Baby-Back Rib Temps with 2-2-1 (or really, 2-1-1)

Ryezza

Morning all! First time doing baby-back ribs on the BGE today (I've got ~a dozen butts and briskets and a few other cooks under my belt, but I'm still mostly a noob). I woke up this morning and injected/rubbed the ribs, pulled the egg up to 225, and cooked the ribs in the BGE rib rack for 2 hours. Threw them into foil after that and cooked for about another hour, and I noticed the internal temp at that point was already near 185, so I pulled them out of foil (and the jus they were sitting in) for the final hour. Oddly enough, the temp out of foil dropped quickly to around 160, and has been hovering at 158-160 since then despite the fact that the dome temp is about 240 (spiked about 10-15 degrees on me while I changed the meat). Is that normal? Seems odd that the meat fell so much, and it also seems strange that the meat temp isn't coming up with such a drastic difference between meat and dome. I've experienced the stall on the bigger cuts, but I was under the impression that it was less of a thing with ribs? Should I give it another full hour and then pull? More or less? Should I even be worrying about temp? Thanks!

kl8ton

Do not temp probe ribs.  Search for "bend test" on the forum. Ribs are too thin to get a good temp reading. 

Welcome to the forum! 

cheeaa

Yup. Bend test or toothpick between bones. Or both

Ryezza

Thanks! I should have led by thanking everyone else here - I've gotten a ton of insight from the posts here in prior cooks, you all rock.

I had read about the bend test, I just figured tracking temp couldn't hurt since I already had the DigiQ locked & loaded. If the consensus is to ignore the temp because the readings are unreliable, I'll just ignore. Appreciate the quick response!

Ryezza

Just to close the loop - turned out decent for a first cook. Flavors were awesome (we made a tasty sauce from the drippings), but the meat wasn't as tender as I hoped. I'm guessing that's because I jumped ship too early on the 2 hours in foil, but I'm open to suggestions about other things that I could have done better! I also pulled a rookie mistake and forgot to remove the membrane, so I've got at least two things that should make the next batch better. Regardless, can't complain about ribs, mashed potatoes, and watermelon on a sunny day!

PASmoke

Great cook and thanks for sharing. First, I've done the membrane thing too....so, don't beat yourself up over that too much. It's the worst realization because there's nothing you can go about it. Good news is - nobody does it twice!

As for tips.....one of the ways you can tell when ribs are ready is that the meat pulls away from the bone at the sides of the cut. As great as your ribs look in other ways - I could tell as soon as I looked at the pictures that they were going to be a bit tough because of that. Otherwise, great cook....Keep posting and sharing! 

Here is what I mean by the meat "pulling away" from the bone: 

SmokeyPitt

The ribs look good.  I think as you suggested they just needed to cook more. Either longer or a higher temp.  I think if you had just run at 250-275 for this cook they would have come out about right. There is nothing wrong with running lower temps but it just takes more time. As others mentioned it can be hard to measure temp.  Looking for pullback on the bones is definitely a good indicator. Also just using a toothpick or your temp probe to feel for tenderness. 

Hans61

My bend test: pick up slab half way, if splintering/breaking under its own weight perfectly done. I like mine "almost" fall off the bone. Lots of guys here like a little more bite then that. I usually do 3, 1.5, 1. I like pecan, maple and fruit woods the best for ribs. I serve dry and usually have 2 or 3 sauces on the table for people to choose from. My dome temps usually 275ish. When you get ribs really tender you need a VERY sharp knife! Enjoy the journey!

AD18

Agree with most of stuff posted above.  With the method you stated above 2-1-1 should have been in the ball park.  I usually run 3.5 to 4.5 for backs, but I don't foil.  Agree with leaving out the temp probes as well, not accurate at all.  I usually use the toothpick method as my ribs are usually pretty thick and getting a good bend test is sometimes hard.  Watch the bone pull back, toothpick slides in easy middle of meat between bones and pull them.  Takes some time, practice, and patience to read when there done.  Have at 'er again and see what happens.  Welcome aboard:)

Ryezza

@PASmoke those look amazing! Appreciate the feedback from everyone here. @AD18 if my timing was in the ballpark, do you have thoughts on anything else that I may have been missing?

Out of town next weekend, but I'm excited to take another crack at these babies as soon as I get back! For both butts and brisket, the difference between my first and second cooks was massive - I'm sure that will be the case with ribs too. That's why I never invite friends over for the trial run.

AD18

No, I think you are definitely on right track.  You were pretty close for sure.  It's just that you have to gain the experience to see what is going on and react accordingly.  I usually run my ribs at 225-250, toss them in the Egg (platesetter legs up, grate on top, and don't open again for at least 3 hours.  Most times I also use a rib rack.  If I'm in the mood I may spritz with apple juice 2-3 times before the 3 hour mark.  Other than that let 'em cook.  I'm intrigued by the injection comment as well, not sure if that would/did work or not, but if you think it worked carry on.  So many variables like how thick rack is, how much/little fat is in the rack, overall quality of the meat, bunch of other stuff to watch out for.....and pull the membrane:)  As your experience and confidence grows so will your results.  You may have a few train wrecks, but again that is what you have to learn like everyone else.  Take the advise you get here, stir it up, develop your own "style", and have at it.  Sounds like your enthusiastic and willing to learn, just gotta do it.  And anyways, it's tons of fun.  Best of luck!!!!! 

Ryezza

I don't think I'll inject ribs next time. I saw a few other folks doing it and gave it a shot because injecting made such a big difference for me on butts and brisket, but the ribs didn't take enough liquid to make it worth.

Aviator

Ryezza, look for turbo ribs and read up. 
Nothin fancy and the best tasting ribs. 

AD18

Your injection observation makes sense and why I was interested in it.  The butts and brisket have more thickness/mass to retain the liquid.  I suspect you wasted a lot of it during your prep:)  All kinds of different things you can tinker with to change/enhance your flavors.  For me it boils down to your rub and type of wood you smoke with for the 1st hour.  Finally saucing, if you choose to do so, probably has the biggest impact.  But again, that's developing your style to your tastes.  All good in the end:)  

Ryezza

Made a couple racks of ribs the other day (2-2-1, sauce made from the drippings) and thought about this post from a year ago on the first day that I took a crack at ribs. Figured I would share some pics of the latest cook and circle back to say thanks to everyone on this forum for being so awesome and giving fantastic feedback!