How long without foiling?

willymcnilly · April 2016

I'm not too experienced with pork ribs. On Saturday I did two baby back rib racks without foiling for around 4 hours. (All cooking temperatures for all cooks at 250F) I basted with some apple juice/apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes or so. Did not pass a bend test at 4 hours, so kept them on another half hour. I had to eat so I pulled them and they were tough. I did not remove the membrane either as some say not to. But boy were they flavourful.

Today I did two more racks, similar size, removed the membrane, same rub as before, cooked for two hours and then foiled for two with about 4 or 5 tablespoons of peach juice each. These ones were really tender after 4 hours but they tasted like the Saturday racks were rinsed under the hot water tap for 5 minutes before eating. No flavour at all. I think 2 hours of foiling is way too long.

So what next - adjust the foiling frequency? or try without foiling for longer? Does removing the membrane make a difference? And with no foiling how long till tender? This is for baby back ribs. Thanks.

bgebrent · April 2016

If you foil (more fall off the bone goal), 1 1/2 hours is plenty. Cooking to bend test end point (longer) without foil works well. Same as with foil, cook to the endpoint. Removing the membrane is a good idea IMHO. Without foil at 250 your looking at about 5 hours but trust the endpoint.

SoCalTim · April 2016

Myself, I do my BB's @ 275 for about 4.5 hrs and never foil. Perfect rib's everytime.

GregW · April 2016

On the St Louis I've been doing, I don't foil at all. About 5 hrs indirect and a few minutes direct at the end to apply the sauce.
I do occasionally spay with apple or orange juice during the indirect portion of the cook.

XLentEGG · April 2016

I do baby backs membrane peeled , three hrs indirect at 250 , foil and apple juice for 1 hr , ,open foil and sauce every fifteen min for an hour. I get a tender bite with a clean bone. I do look for the meat pulling back from the end of the bones during the final sauce hour.

jaydub58 · April 2016

I do SLSRs rather than baby backs.
Tried foiling, but had a real problem with cooking them too dry.
No more foiling for me.

lousubcap · April 2016

I have found the best finish-line indicator for ribs for me is the toothpick test. Insert into a meaty section-no resistance and you are there. FWIW-

Mattman3969 · April 2016

350 raised direct for bout 1:45-2hr till pass the bend test. Sauce the 20mins or so. No fuss no foil.

dougcrann · April 2016

Stop opening the lid....

jak7028 · April 2016

Baby Backs take me about 4-5 hours usually at 250.

I start with 2 hours indirect, then wrap in foil with apple juice and butter for 1.5 hours. Then take them out of foil and cook indirect for about 30 minutes. That is where you start checking them for doneness and basting with BBQ sauce. Use the toothpick test and look at how much the meat has pulled from the end of the bone to tell when they are done.

The wrapping in foil makes them more tender and gives the fall of the bone. I personally like pull back in my ribs, but my wife is happy if you pick up the bone and the meat slides right off. The method I do is a happy medium where the meat stays on the bone, but is tender and flavorful. Grilling out of the foil at the end helps give them a crust and doesn't end up with the boiled meat look and feel like keeping them in foil for a long time can give them.

All this being said, I have already decided the next racks I cook regardless if Baby Backs or STL, I will not wrap in foil and just let them ride until tender.

bhedges1987 · April 2016

I prefer no foil

Mattman3969 · April 2016

Mattman3969 said:

350 raised direct for bout 1:45-2hr till pass the bend test. Sauce the 20mins or so. No fuss no foil.

Should have said said indirect. Sorry.

Theophan · April 2016

I don't feel like anyone quite said this in plain English, though it was implied:

The first set of ribs was tough because they weren't cooked long enough. If you need them done in a shorter amount of time, you can cook a little hotter, but the bottom line is that no matter how long they've been in the Egg, if you take them off before the meat is tender, either by the bend test or the toothpick test, they'll be tough.
The second set of ribs were tasteless because a lot of the wonderful flavor you had got simmered away by foiling them. It's a little bit like smoking some ribs for a while and then bringing them inside and boiling them. <shudder> It might be worth a try not foiling them at all, but if you do foil them, leave a good hour to un-foil them again and smoke them without the foil. That will help get rid of the simmered quality they acquired in the foil, give them back a little bit of bark they lost in the foil, and put back a little more of the smoke they probably lost in the liquid in the foil. I don't foil my ribs, but those who do often do something along the lines of 3-1-1, which would be 3 hours smoked, 1 hour foil, then 1 more hour not foiled and back in the smoke.

willymcnilly · April 2016

Thanks for the responses.

