Baby Back Rib Experiences

LesMo

A spin off from the stevez's post.  I've been using the 2-2-1 method for baby back ribs and haven't been pleased with the results.  Temp is always between 225 and 250 dome temp.  Yesterday tried 2.5-1.5-1 to see if it would be less fall of the bone tender when turning or plating them.  It was to a small degree.  The other issue I have is too much of the ribs are cooked away.  There just isn't much left of what started out as a nick rack of ribs.  So, I'd like to hear what works for you including temperature and time and whether you do any at all of the that time wrapped in foil.

milesvdustin

I did some 3-2-1 baby backs yesterday. Too fall off the bone for me but my wife liked them. Im going to try 3-1-1 next time 

stevez

I've not really done the 3-2-1 or a derivative of that myself and I will say mine were not fall of the bone and, other than the bark, I think had a nice pull to them.  Nothing wrong with that for me and they were juicy.  Just my bark was way too weak and I went to low in the temp as I'm learning.  I'm not a fall of the bone type either, but I know a lot of people are.

Theophan

If what you want is less fall-off-the-bone texture, I think it's the foiled time you want to cut back, not increase.  When you foil them, now it's moist heat, basically a braise, so it's great for making fall-off-the-bone meat.  But for those who find that a bit mushy, you want to foil it less, or even consider no foil at all.

Bottom line:  We all have different tastes, and you're doing EXACTLY the right thing experimenting a bit to see what YOU like best!  My suggestion would be to try 2-1-x, meaning no foil for 2h, foil for 1h, then no foil again until they're done by the toothpick test and/or the bend test.  Time is never the best way to tell when ribs are done the way you want them.  Testing them the same way each time, and getting a good feel for how that toothpick went in, and/or how they bent, and comparing that to how you enjoyed the texture when you eat them, THAT'S the way you'll become the world's expert on how YOU like to cook ribs!

For myself, I like no foiling at all.  Partly, I'm lazy and don't want to mess with foil if I don't have to, and mostly I love my ribs so much the way they are I've never had much incentive to try foil.  But again, we all have different tastes.  Keep experimenting to determine what's the best way for YOU.

steel_egg

I only foil the ribs if I’m running short on time. About 1/2 hour is enough for me. I can still get them just about fall off the bone without. 
4 hours or so. I shoot for 275. 

JRWhitee

I don't care for them falling off the bone. I do 4-5 hours at 250 then do the bend test. They come clean off the bone but not falling off.