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Baby Backs R.I.P.

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SteveWPBFL
SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
edited September 2012 in EggHead Forum
Here's how they started. A Costco three rack baby back rib pack. Pulled from the freezer around 7:00 a.m. and thawed in water, package opened, ribs rinsed, three ribs cut from each rack to make a fourth, rubbed (different rub on each rack) and in they go at 280F dome indirect on a large BGE with a CGS rib rack kit.
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  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
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    Here's how they turned out four hours later. A full quarter inch of crisp-bacon-like 'bark' on top, decent but little tender meat inside, and bottom overcooked bark. To say well done would be an understatement. You've got to have a good set of molars to crush these babies. Crunchy through and through, will need a bottle of BBQ sauce for each rib rack. Definitely tasty but certainly 'destroyed' by 'fall off the bone' standards. Yeesh. Including my failures here just like I would a 'success'. I've been able to duplicate just about everything on the BGE forum that I read about but ribs. For some reason I consistently disappoint in that category. Next.
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,347
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    Sounds like this is a rub taste testing cook-don't let any adult beverages cloud your tasting abilities down the road.  Dry rub only cook (no spritz, no foil, no sauce)?  Will be interested in the different rubs and the assessment. 
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,347
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    Posts passing in the ether...Did you determine doneness by the bend or toothpick test??? 

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • miscjames
    miscjames Posts: 78
    edited September 2012
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    280 for 4 hours seems a little long to me. 280 should have dropped you in the ~3 hour bucket. Next time shot for a lower temp like 215ish if you want to go 4 hours. But either way keep an eye on them. Once they pass the bend test or tong test (can insert a tong blade between the bones with ease) pull them. (or sauce for 15mins extra then pull). I have found ribs have to be watched. Some you will pull early some you will pull late if you are watching the clock. 
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Too hot for BBs for 4 hours. I almost never need more than 5 hours for BBs at dome 250. If the dome runs up to/ 290, or so, for awhile, I assume the racks will need mopping.

    Considering they were thawed in water, and were out for awhile after being rubbed, I suppose they were at room temperature. That dropped about a half hour off the cooking time. If you had mopped or spritzed them every 15 min after the first three hours, they might not have desiccated as they did.

    Don't feel too bad. While my ribs improved immediately upon getting an Egg, it took me at least a dozen cooks before I could get them reliably tender and moist. Still working on just the right taste and texture about 500# later.


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  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
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    I haven't nailed down my go to succes rib but just from my past failures and notes this was just a tad too hot for a tad to long.

    I haven't tried turbo, I usually do 5 hours around 220 and always us St. Louis style.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
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  • bertscampers
    bertscampers Posts: 136
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    I am usually around 3 hours for ribs at about 260-270 for baby back that I get at costco. I also have had hits and misses for ribs.  I found I would over cook and they would dry up.

    Cheers
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    SteveWPBFL said:
    Here's how they turned out four hours later. A full quarter inch of crisp-bacon-like 'bark' on top, decent but little tender meat inside, and bottom overcooked bark. To say well done would be an understatement. You've got to have a good set of molars to crush these babies. Crunchy through and through, will need a bottle of BBQ sauce for each rib rack. Definitely tasty but certainly 'destroyed' by 'fall off the bone' standards. Yeesh. Including my failures here just like I would a 'success'. I've been able to duplicate just about everything on the BGE forum that I read about but ribs. For some reason I consistently disappoint in that category. Next.
    Know where you are coming from, been there, done that. Keep at it, it will get better. 
    I tried a different approach after my first rack'o'rib failure (looks like you used my pictures!) I did some Costco ribs one at a time, used an Asian rib recipe (think I got it here somewhere or maybe BBQ Pit Boys) Did two or three cooks and then tried a rack, worked ever since. I think the singles are much easier to test and check, once you know what they should look like as singles, makes it much easier to get a full rack right. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • reh111
    reh111 Posts: 196
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    I agree that 280 for 4 hours is too hot for too long - next time crank her down to about 225 if you want to leave them on that long - and pull them off when they start pulling away from the bone - I can't tell from the picture that well but it looks like when you soaked them in water to thaw that the water permeated the meat - at least that's what the "white" meat area looks like - I'd avoid that in the future
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  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
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    Thanks to all. I get it now. I was thinkin' I'm a turbo. Butt I'm really a low and slow. I sentence myself to toothpick and bend training. The four rubs were Bad Byrons, Dizzy Dust, Dizzy Pig Swamp Venom, and Dizzy Pig Tree. The overcookin' just overpowered the Tree, didn't hardly notice it. BB is a little salty on ribs, especially well done ones. The Dust is always good, though. Butt, Swamp Venom won this round. In the end, the ribs are nearly gone. They were waaay over done but they're 'man-edible', crunchy, almost deep fried tasty. And, since Miami pulled it out in O.T. I think they actually tasted pretty darn good. Oh, and they made that IPA taste even better than usual. Onward!
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,347
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    Take no prisoners and thanks for the summary!
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    IPA always makes the boogey man go away, Torpedo forever.......
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    IPA always makes the boogey man go away, Torpedo forever.......
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • khristyjeff
    khristyjeff Posts: 163
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    miscjames said:
    280 for 4 hours seems a little long to me. 280 should have dropped you in the ~3 hour bucket. Next time shot for a lower temp like 215ish if you want to go 4 hours. But either way keep an eye on them. Once they pass the bend test or tong test (can insert a tong blade between the bones with ease) pull them. (or sauce for 15mins extra then pull). I have found ribs have to be watched. Some you will pull early some you will pull late if you are watching the clock. 
    +1.  I cooked 4.75 pounds of BB ribs yesterday at 280*.  Didn't open lid till 3 hour mark. When I did the bend test, they broke. Tasted good to the family but I thought they were a bit overdone. 
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