Baby Backs - HELP! How to cook indirect withOUT the foil?

Charcoal Mike · May 2002

Hi all -[p]Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there![p]I will be cooking 4 full racks of baby-backs today using Ken Stone's Rub. Normally, I use the 3-1-1 method when doing my ribs, but today I want to try something different. Using the foil is fine when I'm only cooking for two, but today I have a crowd. I don't want to have to stop to wrap/unwrap eight half-racks.[p]Can anyone give me an approximation on cooking times/temps if I do these indirect, without the foil? I will plan to finish direct for maybe 30 minutes, to add a bit of sauce at the end. However, please no suggestions to go fully direct (it makes me nervous - don't want to change my pattern so much in one meal that I burn Mom's dinner).[p]Thanks in advance for your help![p]- Mike[p]

Trout Bum · May 2002

Charcoal Mike,
I used to use the 3/1/1.5 as my favorite until Big Murth posted the following recipe a while back. This is now my favorite method.
B D
Baby Back Ribs Indirect (no foil)
By Big Murth
·Coat with Mustard & JJ’s Rub 24 hours in advance
·Setup indirect at 250°, do not put water in the drip pan
·Use equal parts Hickory & Apple & some Jack Daniels chips
·1 hour at 250°
·2 hours at 300°-325° spray a few times with Apple juice
·10-15 minutes at above setting applying sauce

Tim M · May 2002

<p />Charcoal Mike,[p]I have done some fine indirect ribs but the 3-1-1 works for me every time and I use it most often now. Using higher temps when indirect is the key to indirect, avoid 250° or below since your grid temps go way down with an indirect setup. I also cut my ribs in half like you, but I don't wrap them individually in foil - I put 2 or 3 halves in a foil wrap. It takes two pieces, a bottom and a top with the edges rolled together and bone arch UP. Today I am doing 4 racks of baby backs too, but I am using the 3-1-1 and a HUGE aluminium cooking bag my new Egg owner neighbors gave me to try. I think I can get all 8 halves in this thing! I have dusted them with Dizzy Dust, course grind, and then the mustard. I'll start about 1:30pm.[p]Pictured are 4 racks of babies done at 300° for 4.5 hrs. I flipped twice and sauced the last hour. They are over a foil lined pizza pan which is sitting on some ceramic blocks -- but firebricks or an inverted setter works too! Good luck with them.[p]Tim[p]Tim
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Prof Dan · May 2002

Charcoal Mike,[p]Here is the easiest way to do that; it may not be the best, but it's the way I prefer: Rub 'em with a little ordinary mustard. Rub on the spices. Set up a water pan with a grid over it. Toss on a few chunks of oak or hickory or whatever. 275 for four hours. An hour before serving, i.e., 3 hours into the cook, open the Egg and brush 'em with some commercial bbq sauce.[p]That's it, and everyone who has tasted my ribs say they are the best they ever had. BUT -- they haven't tasted the 3-1-1 ribs, or the apple juice sprayed ribs, and neither have I, and so we don't know what we are missing. [p]If you want a peak experience, do it the way the Eggsperts tell you -- they have never steered me wrong on a lot of other things, and someday I will try it the right way. But if you want to do it the easy way, do it the lazy way, and the ribs will still be great.[p]One more thing -- the membrane really matters. Lift off the membrane with a butter knife before you cook. The ribs will be much more tender. Even I, a lazy cook, will agree with that. It takes some practice, but it gets easier.[p]Good luck!

Unknown · May 2002

Tim M, What is your website address?

Tim M · May 2002

Rick R,[p]Check the visitors profile on me.[p]Tim

Unknown · May 2002

Tim, thank you. Great site. Rick R

Baby Backs - HELP! How to cook indirect withOUT the foil?

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