Baby back rib showdown: Straight up smoke vs. 3-1-1

Beaumonty · May 2013

I wanted to do ribs this weekend and couldn't decide which direction I wanted to go. The first time I ever cooked ribs was Car Wash Mike's method, but I do not always have the time pay as much attention during such a cook (I have four kids, fyi).

I've generally settled on the 3-2-1 method but remembered that it's resulted in destroyed bark and semi-mushy meat. I thought 3-1-1 would do the trick, but began to doubt myself. I want the meat to release cleanly from the bone, but generally don't want it to fall off the bone. Although, I did ruin a cook by skipping the foil stage and not cooking it until done and tough meat is the worst outcome.

I realized that I had never just trusted the Egg to do what the Egg does: magically keep meat moist. Since I was doing three racks, I decided to foil two ("braising" with brown sugar on one and plum jelly on the other) and to just keept one rack on the whole time.

I also decided to add rub to the meat for a few hours to let it "marinate". I usually just add it immediately prior to adding to the grill. Since my rub (homemade) is usually very predictable and almost impossible to overdo, I was a bit surprised when it turned out much saltier than usual. I think I will skip the pre-rubbing stage.

So what was the results? The no-foil was every bit as moist and had a much better bark (albeit a bit salty). I think the foil stage is superfluous if you have the time to make it to 5+ hours to smoke the ribs. I did so at 220 for the first hour and half that rose to and stuck at 250 for the last three and a half hours. The foil was fine. I preferred the brown sugar. When I foiled, I oriented them meat down and didn't add any more liquid before the stage. Not surprisingly, there was liquid in the foil at the end of the stage. I pulled them when I started seeing the meat pulling from the bone.

Based on today's results, these are my general future plans: my family likes sticky ribs so I'll add some Sweet Baby Rays in the last thirty minutes and bump the temp up a bit, 275 and keep it indirect. I prefer dry, so I'll keep one rack reserved (the ribs in the bowl are the ones I reserve for myself, cook's privilege). I do think I might spritz with the 1/2 vinegar/ 1/2 cider just to see if it makes a difference, but I really, really liked keeping it simple.

My lesson from this cook: I really don't know why I didn't trust the Egg to do what it does. The foil was fine, but why not take advantage of the Egg's magic?

Here are my pics:

cookinfun · May 2013

Looks very scrumptious..where are you, can I drive by for a taste?? I agree with the 3-1-1, more time in the acid based app vinegar has caused "mush:", at least for me.

BTW...Great pics, and enjoy!

cookinfun · May 2013

Sorry, I hit the post too soon... Have had great luck with cooking straight thru, no foil, limited spraying.

Jamieoro · May 2013

Looks awesome. I think I want to try this approach for my 2nd rib attempt! Picts are great!

sarivers · May 2013

Looks great. I agree with you and have had similar results. I'm less likely to foil in the future too. It looks like you covered them with mustard before you added your rub. I've done it both ways and don't see much difference. Do you think covering them with mustard before you add the rub is a must? Do you see any benefits from the mustard other than it makes the rub stick better?

caliking · May 2013

You done good!

I love it when folks experiment, especially side-by-side sort of analytical cooks. I used to do the foil and the spritzing and the mopping and it all took too darn long. The first time I did ribs on the egg, just let em loose at 325 dome for about 3 hours or so and SWMBO said they were the best ribs I've ever made. So that's what I do now, and folks are too busy eating to complain about anything about them. I cook spares though.

Mattman3969 · May 2013

+1 on the 325 and let er rip!!

Beaumonty · May 2013

sarivers said:

Looks great. I agree with you and have had similar results. I'm less likely to foil in the future too. It looks like you covered them with mustard before you added your rub. I've done it both ways and don't see much difference. Do you think covering them with mustard before you add the rub is a must? Do you see any benefits from the mustard other than it makes the rub stick better?

@sarivers, I am not sure if the mustard helps flavor. I have consistently heard that mustard doesn't change the flavor significantly. I do think it helps guarantee a more consistent coverage of the rub. I sprinkle my rub, which means it's falling straight down (real scientific observation) but the meat is usually at an angle. Well, I want consistent coverage, which means sprinkle and rub. but then you end up with paste that may or may not be uniform thickness. The mustard sort of solves that dilemma. You put the mustard on and just use one hand to turn the ribs and the other to sprinkle. It's all nice and uniform with no rubbing, etc.

@caliking, @mattman3969, I had one bad rib episode where they were tough (likely undercooked), i did it in about four hours but i may have had the temp too low. I may try the 325* but does it still result in tender, pull from the bone ribs? I've had grilled ribs that were "cooked" but not tender. 325 for three hours seems kind high and kinda fast. If pressed for time, I may try that next time though. Was that a recipe for spares? I'd like to try some beef ribs soon but those seem more finicky.

caliking · May 2013

I may not be as much of a connoisseur, but the ribs are tender enough for me. I don't like "fall off the bone" ribs, and when i foiled, the ribs were too soft for me. I have tried hot n fast ribs before - 30 mins or so at 450 indirect on a kettle - but I wasn't a fan of how they turned out. They were tender, but kinda greasy, because the fat renders differently.

I like to cook spares more than babybacks. Love beef ribs, but the ones in the stores look pitiful so i don't cook them as much.

I cooked the last batch at about 325 dome temp, but i think the best results were when I cooked them at 300 dome temp. I may be off on the times a little.

gdenby · May 2013

You are quite right. The Egg's moisture retention means that foil is not necessary. It will speed a cook up, and guarantee soft meat. But for the best bark and texture, IMO, just give the ribs enough time without opening the dome, and they will turn out very well.

I've been using a thin coat of neutral flavored oil to hold rubs on, instead of mustard. The oil seems to hold moisture in even more, and helps the oil soluable flavors get into the meat. But mustard, beyond making for a nice glue, is quite anti-bacterial. Possible a better choice when working in really warm weather when pathogens grow fast.

And speaking of saucing, some of the best ribs I ever had were from a guy cooking in a 35 gal homemade drum offset. He kept a deep pot of rather thin, steaming sauce in the cooker. He dipped the ribs right before serving. While I'm a fan of dry ribs, that seemed to be the best way of saucing. No chance of the sauce being burnt, and, (it being a carry out) just enough of a hot coating to help keep the ribs warm until they got to the table.

Baby back rib showdown: Straight up smoke vs. 3-1-1

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