Baby back ribs

david71171

My most recent attempt. I seasoned with Memphis Dust over night. Got Large BGE up to 250. Did 4 slabs. Cut them in all in half and set them in the roaster rack. I used a 4-1 method choosing not to foil the ribs. Toothpick test with 20 to go to be sure. Let cook a little longer 5:15 total time. The ribs had great flavor. Was able to pull the meat off the bones with a fork with no trouble. They were not dry but I would have preferred a little more juicy texture to them. Will take comments and helpful tips. Thanks.

ChokeOnSmoke

They look great.  Wish I could grab a 1/2 rack out of your picture right now!

bhedges1987

Hard to get baby backs extremely moist without foiling. I think foiling imparts a steamed taste that I don't like.

Switch to spare ribs if you want them moist with no foiling. Plus they're way better. 

mindfulwanderer

Have you tried brining for 4-6hours, covering with rub and placing on rack in the ice box overnight. Cook indirect at about 225 degrees.

YourMomLovesMyBGE_XL

Great looking bark on those bad boys.

If you don't want to wrap in foil, you can always spray with a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and apple cider vinegar every 30-60 mins to keep the meat moist & tender. Obviously, this requires you to lift the lid consistently throughout the smoke, which may go against your reason for avoiding foil in the first place. It also adds another element of flavor.

If you use a spray bottle, be careful not to spray onto your charcoals/wood below. Whenever I plan to use the spray bottle, I place an 18" circular pizza pan on top of my foiled egg setter as an additional drip pan that can hold any excess mixture so it doesn't spill over onto the charcoals below. Make sure you leave room for some air flow (I put a few stacks of pennies between the pan and plate setter).

All cuts of pork respond very well to apple juice, and it helps achieve the tenderness that most people enjoy. Using it in your bbq sauce during the last hour can help, and possibly while brining it as @mindfulwanderer suggested (although I've never brined my baby backs before, I've always just let them sit at room temp while I add my honey & dry rub as the Egg reaches 225-250 degrees... but it might be worth trying on Labor Day!)

bhedges1987

Looks great

StillH2OEgger

Those look terrific. Great work!

blasting

Nice. Makes me look forward to tomorrow - got three racks of BB in the plans