Help with Indirect Baby Backs

Fritz

Okay, I am gonna try the indirect route. I have read temps of 275 and 375 and times of two hours and three hours.[p]Give me some advice here.[p]Fritz

King-O-Coals

<p />Fritz, I just had a slightly less than perfect experience with my first try at an improved indirect cooking of baby-backs. I cooked them at 200 for 5 hours. They were not as tender as usuall because they didn't get quite as done as normal. I normally use the plate setter upside down, cook them at 200 for 5 hours and let the ribs just drip on it. They are usually falling apart tender. This time I used this setup. I figured 200 is 200. I now have them in the oven at 250 to finish them off to the tender stage. I got some pics to post but this is the indirect method I used today.

Teslamania

Fritz,[p]When you cook indirect, you can raise the heat. I cook my baby backs at about 325 to 350, until the meat is pulling back off the end of the bone. I usually start out at a lower temp for a while so that they get good and smoked, and then end up cooking them for around 2 to 3 hrs. Depends on how you like them. You can check on them by looking through the top vent. I am afraid of cooking at too high of a temp and cracking my fire box and fire ring again!

King-O-Coals

Teslamania, AFRAID? HA! That's like owning a Corvette and never getting out of 2nd grear. I want the Russians to see my heat from their infrared satellites. Everything I got is cracked. Well except my boat,, oh! and and my butt. I just put it on for a 24 hour cook.:^)[p]I just took my ribs,, formally known as "kinda tuff", out of the oven after 1.5 hours at 250 and they are falling apart tender. I need to re-evaluate my cooking temps and times. I think I have heard so many different variables, I have become brain-dead. Next time it will be 300 indirect for 4 hours,, or less.

Tim M

Fritz,[p]The nice thing with indirect is that you have a more broad cooking range to work in. There is no right or wrong temp - it depends on the time that goes with it. You didn't say what you were using to go indirect (firebricks, pizza stone or drip pan) but if its ceramic you can go 350 for 3 hr and you should see some pretty good results. If dinner is running late - extend and lower the temp a little. In a rush? Raise it up to 375 and burn on some bbq sauce. [p]Enjoy!![p]Pic's on my website if you need the help
Tim

Nature Boy

Fritz,
Have not looked at the other responses, but I did Cat's babybacks yesterday at 300 indirect, over drip pan filled with liquid. They were done after 3.5 hours. And good.[p]NB

db

Fritz, The last thing I want is meat shrinking back up the bone. If meat shrinks that means you just squeezed a lot of moisture out of it. Cook 'em at 225 deg for as long as it takes to get them where you want them. 5 to 7 hrs should do it. The idea is to keep the water in the fibers, not squeeze
it out with high heat. If you have ever grilled pork chops, you know what I'm talking about. Grill them with high temp and they curl up and the juices get squeezed out. Smoke them low and slow they retain their shape because they retained their juices.

Nature Boy

db,
I want to try the super long cooks with ribs soon.
With the indirect at 300 method, the drip pan is never above 212 if it has liquid in it. I have found that the ribs cook nice at that temp, and don't loose their moisture. [p]Much different than 300 with no liquid.
Next time, I will try them indirect lower and LONGER, like you say 5-7 hours. Thanks.
NB

Tim M

db,
Not meaning to quibble - but do you imply that cooking at 225 for 7 hrs direct won't dry out a rack-o-ribs more than cooking at 325 for 3 hrs indirect? [p]Tim

King-O-Coals

Nature Boy, 200 indirect for 5 won't do it. Probably 200 at 6 or 7 hours would be it.

db

Tim M, Feel free to quibble. Have you ever tried grilled
quibble with honey and rosemary?
Cooking ribs at 225 "until they are done" will leave more moisture in the meat than cooking at 375 until they are done. And this usually takes 5 to 7 hrs depending on the ribs and how they were prepared. Try it, you'll like it.
db[p]

Tim M

db,
I will have to disagree then. [p]T

db

BTW, I'm trying only my second all night brisket tonight. I put five lbs of lump in the big egg. No top ala Cat. it's runnin' at a smooth 225. One log of cherry. Sterted at 1600 hrs. Will it make it til 0700.
db[p]

db

Tim M, I believe that I cannot judge one method or one seasoning from another unless I do a side by side cook and compare them at the same sitting. If I cook meat one way this weekend and another next weekend, I'm not sure I've got a good enough memory to really compare the two. Now, you made me think about my post and I was coming from a offset
pit background. With my new moiture retention egg, could you be right? I've never done ribs at 375 on the egg. This calls for a test. I guess I'l have to eat all those ribs.
I hate that.[p]

Tim M

db,[p]A side by side will be tough if comparing 325 indirect and 225 direct. Kinda like comparing a motorcycle and a car - yea, they're both on pavement but that's about as far as you can carry it. Same with direct and indirect. I have never tried 225 dome for 5-7 hrs indirect. That would be intereting if I could remember at 11am to put on the ribs for dinner. I must try it sometime. I can assure you that 6-7 hrs direct over 225 deg dome will produce jerky - or near close to it. [p]Tim

King-O-Coals

Tim M, I've done baby-backs at 150 direct for 6 hours and they were great. BUT, 150 is one of them hard to hold temps. It can be done if you are sitting near the egg and keep an eye on it. If refreshments are being served, it takes three or four people to watch it. Kinda like trying to balance a cue stick on your nose for 6 hours. I do know from todays experience that 200 indirect for 5 hours is just a little shy of temp or time.

Tim M

King-O-Coals,[p]Boy I agree with you that holding 225 or less is tough. You are right in that you have to be there to make adjustments - about every 5 min. I have given up doing anything below 225 - too much fat dripping has put out several fires when left unattended below 225 dome. Going indirect really cuts the infrared radiation and you can add a lot more temp. [p]Heck holding 150 deg where you are means only adding a few extra degrees sometimes. Your there with just the starter cube! Hehee[p]Tim

db

King-O-Coals, I sometimes use a cooker (it's black, shaped like a bullit, and starts with a W) when I'm not using my egg. To keep the temp at 180 for extended cooks I made a cylinder out of stainless chicken wire. Load it up with one log upright down the center, then pour the charcoal around the log. It was about 12 inches high and 8 inches around.
Start it by putting hot coals on top.
You could make one that fits on top of the egg fire grate.