Rib Help

Philellis · January 2012

My first cook was a rack of ribs cooked at 250 - 275 degrees for 3.5 hrs, did not wrap and ribs were overcooked and I mean well overcooked what did I do wrong?

Hungry Joe · January 2012

Tip could be on to something. But did you cook direct or indirect? Have you checked your dome thermometer for accuracy?

bluegrasstiger · January 2012

My first cook was a rack of ribs cooked at 250 - 275 degrees for 3.5 hrs, did not wrap and ribs were overcooked and I mean well overcooked what did I do wrong?

Philellis, I had a similar experience on my first rib cook. I was worried about cooking them too long.

Try again using something like the 3-1-1, or 3-2-1 method, or simply cook longer as you were cookding. My experience since says that they need to go 5-6 hours depending on the type of rib and temp.

The good news is that subsequent cooks went much better and I have my method down now to where they turn out pretty good every time.

There are lots of great threads on the forum about ribs. Search ribs and you'll find lots of useful advice.

gdenby · January 2012

Tell more. What kind of ribs? Direct or indirect cooking? Lower grill position, or at gasket level? Sure your thermometer was accurate?

BB ribs usually take at least 5, spares more like 6.

IrishDevl · January 2012

You sure not undercooked? What kind of ribs? Baby-backs? Mine usually take 5-6hrs at that temp and are perfect when done, no wrap for me - just my own personnel preference there.

Hungry Joe · January 2012

Also try posting in the egghead forum section instead of the root. More people will see you post.

bluegrasstiger · January 2012

Also try posting in the egghead forum section instead of the root. More people will see you post.

Explain that more please. What is the root?

stike · January 2012

believe it or not, i would bet the ribs were undercooked.

if they were nice and pink, but held together firmly and didn't bend easily, then they were undercooked.

i left loin back ribs on the egg at 250 for 9 hours once. accidentally. they were not only not overcooked, they were the best i have ever made. maybe a little too 'fall-apart', but no hint of dryness.

you NEED to overcook ribs, or they will not break down enough.

D1RTY_D · January 2012

They could be overcooked if the temp got up to high, meaning they became crispy. I actually made 3 racks last night cooked for 3 hours at a grate temp of 255-268 and they turned out fantastic, the ends were less done than the center. When I pulled them off they literally broke in the middle due to tenderness. Maybe you could explain why they were overcooked, not juicy, tough. What temp did the meat get to before you took them off?

Philellis · January 2012

They were baby back and crispy on ends and bone almost all exposed. tough, not juicy and when I say crispy I mean charred. was direct heat.

Mighty_Quinn · January 2012

Next time do them indirect.

Smoker_Guru · January 2012

Calibrate Thermometer!!

Philellis · January 2012

OK thanks will ty again this week end.

hogaholic · January 2012

Do them ndirect with a drip pan of water or apple juice underneath. I cook all my ribs vertically in the rib-rack. Try to keep the meat from being directly exposed to the heat. You can cook for 4-5 hours this way at 250. I then foil in apple juice and honey for 35-40 minutes then finish direct with a touch of sauce.

stike · January 2012

yeah. almost 4 hours direct, and those suckers would be toast. didn't realize you did them direct. follow the advice of hogaholic. water or liquid in drip pan not necessary, but you can do that too

bariccardi · January 2012

As stated above, indirect 250. I cook for 3 hours, wrap cook for another hour and cook for 30 more minutes with sauce on.

TUTTLE871 · January 2012

Did my Ribs on Sunday, Had them for 250 for 3 hours and the dropped temp to 200 and wrapped them in foil for 2 hours. I un wrapped them and closed the dampers and sauced them and let them sit in the egg for another 30 minutes. Best ribs I have ever done (but they were they first I have done on the Egg). You should have some satisfied customers with this way.

hogaholic · January 2012

Tuttle

I like your idea iof shutting down the egg and letting them roast in the residual heat with a touch of sauce. Gonna try that next time,

I like some sweetness in my sauce and sometimes, if the fire is hot and I don't check the meat quick enough, you can get a "sugar char" that looks and tastes bad. I don't want that anymore so I am going to give this technique a shot thanks. Elevated rack would help too I suppose.

billyray · January 2012

After 3 hours at 250, I pull them off and sprinkle both sides wth cayenne pepper and cover with light brown sugar. Then wrap them in 2 layers of heavy duty alum. foil, put them back on at 250 for 1 hour. There are plenty sweet and no sugar char.

TUTTLE871 · January 2012

Hogaholic,

This is the rack system I used. I used the coated the ribs in mustard and then put my rub on afterwards. Then wrapped them and let them sit over night. I was thinking of rubbing them in molassas next time and then putting the rub on.

Hope the Picture attaches.

stike · January 2012

any sugar on the ribs at the start of the cook will become charcoal in short order. sugary stuff should be added at most an hour before the end of the cook i'd go 45 minutes myself, depending on dome temp

sugar has a pantload of carbon in it, and after a few hours in a heated no-oxygen environment, you''ll literally have charcoal, even if cooked indirectly.

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