Smoking Ribs

[Jasoncmor]

Hi all

I am new to smoking and have only smoked a couple of racks of ribs so far, first time was perfect, fall off the bone, and the 2nd was hard around the edges and not fall off the bone. I used the 3-2-1 method both times but struggled with keeping the temp stable enough so I'm putting it down to that.

My question though, is if I was to smoke 2 or 3 racks of ribs at the same time, would I still follow the 3-2-1 method?

Cheers

 

[jake0531]

I never cook ribs according to “3-2-1” or “2-2-1”. I cook ribs to color, and tenderness level. After about 3.5-5 hours I check every 20ish minutes and pull up in the center of the rack. If the ends stay on the grate, the meat is starting to pull apart on top, and you can almost pull it apart between the bones by hand, they are done. Any time I’ve done the “3-2-1” or “2-2-1”, I’ve either gotten mush, burnt, or something in the middle. I like my ribs to not be fall off the bone, but when I take a bite to come clean off then.

 

[gmc2003]

321 or 221 are just guidelines for smoking ribs at 225*. If your using a probe then your shooting for about 195*. If your going by eye then the bend test is the best way(IMHO) to check for doneness. For the bend test just pick up the ribs with your tongs about half way down. If they freely fall to at least a 45* angle then they are done - the greater the angle the more done they will be. For FOTB you'll have a hard time picking them up.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

Ribs are probably one of the most difficult things to get consistent results with.
There are many methods to choose from.
I go by finish temp, but you will need to find your own method.
This is one case where practice makes perfect!!
Al

 

[motolife313]

Try not doing anything and just let them go without touching them out adding anything to them besides oil and rub. The ribs that I usually do it works out good this way. I get young duroc ribs that are fatty. Sometimes leaner ribs I’ll put a touch of butter on 3-4 hours in if they aren’t rendering the fat like they should. But if your patient that’s right about the time it does start rendering sometimes

 

[KrisUpInSmoke]

I do baby backs 221 and spares 321. For the two hours in the middle I foil wrap with 1/2 stick butter (or margarine, squirt parkay), 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar (or honey) and 1/4 juice, like apple or pineapple (or beef broth) I don't measure though, so I'm estimating.

I tried wrapped and unwrapped and had my tasters vote, and they all picked wrapped. But results do depend on the piece of meat. Some have more meat or fat and just cook differently. I'm meaning to try smokinal's perfect ribs recipe, measuring temp with a probe to get a more consistent result. I make baby backs more often and they always seem to turn out well, but it'd be interesting to see what IT I'm getting on the ribs.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/perfect-ribs-every-time-this-really-works.240916/

 

[schlotz]

FOTB seems to be a favorite for many, but IMO it means they've been over cooked thus have lost some flavor. We prefer a clean bite through which preserves all the flavor yet still provides an easy feast. Regardless of preference, ribs can be done many ways and come out as desired. Personally I stopped wrapping ribs years ago, it's not necessary in order to get great results and besides, all that fussing takes away from good beer time! If interested, see the rib recipe in the sig below.

 

[Jasoncmor]

Cheers for your replies guys.
I guess it's going to be trial and error for now as I've only used the smoker twice so I'm still picking things up.

 

[Jasoncmor]

FOTB seems to be a favorite for many, but IMO it means they've been over cooked thus have lost some flavor. We prefer a clean bite through which preserves all the flavor yet still provides an easy feast. Regardless of preference, ribs can be done many ways and come out as desired. Personally I stopped wrapping ribs years ago, it's not necessary in order to get great results and besides, all that fussing takes away from good beer time! If interested, see the rib recipe in the sig below.

What sort of time do you cook them for, and what sort of temp do you aim for?
It just seems a lot of effort getting the ribs out and wrapping them when it could not be needed.

Cheers

 

[SmokinLogs]

Knowing what smoker you have would help to answer the question. I’ve never used an electric, but from a charcoal and wood perspective you would cook 3 racks the same as you would cook 1 at a time. But, what you might notice is as your smoker gets fuller, it may act differently. You may have to stoke the fire or setup your vents differently. So, the cooking process shouldn’t change but maintaining your smoker might. Hope this helps. Every smoke is different, but overcoming the obstacles is part of the enjoyment of smoking.

 

[schlotz]

What sort of time do you cook them for, and what sort of temp do you aim for?
It just seems a lot of effort getting the ribs out and wrapping them when it could not be needed.

Cheers

Timing is in the recipe. For being done I test with toothpick and bend, again see recipe in sig below.

 

[deuc224]

Same as above, usually 3 to 5 hours and toothpick that slides in and out like butter tells me when its done. I started with the 321 and 221 method but found this works better for me and the results are very consistent.