A Rib of a Question

Buck Shot

OK I am asking you almighty servants of the green ceramic thingy this question about dem ribs. I have done ribs alot over the past nearly two years and have never run into this problem befo...[p]Dem ribs looked good but who knows they may have been from some pig that was not so hot of a piggy. Anyways, I rubbed dem up with yeller musterd, butt rub, caynne and garlic powder like i always do. got the fire around 250, same as ever. had the platesetter sittin in der -- with the grate on top. Ribs in the v-rack stnading up in a drip pan. Now here is where I think the fault may lie or stand or sit or whatever. [p]The wife and i don't really want to clean afore mentioned drip pan and I lined it with aluminum foil (not that the foil was in a line because that would have left most the pan dirty except a small portion; it was more like a sheet; anyways you get the picture). The shiny side was up. I didn't think much of it at the time but dem ribs came out after 5 hours of smokin with charcoal and a few hickory chunks and to my dismay the ribs were drier than they have ever been before.[p]Now the egg bein a forgiven soul helped out and they didn't have to be thrown out but alas all preparation and beer drinkin didn't help much. The ribs were dry. First time since I have egged ribs that I reached for the Bulls Eye BBQ sauce usually reserved for hot dogs. I have done ribs probably once a month for the past 1 1/2 years and never had this kind of turn out. [p]It sort of shook the core of my soul seein how I have had gotten pretty cocky with my ability to smoke ribs as bad as anyone on the planet (or at least my block). Maybe i done somethin bad and this is just God's way of callin me on it.[p]The only variable that was differnt was the foil. My question after all this is can foil, shiny side up do this to a rack-o-ribs. Or do my fault lie, sit or stand else where. Such a devastating moment to experience such a humbling and confidence shattering delima.[p]Good thing my friends couldn't make dinner the other night because after all my braggin and then to end up with that well it was quite average.[p]Help,[p]Chris

QBabe

Buck Shot,[p]I use foil to line my drip pans regularly, so I don't think that would have been the culprit. Also there are lots of folks that use the disposable foil pans with no reported adverse effects.[p]Did you check them at all during the cook? Even though I've gotten reasonably good with ribs, I find that they do differ in timing (i.e., sometimes they're done quicker than other times). I just keep an eye on them and let the meat dictate when it's done rather than going by a specific time.[p]Tonia
:~)

tach18k

Buck Shot, 5 hours seems too long, recheck the thermometer for correct temp

Unknown

Buck Shot, I can only say that if I cooked ribs at 250 for 5 hours in my egg they would be dry as hell too! [p]I try to keep the temp at 225ish and have NEVER cooked for more than 4 hours. And even at 4 hours I have had some dry ribs. So, IMHO, you over-cooked them suckers![p]You might want to recalibrate your temp gauge also.[p]Good luck,
Hugh Jass

CurryPowder

Buck Shot,
Definitely not the aluminum foil. according to the faq at reynolds wrap...[p]Which side of Reynolds Wrap® should I use, the shiny or the dull side?
Actually, it makes no difference which side of the Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil you use—both sides do the same fine job of cooking, freezing and storing food. The difference in appearance between dull and shiny is due to the foil manufacturing process. In the final rolling step, two layers of aluminum foil are passed through the rolling mill at the same time. The side coming in contact with the mill's highly polished steel rollers becomes shiny. The other side, not coming in contact with the heavy rollers, comes out with a dull or matte finish.
[ul][li]aluminum foil faq[/ul]