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Wet smoke or Dry?

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Salty Dog
Salty Dog Posts: 89
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I've seen recipes that recommend water in the drip pan when smoking ribs and some that are "silent" on the question. My first baby back ribs cook on the BGE came out arid extra dry, but there was no water in the drip pan. Did I screw up a "fundamental: everybody knows that there should be water in the drip pan, Dummy" kind of thing here?
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Comments

  • citychicken
    citychicken Posts: 484
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    you must be a webber guy in a previous life 'cause i think the water is a weber trick. you will find many, including myself who do not add water to the drip pan and get great results when cooking ribs on the egg. ceramic cookers are known to cook while maintaining high moisture content in the meat.

    perhaps you cooked at too high of a temp. went to long on the cook? or perhaps just a bad rack of ribs.

    one last point, while cooking on the egg you must remember and apply the sage advice of ron popeil "just set it and forget it."
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    I've never used any liquid in drip pans in the Egg. It won't make your food any moister. -RP
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  • HungryMan
    HungryMan Posts: 3,470
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    I agree overcooked.
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    I only add fluid if the fat in the drip pan begins blackening. The smoke from charred grease is carcinogenic, so I try to avoid it.
    Some folks add liquids, such as fruit juice, for flavor. Other folks avoid the fluid because they don't want the ribs to have steam carrying away the meat and rubs flavors.

    I also have to think you overcooked the baby-backs. Maybe too hot, and/or too long. The highest I ever go with ribs is 300 dome, and if I'm that high, I am definitely mopping them every 15 minutes for the last hour.

    Do a search on the "3-1-1" method for ribs. You'll be guaranteed a moist and tender result.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    Salty Dog,

    I use liquid in the drip pan but not for moisture. First reason is to keep acrid smoke off the ribs, second is for flavour. I use Bloody Caeser and beer in the pan.(Bloody Caeser = Bloody Mary with clamato juice) I cook ribs without the foil stage though.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Knauf
    Knauf Posts: 337
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    I have tried both with and without liquid. Can't see much difference. One tip that works great and is always posted on this forum is to put 3-4 foil balls under your drip pan to keep the pan off the platesetter and the drippings from sorching and giving you that nasty acrid smoke.
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  • Salty Dog
    Salty Dog Posts: 89
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    Yes, I admit it, I was a webhead, but I am now REFORMED!! From now on gas will only occur after dinner....
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  • Davekatz
    Davekatz Posts: 763
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    The lack of water in your drip pan won't, of and by itself, make your ribs dry. The heat from a BGE is pretty moist on it's own. You could have gone too hot or too long. Or it could be a bad batch of ribs.

    That being said, I always add some liquid to my drip pan because I think it helps add to the flavor and avoids burning the fat in the pan. Apple juice works well, as does cider vinegar.

    Dave
    Food & Fire - The carnivorous ramblings of a gluten-free grill geek.
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  • Dan in StL
    Dan in StL Posts: 254
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    I oughta have the link to it but I don't - but Carwash Mike has posted some do's and don'ts for doing ribs that I and others have followed with pretty good outcomes. One thing he suggests in his method is occaisonally spritzing the ribs with a mixture of apple juice and vinegar (if I recall correctly). This purportedly addresses the moisture issue. However, you could also make the argument that if you're opening up the lid to do the sprizting, you're releasing as much moisture as you're adding anyway.
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  • Salty Dog
    Salty Dog Posts: 89
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    The Eggsperts have SPOKEN!! Thanks. I gues it wasn't such a dumb question after all.
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  • Mahi-Mahi
    Mahi-Mahi Posts: 162
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    I also try to keep my grease from turning black. Normally if I hold the temperature in the 235 range the grease does burn a lot. I use a 19 inch stone and than a pan a few inches above the stone. This seperates the stone from the drip pan with some space between them and keeps the drop pan a lot cooler.
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  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
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    I've heard that the drip pan is to be filled with a liquid (water) and is to keep grease from dropping directly on the fire and causing flareups, or to catch the meat drippings to pour back over the meat or other food items such as making gravy.

    But I also heard that adding liquid does little for flavor except when the liquid is hot enough to steam. So adding beer does nothing until it is converted to steam. That means it has to boil.

    Someone on this Forum reminded everyone that 212° is the boiling point of water, which makes up most of the liquid in meat. Therefore, cooking above 212° "boils" the moisture out of the meat.

    Everything above makes sense to me but what do I know?

    All I know is when I put liquid in the drip pan I usually find a hard-as-rock substance that looks and smells terrible. My first thought is just how much of that flavor ended up being cooked into my meat?

    Maybe that's why mopping with heavy-flavored BBQ sauce is more to hide the disgusting flavor of chared grease drippings than anything else.

    Spring "Drip Dry" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA
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  • Eggtucky
    Eggtucky Posts: 2,746
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    I use water/cider/apple juice, whatever Salty, but I dont use it for moisture..I mainly have it there to reduce the 'cooking' of the drippings and burning them on the dry pan and adding foul smells/flavors to my cook...
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