Wrap Baby Backs or not

MGOms

I’ve always cooked baby back ribs using a 2-2-1 method but have seen several posts where folks don’t wrap their ribs after the first 2 hours. I have two racks on the large BGE and looking for opinions on wrapping. Thinking of doing one rack without wrapping and taking them off after they have been on about 4 hours. Dome temp is between 235-250. 

MJG

I have never wrapped nor never seen the need. Typically 4 hours and good to go. Your mileage may vary. Would be interested to hear results if you wrap one and leave the other al fresco. 

SmokeyPitt

Ribs cook faster when wrapped, so you may need to leave the unwrapped ribs on longer depending on how you want them. For my liking, 4 hours at 235-250 is probably not going to get them where I like them...but this also depends on how thick they are. 

StillH2OEgger

Doing one of each is a great idea. Everybody has different sweet spot for ribs and this is the way to figure out which way produces the result you and/or your family prefers. I wrap for an hour without adding liquid and that delivers what we're looking for -- good texture without getting mushy.

Legume

StillH2OEgger said:

Doing one of each is a great idea. Everybody has different sweet spot for ribs and this is the way to figure out which way produces the result you and/or your family prefers. I wrap for an hour without adding liquid and that delivers what we're looking for -- good texture without getting mushy.

I never used to wrap, lately I’ve been wrapping for 30 min or so with a little sauce and like the way it just softens them up a little and keeps them moist.

Hub

Aluminum foil is one of the greatest inventions in the history of Earth.  Wrapping your ribs for part of your cook will cause your ribs to cook faster and maintain more moisture.  There is no way that is a bad thing.

Foghorn

Your plan sounds great.  I’ve done them both ways. Now I tailor the cook to the audience. If it’s just me and my son - or other guys who really like rib meat - I cook them naked. If my wife or other civilized people are partaking I cook them the way I learned from a competition team - by wrapping with Parkay squeeze margarine and brown sugar... (try it - but you may never go back due to demand of those who ate them).

Both are great in the right setting. 

kcw

Wrapping them is steaming them. I just mist with apple juice & cider vinegar every hour or so.

bikesAndBBQ

I don’t wrap anything. Too much work for me. The egg holds moisture so well I don’t think wrapping would do much. I cook ribs around 300 so they finish quickly without wrapping. 

MGOms

I’m with Foghorn; the consensus is to not wrap now that we did them side by side  both are awesome though. The pic with the separated bone is the wrapped; they were fall apart tender when I took out of the wrap to get the color on them. Going to do some for a neighbor tomorrow and they want 1/2 and 1/2. 

StillH2OEgger

So how long do you go in the foil?

MGOms

I did 2 hours unwrapped then 2 hours wrapped and then 1 unwrapped. On my electric, I’ve done 2 unwrapped, then 1 1/2 wrapped and then 1 1/2 unwrapped. 

StillH2OEgger

If you're doing another round tomorrow, I'd suggest trying one hour in foil and see how like that.

pgprescott

I don’t wrap my BB’s. I find the stl cut is far fattier and lends itself to the wrap. It’s not that you can’t wrap them to impart a deeper flavor profile but you have to really watch them as they tend to overlook way faster than the spares. Your margin for error on wrapped BB’s is quite narrow. I’m too lazy for the narrow window. I do wrap the stl cut. As others have suggested, I spritz or mop to replicate the layered flavor profile of my spares.

Get er done!