What went wrong?

The_Smoking_Gnu

2 racks pork back ribs each cut in half for 4 slabs. Dry rub in fridge overnite. 5.5hrs in the egg @250deg. Ended up all dried out.

Too long?

Too high?

what did I do wrong?

MJG

I suspect too long a cook.  Ribs, for me, generally take about 4 hours. 

SonVolt

5.5 hours without wrapping? Yeah, that sounds like a recipe for dry ribs. I do 3-1-1, 3 hours exposed, 1 hour wrapped in foil, then 1 hour exposed with a sauce glaze.  

Did you use a plate setter?

lkapigian

dome temp accurate? Were they naked the whole time? Ribs don't usually dry out when overcooked but fall apart....Pics? Did they look like this? these are overcooked, if the meat was not pulled away from the bone then undercooked

The_Smoking_Gnu

no wrapper. Plate setter in legs-up. Rib rack set on grate. monitored temp using dome therm and Thermoworks Smoke ambient monitor.

Meat looked pulled away from bone a bit.

Sounds like too long/exposed. Ill try the 3-1-1. Sounds like a winner.

thanks a bunch

Gnu out.

Mattman3969

Sounds undercooked    How did you test them for doneness?

SonVolt

I've tried 3-2-1 before and the meat was too soft. Just play around with it until you get the desired outcome. I'm a firm believer in wrapping everything.

lkapigian

These were about 4 hours 275 Ish 3-.75-.30- I know an odd combo but I only wrap to speed things up and unwrap as quickly as I can

StillH2OEgger

Time is only a guideline. They're done when they're done. Tooth pick test never lies.

lousubcap

@StillH2OEgger has the key to success.  Always trust the toothpick-start early as it doesn't take much effort to execute.  

tarheelmatt

Question kind sir.  

What is the 250° derived from and is that from a calibrated source?  

Could be undercooked if your temps were too low.  

Cornholio

I use Car Wash Mike’s method which does not have a foil step and never had them dry out.  My ribs are usually on at least 5hrs total but it varies and there’s some misting involved, bottom line is they are done when they feel done and look done.  Going off of time alone isn’t a good method, leave the timer for baking.  Good excuse to buy more ribs and try again!

HoustonEgger

Add a drip tray with water to increase the moisture in the egg. Looks like the drippings on the plate setter were burning which can effect your flavor

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I would be willing to bet that your issue here was the overnight in the fridge with rub on them ( I am assuming they were not wrapped up- if they were, this would not likely be the culprit). With the salt content in most rubs, that is essentially a dry brine if left on there that long. Ribs are thin enough that they likely would brine all the way through overnight. That salt will pull all the liquid out and the fridge will evaporate that liquid if they are not covered. 

Cornholio

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

I would be willing to be that your issue here was the overnight in the fridge with rub on them ( I am assuming they were not wrapped up- if they were, this would not likely be the culprit). With the salt content in most rubs, that is essentially a dry brine if left on there that long. Ribs are thin enough that they likely would brine all the way through overnight. That salt will pull all the liquid out and the fridge will evaporate that liquid if they are not covered. 

Good point, that’s probably why Car Wash Mike says to only leave the rubbed ribs in the fridge for 2 hours max.  I found his instructions on here back when I got my egg in 2011 and haven’t strayed very far from it since.  Think I’ll do some this weekend with my new AR setup! 

SonVolt

Wait - were these baby back ribs? If so, 5.5 hours is WAY too long IMO. My advice was for spareribs. 

The_Smoking_Gnu

"What is the 250° derived from and is that from a calibrated source?"

Temps were monitored using a Thermoworks Smoke ambient probe and the native dome thermometer.

"I would be willing to bet that your issue here was the overnight in the fridge with rub on them ( I am assuming they were not wrapped up- if they were, this would not likely be the culprit). With the salt content in most rubs, that is essentially a dry brine if left on there that long."

 Overnite rub was wrapped in plastic.

"Sounds undercooked    How did you test them for doneness? "

pulled on the bones to feel how loose.

Gonna go look up CarWashMike.

thx ,all

GrillSgt

Ribs are just about the only meat I inject. It’s a pain but yields good results. 

gdenby

The only thing I might add to Cen-Tex is that ribs standing up in a rack don't get even heat. The portions up closer to the dome get more heat.In my experience, the slabs need to be rotated during the cook to cook evenly.

Also, when you took the half slabs off, did they bend? If not, under done, or burnt stiff.

pgprescott

Baby back or loin back ribs are leaner than the stl or spare cut. They require less time. 4 hours at the temp you mentioned would be plenty. Toothpick test is your guide to doneness rather than time. Every piece of protein is different. It’s not uncommon for each rack of ribs to cook slightly different even during the same  cook. Also, the moist environment of the egg generally cooks everything a bit faster than generic recipes. Use the time as a general guide and either temp the meat or poke it for ribs and brisket. Keep at it. It’s worth it. 

nolaegghead

they didn't look overcooked.  as Centex said, salt on ribs will brine them overnight.  I noticed years ago that salting (pre-rubbing  or brining) pork ribs has the opposite effect as it does on other meats where you expect it to be juicier and more tender.

based on my experience I add the rub/seasoning/salt right before they go on the grill, or *after* SV.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

nolaegghead said:

they didn't look overcooked.  as Centex said, salt on ribs will brine them overnight.  I noticed years ago that salting (pre-rubbing  or brining) pork ribs has the opposite effect as it does on other meats where you expect it to be juicier and more tender.

based on my experience I add the rub/seasoning/salt right before they go on the grill, or *after* SV.

same here. That is a long time in the salt for ribs. 

Eggcelsior

When I season the night before, I wrap tightly in saran wrap. That seems to help mitigate moisture loss since there is no evaporation. Judean People's Front vs. The People's Front of Judea.

The_Smoking_Gnu

Thanks all for the input. Made several more racks StL cut using variances on the 3-1-1 format and all were fabulous. The overnite brine is what trashed my first effort.

since then I’ve also done a pork butt overnite without a blower/controller thing.
A little anxious going to bed that nite but the results were really amazing.
Thx again.

milesvdustin

Glad you fixed it, ribs are my favorite 

QDude

There really is no reason to put water in a pan in the egg that I have seen.  Unless you need a heat sink.  I have never had an issue with not enough moisture in my egg.