Bend test (pics)

stemc33

Egged two racks of ribs today. One of the racks of ribs broke when I did the bend test. Both racks of ribs tasted really good but the texture was different from end to end and from rack to rack. I switched places with each rack once during the cook. No flipping or rotating. A few of the ribs fell off the bone and most of them had a little resistance and did not come clean off the bones. None of them were dry and a few still had some fat that didn't render down. Basically some of the ribs were really good and some we're good. Prepped the ribs by pulling the backing off. Slathered in mustard and rubbed with BGE's Down and Dizzy seasoning. Wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator for 12 hours. On the egg at 1300 with dome temp of 250 degrees. I did not let the egg get stabilized as I had a goal of starting at 1300(goal met). Egg stayed at about 250 degrees for a half hour even though my vents were open more than usual for 250 degrees, so I thought it would be a good time to take a hour long nap. When I checked on them at about 1430 temp was up to about 330 degrees. I dialed it back some and finished them at 290 degrees. Total cook time was 3.5 hours. At about 1610 I sprinkled with brown sugar and drizzled them with honey. Cooked for an additional 20 minutes. Complete cook was uncovered indirect. From the pics below you can see the results. Any additional tips would greatly be appreciated.

NPHuskerFL

Bend test passed.

stemc33

I thought it was suppose to just bend not break.

Wolfpack

Looks good to me- couple thoughts, it looks like the meat didn't pull back as much as I typically see? Looks like from bend test they were done but if still had some pull I guess they could have cooked more. Even baby backs seem to go 4.5 hrs or so for me...

stemc33

My son suggested that I should spice it up some. What's everyone using to add a little heat to your favorite seasoning without changing everything up? Just want a little heat, not hot?

NPHuskerFL

@stemc33‌ I've added just a scosche of smoked chipotle to my normal rub recipe. Add it to a dry rub to taste. A little goes a long way. I like a lil sweet & lil heat.

SGH

I add straight cayenne pepper. It will not change your flavor profile that is established by your rub but it will add a slight hint of heat. In moderate doses it's warm not hot at all. Heat sensitive people can usually tolerate it with no ill affects in my experiences with it.

TexanOfTheNorth

Maybe a dash of Frank's Red Hot Sauce as you are eating them... you can put that sh*t on everything!

saluki2007

+1 for what SGH said on the cayenne.  

As far as parts of the ribs not being done, I would guess maybe you just had a "bad" rack of ribs.  It looks like you had them completely protected from direct heat, so I would rule that out.

bbqlearner

Wolfpack said:

Looks good to me- couple thoughts, it looks like the meat didn't pull back as much as I typically see? Looks like from bend test they were done but if still had some pull I guess they could have cooked more. Even baby backs seem to go 4.5 hrs or so for me...

+1 on what @Wolfpack said. On some of the ribs I've done, the meat pulled back a little more than that. Sounds like adding another 30 min or 1 hour would be good. 

gdenby

I've purchased racks of ribs from a local Amish producer. The ribs are beautiful. Snow white fat, ruby red meat. But they are usually at least 1 pound lighter than mass produced. If I cook them at my usual temperature, by the time I  start to check them for doneness, they are truly overcooked. Dry, maybe even a little charred.

So I pay attention to weight. I had something happen to me that was similar to what you experienced. After I trimmed the spares, I weighed the racks. My recollection was that one was 4 pounds, the other, 4.5. Cooked them side by side. At the point when one was beginning to tear as I lifted it, I brought both in for dinner. The lighter one was quite good, w. mostly clean bones. The other was still pretty chewy, and clearly not as good. My assumption was that the weight difference was sufficient to make a noticeable difference. But while most mass produced hogs are very similar, its possible that one rack was from a slightly older animal.

As for extra heat, cayenne is the traditional addition to rubs for heat. Doesn't take much, maybe 1/4 tsp. At my house, there is always a bottle of some hot sauce on the table. Right now I have a bottle of El Yucateca Red Habanero, which is about as hot as I can stand, and a bottle of Cholula. Franks is always good. Texas Pete doesn't show up around here very often, so I buy a couple of bottles when I see it.

Rotating position is a good idea. Many people have commented that the back of the Egg tends to run a little hotter than the front.

Focker

The bend test is a poor indicator of doneness on ribs.

Try probing with a toothpick both horizontally and/or vertically through each slab inbetween bones.  I usually check in 3 locations, with the ends usually finishing before the middle.  Similar to brisket, when the toothpick slides in with very little resistance, the ribs are done.

IMO, there are many other more flavorful heat addition options (chipotle for one ex.) than a flavorless chile like cayenne(30,000-50,000 SHUs is up there for most palettes), that only brings heat to the table.    

radamo

I do like @SGH and add a dash of Cayenne.  Just turns the heat up a notch without messing with all the other flavors. 

Your ribs looks excellent by the way!

Little Steven

I'm not sure because I don't use the bend test but I thought you were supposed to use the tongs linear with the rack from the thick end and hang the thinner end from the middle. Seems to me that any cooked rack would break when gripped in the middle at angles.

stemc33

Thanks for all the input. I will definitely try the toothpick thing and experiment with some different types peppers or sauces. @NPHuskerFL‌ said, "I like a lil sweet & lil heat". That's what I'm kinda looking for. The brown sugar and honey gives me the sweet taste I like. Just need to get the heat down or I should say up.

FATC1TY

Meat doesn't appear to be pulled back as far as I've always had, so they could have gone slightly longer.

I've had to wrap one, and leave one out in the egg and both finish up just as tender as can be.

I like them tender enough you can't toss them around all wild when pulling them, but not so tender you can't cut and eat them.