St Louis ribs...need help

[mkorish]

I tried doing st Louis ribs in the past and they came out dry and tough( did the 3-2-1 method). I'm looking to get tips on how to get fell of the bone st Louis ribs.
I had some from a bbq joint in Florida and they were amazing.

Thanks

 

[02ebz06]

What temp did you cook at ?

 

[JckDanls 07]

Yea... Need a little more info on your process... smoker ? therms/temps cooking at ?

 

[mkorish]

Sorry, cooked at 225 the whole time on a rt-590

 

[babydocsmoke]

You wrapped in foil after 3 hours I assume? If so did how did you wrap?

 

[mkorish]

3 hours straight on the grill, 2 hours wrapped, then unwrapped and back on grill for about 30 minutes.

 

[babydocsmoke]

3 hours straight on the grill, 2 hours wrapped, then unwrapped and back on grill for about 30 minutes.

Everyone is going to have a different take, but I'd do 2 hours at 275 with a smoker tube, then wrap for another two hours at 275. Put some butter and some honey in there when you wrap. Some will add a little apple cider vinegar as well. Open the wrap at about 1.5-2 hours and test. If you really want fall off the bone, you might to go a little longer in the wrap.

 

[cronocide]

3 hours straight on the grill, 2 hours wrapped, then unwrapped and back on grill for about 30 minutes.

I have found if you want to do St. louis cut ribs with a time method, 2-2-1 is the way to go. I have found that 3-2-1 works well for baby back ribs but overcooks St. louis cut. I actually just started cooking to temperature and getting away from a time based method and have had much better ribs as a result.

 

[schlotz]

If that's the method desired, and you want FOTB then I also agree with babydocsmoke to increase the wrap time on the 2-2-1. For clarification, did you remove the membrane? BTW: FOTB can be achieved via wrapping or without.

 

[mkorish]

I always remove the membrane.

 

[Smokin Okie]

I don't use time. I wrap them when they get the color that I want, which is usually 2.5 to 3.5 hours, but it depends upon the type of smoker. And then I check them every 30 minutes after they're wrapped, probing for tenderness. When I can put a probe in, and when I pull it back out and the meat doesn't grab the probe, then I pull them.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Somethings just not sounding right... for that length of time wrapped they should have just about been mush ... Was the fat rendered out (a lot of juice in the foil)?

 

[mkorish]

Not quite sure, been awhile since I've done them. Gonna give another run tomorrow..

 

[DougE]

Somethings just not sounding right... for that length of time wrapped they should have just about been mush ... Was the fat rendered out (a lot of juice in the foil)?

What Keith said. 3-2-1 should be so done that you can slide the bones out of the meat. Going unwrapped and going by temp will give you more "bite" without being mushy like wrapped usually turns out.

 

[babydocsmoke]

So to be specific, (cause sometimes I need that myself)

1 - Pull the membrane off and trim as needed. Add a binder if you want.
2 - Add your rub (I put it on thick for StLo style ribs) and let it sit for 30 min while you fire up the RT.
3 - Put them on the grill meat side up at 275F. Add a smoker tube with chips if you want some extra smoke. (I've heard most RT grills don't need the extra smoke...and I'm getting one for fathers day tomorrow so I hope that's true!)
4 - Wrap in double foil at 2 hour mark. Rub should be well adhered, fat pretty rendered and meat should be pulling down on the bone about 1/4 inch. Add your fave extras to the inside of the foil.
5 - Place back on the grill meat side down and let it cook in the juices for another two hours.
6 - Check meat for doneness. Should be pulled down off the bone 1/2 inch or more. Pull on a bone and see how tender it is. If needed wrap up a little longer.
7 - Some people will add extra time if you use a sauce that needs time to "tack up" or get firm. This is the last hour of the 3-2-1 time sequence....but really takes nowhere close to an hour. Maybe 10 minutes.

If you're gonna try again tomorrow we'd love to see pics!!

 

[Fueling Around]

Don't know what you're trying to duplicate.
My wife likes ribs simmered in a tomato sauce until fall off the bone tender.
225° even in a forced convection pellet pooper is going to take more time than the traditional 3-2-1 which is usually 250° based.
My thought is add more time and sauce to the wrap and keep the vinegar to a minimum. Once you boil in foil, it should be close to fotb tender. Once that tender it will not go back on the grill without losing meat unless on a grill mat.
my 2¢

 

[radioguy]

I used to foil all results were mush or under cooked. Now they are perfect every time. Remove membrane, rub, on hot 275F fire meat side down, flip @ 1. 5 hours. Try bend test at about 3.5 hours. Mine are done in 4-4 1/2 hours. Each rack will be different. This is the most important step, sauce and double wrap in foil, into cooler with towels for a minimum of 30 minutes, I usually rest 1 hour FOTB!

RG

 

[motolife313-2]

I put my meat on the smoker before starting my fire and try and not let the smoker get over 250 and usually never touch the ribs with anything. Just let them go. When they are close to done they start rendering the fat out and keep themselves moist with that natural fat. Stick a temp gauge in when I think they’re about done. Usually pull them at 195. I do this with all my meats. Sometimes I’ll put bacon on top of the meat tho if it does seem to not be going perfect on its own. I’m guessing you pulled youre ribs early and they didn’t get up to temp enough if they were tough

 

[TripleLindy]

I realize that this will fly in the face for the 3-2-1 crowd, but 6 hours for ribs is just too long for me. While I prefer more of a bite than fall-off-the-bone, you can achieve either in roughly 3 hours total cook time. Cook at 300° for 1.5 hours, wrap and cook for another 1.5 hours. You can control tenderness with a liquid in the wrap, which will braise the meat and give you the fall-off-the-bone texture that you’re looking for, without overcooking. That liquid can be anything you want - apple juice, beer, butter pads (which will melt), broth, etc. It doesn’t take much - just a shallow layer at the bottom of your wrap with the ribs meat side down. The less liquid, the less braise effect you’ll get.

I personally like a layer of hot honey, a sprinkling of brown sugar or rub, and pats of butter. Lay the ribs on top of that, wrap ‘em up and enjoy when done! If you’re using an actual liquid, I suspect foil would work better than butcher paper.

These are baby backs, which are ready in about 90 minutes to 2 hours. St. Louis, being a thicker cut, take longer.

 

[uncle eddie]

I always remove the membrane.

I never remove the membrane. Remove or not to remove is simply a personal choice.

3:2:1 method on St. Louis style pork ribs made them to mushy for my liking. 4.5 to 5 hours is probably a better target cook time at 225F if you wrap the ribs.

I found an old post where I charted the rib temp for baby back and st. louis style.

Temperature Charts vs. Time for 3:2:1 baby back & St. Louis Style ribs - for Science ;-)

So I chart all of my smokes if I am home and not doing a set and forget smoke. I do this so the next time I do a 12.4 pound whole turkey, I have a good idea when the stall will occur, how much longer until done, how many minutes per pound, etc.. The last 2 racks of ribs I did were 3:2:1 St...

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