2-2-1 St. Louis Ribs Fail

Legume

ENOegg22 said:

Legume said:

I really want to contribute but I've never tried 221 and would just end up telling you there are better ways but you're not looking for that.  There are lots of great ideas on the internet, like boiling brisket and making your own four cheese blend.

Huh? I just said, I would like to know what other methods people use.

damn, I guess I totally missed that.  still can't comment on 221, I tried foiling a couple of times but I don't like it - it certainly wasn't a 2 hour foil but still not my thing.

I cook unwrapped the whole time, sometimes spritz, sometimes don't.  sometimes sauce at the end, sometimes don't.  I prefer adding 1/2 the rub in the beginning and then hitting it again when I think I'm inside of an hour to go as the rub loses flavor after 4-5 hours.  I've tried three racks side by side with different rubs and can hardly tell the difference except for heat maybe when I only apply rub ahead of time.

To me, turbo retains more of the internal fat if that's what you like.  I like a drier/well done rib with less fat, more bark and then I dredge in sauce if I want sauce.

you should seriously look at that four cheese recipe on youtube - that's a game changer.

thetrim

Don't forget to adjust for altitude as needed.  

Hub

I never, ever want fall off the bone ribs and instead want pulls away from the bone cleanly ribs.  I don't foil but I do use a water pan.  I spritz often and start checking them closely after about four hours with the bend method.  Foil just isn't necessary.

RRP

Hub said:

I never, ever want fall off the bone ribs and instead want pulls away from the bone cleanly ribs.  I don't foil but I do use a water pan.  I spritz often and start checking them closely after about four hours with the bend method.  Foil just isn't necessary.

water pan PLUS spritz? Sort of like wearing suspenders and a belt, huh? 

Hub

RRP said:

Hub said:

I never, ever want fall off the bone ribs and instead want pulls away from the bone cleanly ribs.  I don't foil but I do use a water pan.  I spritz often and start checking them closely after about four hours with the bend method.  Foil just isn't necessary.

water pan PLUS spritz? Sort of like wearing suspenders and a belt, huh? 

Water pan for the down side, spritz for the up side.  My water pan is usually water with a little bit of vinegar.  I spritz with a vinegar/beer mixture.

OhioEgger

So many ways to cook ribs!
For me: 225°F, un-foiled, 5-6 hour, spritz hourly with beer, sauce and raise the temp for the final half hour. Just the way I like them.

Tried foil (3-1-1) and thought it was OK but liked my way better.

SWMBO definitely prefers the JIC method using sous vide, which gives a truly fall off the bone rib. Me, not so much.

I believe the only real answer is to try lots of different techniques and settle on your favorite.