Baby back ribs question

Eller · June 2012

I finished up a cook tonight and need I need some advice. I did baby back ribs the following way: Removed membrane, added yellow mustard and Famous Daves rib rub. Started 2.5 hours at 250 degrees on v rack, then wrapped them in foil with a few tablespoons of apple juice and worchestshire sauce. Continued at 250 degrees in foil for 1 more hour. Lastly, I unwrapped them and sauced them. I went 1 more hour. Also the drip pan had apple juice in it.

Results: The ribs tasted great but I feel they could have been a bit more tender. The top meaty part of the ribs were tender, but the meat could have come of the bones a bit easier. Please help me tweak this method.

brentsee · June 2012

What your saying is they were overcooked. try 4 hours nxt time. I do the same thing... Overcook

My last back rib cook was very similar to that - I wrapped after 2 hrs and left on for 2-1/2 - let egg rise to 300 for last hour They were very good, but a little overcooked. I will go 4 hrs max next time.

JayHawkEye · June 2012

I doubt they were overcooked. If you want them to be "fall-off-the-bone" tender you're gonna have to leave them on longer. When did you do the bend test, and how did they respond?

Eller · June 2012

I did the bend test when I unfoiled them. They almost bent in half. Also the meat did not rereat much from the bone.

tazcrash · June 2012

Sounds to me (only a few racks under the belt, hopefully one of the sages can chime in) like you needed to leave it on the foil a bit longer.
The steam in foil step is what makes the meat that soft.

Mighty_Quinn · June 2012

A tough rib is undercooked...

tazcrash · June 2012

A tough rib is undercooked...

Same with Pork Butt, shoulder, Beef chuck roasts.

Very unlike traditional cuts of meat.

You need to leave it on longer to render those connective tissues, and make tender juicy yumminess.

lousubcap · June 2012

+1 with the undercooked. There are about as many ways to cook ribs as there are posters here. Keep track of this cook and adjust for the next one. Experiment til you find the X-X-X method you enjoy.

Here are a few links for recipes:

http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm (This site is a great primer for all things ceramic-an excellent reference.)

stike · June 2012

MQ nailed it. a tough dry rib is actually undercooked. you need to kill it to death, then kill it some more.

tnbarbq · June 2012

Fall-off-the-bone is overcooked. Tough meat is undercooked. The hunt for he perfect rib is why we keep firing up the egg.

JayHawkEye · June 2012

Another thing to keep in mind is that not all cuts of meat are created equal. I tough rack of ribs could have compounded the issue.

(Fall-off-the-bone is overcooked in the eyes of competition teams and judges. I would wager that well more than half of the people out there like their ribs that tender. If that's the way that you or the people you cook for want them go ahead and "overcook" them.)

tazcrash · June 2012

I like to be able to pick up the meat while on the bone, but I my eaten pile of rib bones to look like that poor pig was lost in the desert a few years ago.

:D

njl · June 2012

Can you get to fall off the bone tender without foiling for part of the cook? i.e. what about just cooking a few hours, saucing, cooking another hour, and then remove from egg, foil, stick in a cooler for an hour?

stike · June 2012

i accidentally put some spares on when i put a butt on for an overnight (wish i could blame it on beer). 8 or 9 hours later i had ribs for breakfast, they were JUST short of falling off the bone. i didn't meant to cook them that long, but there you go.

they were pretty damn good, to tell you the truth. i don't mind bone that pulls out easily from the rib meat. i like them to hold together when i lift them, but a little pull-apart is fine with me.

ShadowNick · June 2012

@njl absolutely. I typically just apply my dry rub, toss 'em on the egg, let them bake for 5 or 6 hours @ 250 dome, and enjoy. Best ribs I've ever had. Keep in mind, if you keep opening your egg for whatever reason, you are adding to you cook time as the air comes back to temp.

brian4206 · June 2012

Foiling is not necessary. I have only done a few racks and haven't foiled any of them. They were very tender and juicy, and just about fall off the bone every time.

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