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3-1-1 versus indirect straight cook?
Thermal Mass
Posts: 31
Is the 3-1-1 method really worth doing over and above a 4-7hr indirect cook for pork ribs?[p]I am about to do my first rack, and it is important to me that the spouse is impressed.[p]Mark
Comments
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Thermal Mass,
its a personal preference more than anything. with the 311 method the middle stage with the foil is a little tricky, a few things change the outcome like foiling dry, adding a little liquid, more than a little liquid, hot verse cool liquid, meatside down verse up etc all change the outcome of the middle foil stage. a couple of tries and an inspection to see how they progressed during the foil stage is in order. best thing to do is to try it and see, maybe modify it on your second try. for me i prefer either an inderect or direct cook over the foil cook, but some swear by it.
fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it -
Thermal Mass,[p]Are we talking spares or baby backs? [p]Baby backs, IMHO, can almost just be grilled direct and still be tender and tasty. I find that a straight (no foil) indirect cook at about 250 is all they really need.[p]Spares are tougher with more connective tissue, so it's harder to balance the need to heat them low and slow with the need to keep them moist. 3-1-1 really helps out here. The foil holds the moisture and bastes the meat while the internal temp continues to rise and convert the collagen. [p]Best of luck,[p]Dave[p]P.S. The fact that you care about impressing the spouse is usually enough in-and-of-itself to impress the spouse
[ul][li]Our BGE[/ul]Food & Fire - The carnivorous ramblings of a gluten-free grill geek. -
Thermal Mass,
When I did mine, I did indirect at 250-300 for 3 hours... drip pan with Guiness in it.... then raised temp to 325 and brushed with sauce... I didn't foil, nor baste midway through... I like the way it came out, of course I like my ribs moist with some "chew"... less on the steamed side. See my post from Sunday... lots of suggestions on best way from folks... [p]
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Thermal Mass,[p]Here's another thought (via my brother), he does his slabs with chicen pieces on top of the ribs. The juices keep the ribs nice and juicy. He discovered this one time and now is the only way he'll do ribs.
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Thermal Mass,[p]The advantages of 3-1-1 is that its quick, often taking less than the nominal 5 hours, and you will be guaranteed a tender rib. I've had one batch that was just about perfect, and I've never been disappointed by with the results. For a first time, 3-1-1 pretty much guarantees real good. [p]However, the best I've done so far were untrimmed spares direct for about 6.5 hours, and I gave myself points for difficulty.[p]gdenby
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Thermal Mass,
I'd stick with Car Wash Mike's method. It is the only one I've tried that I REALLY like.
[ul][li]Car Wash Mike's Ribs[/ul] -
I've tried 3-1-1 once or twice and I don't see how the foil helps. Putting meat in foil w/liquid steams it. You'll get tender results if you cook at 250 indirect for 4-5 hours.[p]I did some spares this weekend and they turned out great. U did them over a drip pan on a raised grid, no plate setter or other barrier under the drip pan. They cooked at 250-300 (it fluctuated, but I tried to keep it at 250) for about 4 hours. I did occasionaly spray with apple cider and I glazed one rack with barbecue sauce during the last 30-45 minutes.[p]Some of the smaller ribs at the ends of the racks were a little dry, but I served those last.
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Davekatz,
Nice web page[p]Ed
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Egginator,[p]Thanks much! We've really enjoyed our BGE and I think it shows in the site.[p]Dave
Food & Fire - The carnivorous ramblings of a gluten-free grill geek. -
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