much difference. You are not actually adding moisture. the meat isn't going to absorb it, it just prevents moisture loss and adds a nice flavor.

 

[kramer]

I already do foil and get the tough exterior...

 

[placebo]

Do you use brown sugar or turbinado sugar? As Ron suggested I use turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar. Worth a try anyways.

 

[kramer]

I use honey and brown sugar only during the foiling stage. I use turbinado in the dry rub. I use one of Dr BBQ 's recipes.

 

[placebo]

For what the rub? I would suggest omitting the honey and brown sugar before foinling and stick with a good dousing of apple juice. If your not using Jeff's rub maybe give that a try. Lots of folks here love it including myself. Havn't had a bad rib smoke yet and that is the only rub I have used for ribs.

 

[user24]

What if everything is done by the book, yet the result is still a tough exterior much like beef jerky? Perhaps that is simply called proper barbecue. I believe when barbecue affictionados talk about "tender" they strictly refer to the inner portion of the meat. No smoking method in the world can actually produce a tender exterior, like what you can get with braising in a slow cooker, alder foil pouch, or oven.

I've smoked chicken, salmon, and beef ribs to doneness using 210 degrees gas smoker. Without exception, every piece of meat developed a tough exterior that was impossible to chew. Unfortunately all the smoke flavor was contained in that tough exterior and had to be discarded. Smoke penetration into the edible portions of meat was zero to none; smoke flavor was zero to none. No it was not due to "sugar"--I did not use any.

When bbq masters talk about smoking ribs completely dry for 24 hours, they are somewhat deceiving because although it can be done, only the most gullible would believe that it would actually result in anything digestible by normal human teeth. There is an amount of deliberate misinformation put out; this is to guard their "secrets" and keep competition at bay.

With that said, affictionados actually like to eat tough pieces of meat. They call them "burnt ends". And they despise genuinely tender ribs cooked with, for example, a slow cooker. What I call tender, they call "mushy".

They like to see grill marks on steak, while I don't believe in letting the juices drip down through a grill but prefer a skillet. These are polar opposite mentalities.

In smoking, foil wrapping methods and procedures are merely varying levels of compromise between smoke flavor, tenderness, and outer drying. There will always be a tough exterior, just how tough is the question.

I've finally grasped the concept that smoking produces tough meat on the outside, and that is how these people like their meat. I cannot understand how they can accept such a tough exterior, which is why I originally thought it to be a "problem" when it is actually normal.

 

[bbq bubba]

Not sure of your experience, sounds like very little cooking on an actual smoker but stick around and well show you how to make proper "tender" BBQ....

 

[smokebuzz]

I think if you aplly rub(with suger) too early, you get more of a hard bark, rub dissolves and pentrates meat , and makes a thicker barq, some see this as desireable.