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Ribs disaster

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SeahawksEGGHead
SeahawksEGGHead Posts: 289
in EggHead Forum

I've had my egg for about 2 months now, and I've been cooking on it every weekend since.  I've done some amazing chicken, some excellent ribs, a very good Boston butt, and a mediocre brisket.  (still experimenting with the brisket)  Well tonight I was making ribs for my mother in law, and we had our first BBQ disaster.  It had nothing to do with the egg, or the rub, and I believe 6 hours at 225 should be plenty as it has been in the past.  What happened after I cut into these ribs was nothing short of heartbreaking.  Fatty ribs.  I'm not talking about marbled fat, but inedible ribs made of fat with some meat marbled in.  We shopped our regular rib joint, but discovered they were out of our regular ribs.  So we went to some big box store, picked up a couple packs of Tyson St Louis style ribs.  Not sure if it was a bad batch, but they were awful.  After choking down a couple ribs, we took a vote and decided to throw the rest out.  The only bright side is I think I have my temp dialed in, and think I've learned that a more open daisy wheel means more smoke circulation.  (bottom vent = temp.  daisy wheel = smoke.  Maybe?  Thoughts?)  Has anyone else had the fatty rib experience?

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  • xiphoid007
    xiphoid007 Posts: 536
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    This is why I stopped buying BB ribs. Usually the St. Louis are the meatier cuts.  Sounds like you just got a bad batch.

    I go 250 for 6hrs and get perfect results every time.  Luckily just the local store brand spares are pretty good quality.

    As far as temp control, I think the opposite is true.  I leave the bottom wide open and adjust just the top. I think the more closed down the top is, the more you trap the smoke inside.  Also, I think the more oxygen the fire gets, the smaller your chance of burning a dirty fire and getting that foul tasting smoke.

    Sorry to hear about your ribs.  Inedible food after 6hrs of work is heartbreaking.
    Pittsburgh, PA - 1 LBGE
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  • hapster
    hapster Posts: 7,503
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    That sucks... Bad enough when cooks like that happen without guests.
    MSV Chill Spot
    Chester County, PA

    http://egginwithedward.blogspot.com/

    http://edwardhardingphotography.zenfolio.com/
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  • GASGUY
    GASGUY Posts: 111
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    Have same issues lately with ribs from Sam's Club, price has gone up and quality has gone down...a lot!
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,776
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    ive stopped buying anything tyson or hormel and my local grocery repackages hormel under their fresh label
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    edited July 2014
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    @SeahawksEGGHead‌ FWIW try bumping the temp to say 250℉-275℉ and probe with a toothpick for doneness. Similar to a brisky when a toothpick slides in and out like buttuh you're golden. But, that can't help w/ poor quality product. Sorry they didn't turn out good. Next time B-)
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    Too bad about the ribs, but maybe the family dog was happy.  :o3

    Use od the bottom vent or the DFMT has been a long standing debate, find what works for you, sounds like you have. 

    To me, the egg is a chimney, air in must equal air out (assuming the gasket has a seal). Like many, I control with the bottom vent for cooks over 400ºF, DFMT is off. For cooks below 400ºF I use both vents but the DFMT is the primary choice. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    edited July 2014
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    Bump the temperature up some. Sounds like there was way too much fat, and a bit more of that would have rendered out.

    I wonder what the meat source was? Most commodity pork in the US is raised to produce a product with similar results across the herd. Up till about WW2, hogs raised primarily for their fat were very common. Almost no one raises those anymore, because very few people in America still use lard in their cooking. W. the result that almost all the pork in US is very lean.

    What someone said long ago was that the bottom vent is for 10s of degrees, and the DFMT was for 1s of degrees. That is roughly right as far as I can tell. With the daisy all but closed, I might run at 250, but the petals all open, 260 - 65.

    You may notice more smoke w. the daisy open wider because the increased airflow will allow the wood to burn some, instead of just charring away with a tight air flow. The smoke from an Egg should be almost invisible.
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  • NervousDad
    NervousDad Posts: 307
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    That sucks, one of the many reasons that I gave up on ribs. Not to mention that two rack costs more that a Boston butt..
    Aurora,OH
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  • SeahawksEGGHead
    SeahawksEGGHead Posts: 289
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    I've done ribs maybe 3 times before on my egg, using the 3-2-1 method, all close to 225 and they all turned out very good.  This time, I went straight 6 hours on the grill, sauced up during the last hour, but still hovering around 230-240.  No real difference in anything but the meat.  Thanks to the comments here, I think I have a better idea of the relationship between the bottom vent and daisy wheel.  Thanks everyone.  Brisket scheduled for this weekend, wish me luck.

    PS.  I've also learned that I need to clean the air vents before EVERY use.

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  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
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    I have cooked dozens of ribs both baby backs and St. Louis the only 2 times they didn't turn out was when I cooked them at 225 all the others have cooked at 250 up and lately the last few times I tried them at 275 to 300 and they have been the best. Just straight through around 4 hours and when they past the bend test they are done.
                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
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