Those that cook without foiling are you doing anything to the ribs like spritzing or basting with liquid? Or are you just letting it run and then it's done. Or are you using water pans at all? I like the suggestion of 475F for 4.5 hours from SoCalTim.

Also those that do a "turbo" method at 350 or something like that, there must be some sacrifice of tenderness is there not?

StillH2OEgger · April 2016

I think we've come up with a new method we can forever call the SoCalTim method. Easy-peasee, 4.5 hours at 475 degrees. You'll live in infamy (-:
Just kidding, I think willy meant 275 degrees. I'm different than many in that I don't skip the foil stage, but I use very little liquid and don't short change the final stage outside of the foil. I also think opening the lid frequently is counter productive at worst and neutral at best if you're spritzing and/or basting.

Scottborasjr · April 2016

I personally never foil unless my sister-in-law is going to be at dinner because she likes fall off the bone, no chew ribs. I know that people like to spritz the ribs but once every half hour seems excessive to me. I'd at least let them cook 3 hours without even opening the dome as long as temperature control is there.

kwdickert · April 2016

I found that if you foil for 30 minutes, you achieve the same goal as foiling for an hour and you don't need to add any juices for flavoring. Take them back out and let the crust firm up for the last hour. Then you'll have a nice coating on a very tender rib for the perfect dry rub style.

theyolksonyou · April 2016

Pull membrane, rub, bone side down over a dry raised drip pan between 250-300 until done. Probe with toothpick with no resistance.

doesn't get any easier

Phatchris · April 2016

theyolksonyou said:

Pull membrane, rub, bone side down over a dry raised drip pan between 250-300 until done. Probe with toothpick with no resistance.

doesn't get any easier

Only additional step I do is add salt to the drip pan , I forget who recommended it in this forum ( maybe @Mickey) but it helps the drippings from burning .

theyolksonyou · April 2016

Yep it was @Mickey I have done that in the past

hondabbq · April 2016

I have done ribs in foil most times I don't. but when I have done the foil thing I don't add any liquid. I just foil. I find they don't get that boiled effect as mentioned above. I just unfoil when done and resauce and let them cook out for another 30 mins or so and enjoy.

Billy Grill Eggster · April 2016

Opening the lid so often to spray probability added an hour to cook time. Try not opening for 4 hours; then sauce them for about 45 minutes bump the temp to 325* F to caramelize sauce.

Ladeback69 · April 2016

willymcnilly said:

I'm not too experienced with pork ribs. On Saturday I did two baby back rib racks without foiling for around 4 hours. (All cooking temperatures for all cooks at 250F) I basted with some apple juice/apple cider vinegar every 30 minutes or so. Did not pass a bend test at 4 hours, so kept them on another half hour. I had to eat so I pulled them and they were tough. I did not remove the membrane either as some say not to. But boy were they flavourful.

Today I did two more racks, similar size, removed the membrane, same rub as before, cooked for two hours and then foiled for two with about 4 or 5 tablespoons of peach juice each. These ones were really tender after 4 hours but they tasted like the Saturday racks were rinsed under the hot water tap for 5 minutes before eating. No flavour at all. I think 2 hours of foiling is way too long.

So what next - adjust the foiling frequency? or try without foiling for longer? Does removing the membrane make a difference? And with no foiling how long till tender? This is for baby back ribs. Thanks.

If you want to go with no foil and at 250 it is going to be at least 5 hours IMHO. Take it up to 275 and its about 4.5 hours. I have done turbo ribs at 300 to 325 in 3 to 4 hours and the tastes great. What have been doing lately is 2-1-1 for baby back and 2.5/3-1-1 for spares. The first 2 hours I am cooking at 235 to 250 with apple and pecan wood for smoke and color. The next hour I double wrap the ribs in foil after I add brown sugar, honey, squeeze butter and a little apple juice; put them back on. The last hour remove from the foil, put back on the egg at 225 to 250 and in the last 30 minutes I put on a finishing rib glaze glaze I really like a lot. To test if they are done; I do the the bend test and use a toothpick to poke the meat for tenderness. Works great every time.

JRWhitee · April 2016

SoCalTim said:

Myself, I do my BB's @ 275 for about 4.5 hrs and never foil. Perfect rib's everytime.

I am with @SoCalTim they turn out perfect everytime!

willymcnilly · April 2016

@SoCalTim and @JRWhitee. When do you sauce the ribs? Thanks.

SoCalTim · April 2016

willymcnilly said:

@SoCalTim and @JRWhitee. When do you sauce the ribs? Thanks.

I let my guest sauce their ribs. When you do to a 'real' bbq restaurant (most times) .. the ribs come un-sauced. The sauce is on the table.

How long without foiling?

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