ribs

mike

ok... what gives... Ribs @ 200 for 4 1/2 hours, indirect over an h20 pan that was placed on the plate setter and -don't get me wrong- they were good, but not falling off the bone... not enuf heat? not enuf time? what's the secret... ????

Nature Boy

mike,
Everything sounds good....except your temps. 250 would have probably gotten you where you wanted to be. Even at 250, your 4.5 hour time woud be on the low end.[p]Good luck on the next batch!
Chris

char buddy

mike,[p]Get a good, needle-nosed instant read thermometer (of it you already have one, here's one more use). As your ribs cook, put the needle-nosed probe between the bones at the mid-point of your rack. I like the chew I get on mine at 180º. You might like a fallin' off the bone chew at 180º. The main point is to you use a temp target point to figure out when the ribs are where you like'em. After a few attempts, you should be able to get a good range on the times and temps that work for you. I used to do various 3-1-1 methods with and without foil, but now I like to put ribs in a rack on an indirect set up and cook at any temp between 200 and 225 with or without a water pan (doesn't seem to make much of a difference) for as long as it takes to hit my target temp (sometimes five hours, sometimes less). I'm trying to "melt the fat" to get a good texture (like with a pulled pork), rather than using steam to get a good chew. Using foil and or a water pan seems like a plan to use steam, whereas a good low-temp that "melts the fat" seems to work too. Just my two-cents. [p]CB[p]

Tim M

mike,
Nature Boy is correct - more heat. Cooking at 200 deg dome is old thinking and not very well accepted by most here who have had their eggs long. I avoid anything under 225 deg dome - it's just too low to cook ribs. You want the rib meat to reach 190 deg for awhile to allow the meat to pull free. Temps under that will have meat stuck to the bone. I don't think it makes much difference in 2 hrs or 6 hrs as long as the meat reaches that temp. It does matter in how much fat is rendered off and longer is better than very short 2 - 3 hrs cooks. The use of foil in the cook is one sure fire way to get "fall'n tender" ribs but many curl their noses at the idea. Look for recipes like 3-1-1 or 3-1-1.5 etc. These are the recipes with foil and they yield a fantastic meal.[p]Tim
[ul][li]Timmy's[/ul]

mike

ok guys, I get it.... thanks for the tips.... but lemme ask you this... would 10 or 12 hours have made a difference? You know what I mean? Not that I would ever be able to wait that long if i can just jack the temp up, but is there a benefit to long and low smoking as long as you hit 190? [p]

EdF

Mike,[p]Have to agree with Char Buddy.[p]I did some spares Friday, and they ran about 6-1/2 hours at a temp wavering between 210-230. Came out pretty nice, almost but not quite all the fat rendered out of them. Previous time I did 5 hours, and there was a lot of fat left.[p]- Ed[p]

WudEyeDoo

mike,
I don't think "fall off the bone" would be my goal on ribs (for my taste, anyway). Whenver I have had fall off the bone ribs, usually at restaurants, the meat is very tender but kind of mushy. I think I am in the "pull off the bone" camp. The meat has a better texture IMO.[p]I did baby back ribs this weekend that turned out to be my best yet. They ended up just like I like them, they pulled cleanly off the bone. I cooked them on a rib rack, direct at about 250 dome temp. I flipped/rotated the ribs every 45 minutes and took them off at just under the 4 hour mark. [p]By the way, thanks to those who responded to my "favorite rib rub" question Friday. I went with Carnivore's suggestion of Willy's Number Onederful rub from Smoke and Spice. That was a keeper. I also have the other suggestions for future use...thanks again.[p]Bob

char buddy

mike ,[p]Why not get "jiggy" wid it? Try it and see what happens if you do or do not spike the temp to save an hour or two.

Tim M

mike ,[p]They will dry out after a time no matter what you do. I would think 8-10 is too much (certainly too much for baby backs) but I never tried more than 6 hrs. The closer the surrounding temp is to the desired goal temp, the harder and longer it will take to get there. That is why we bump up the dome temp in the last 1-3 hrs of a pork butt which is going to 195-205 deg. If your dome temp is 210°, and you have an indirect setup, your meat could be cooking in a 185° heat in places where the convection currents won't easily carry heat from the fire. Cooking at 225 just makes those cool spots a tad hotter and so the 185-190 deg rib meat can be reached.[p]Tim

buffy

mike,
Spend a little more time getting to know your meat. I don't even fool with meat thermometers on ribs. I can't use my finger to press into the meat to see how done it is. If I can push the meat off the bone pretty easy. It's pretty much done.