dry ribs

Unknown

I cooked ribs for the first time on the BGE could not believe how dry they were and they certainly were not falling off the bone. I cooked them low and slow at 225 for about six hours indirect for 5hrs. and direct for 1hr turning every 45 min. I also foiled for a hour in between. Now what I did not do. I did not marinade them over night nor did I have a drip pan with water. I also had the membranes removed which my butcher thought was unusal. Needless to say I was looking forwad to having the best ribs. Could so one tell me if the things I did'nt do would make a big difference. thanks

Unknown

Spit Fire,
I have owned my egg 11/2 years and only had dry ribs once.[p]The usual method for me is cook indirect 3hrs at low temp 225-260 depending on where it sets. Then I wrap in foil and cook another 3 hrs at same temp, then dependin on if I wants basted or not, can brush with sauce and give 20 minutes or so to stik. I someitmes put bbq sauce on the ribs before I wrap them in foil to add some moisture.[p]
I'm a first timer on this forum, but thats what I do.

WessB

Spit Fire,
The very first thing I would suggest is to calibrate your thermometer...I also think you could have easily just left them cooking indirect until they were tender and bending...you can check out a detailed rib cook at my website...which is only the way I did them...almost everyone has their own personal twist for cooking ribs..and almost every one of them are excellent, just gotta find the one you like the best....HTH[p]Wess
[ul][li]WessB`s[/ul]

The Naked Whiz

Spit Fire,
It doesn't sound like you did much that was drastically different from what I do. I don't marinade, just put on a coat of mustard with rub. I remove the membrane, but that isn't going to affect the dryness. I don't use water in my drip pan either. I don't finish them direct; that's about the only difference I see. [p]Typically, I do them at 250 for 3 hours indirect, foil and do them at 250 1 hour indirect, remove foil and finish for 1-1.5 hours indirect at 250. I won't say my ribs will win any competitions, but they aren't dry.[p]I suppose you could check your thermometer to make sure you aren't cooking hotter than you think. That's about all I can think of. [p]TNW

Unknown

Spit Fire,
First, it is going to be hard to be too specific with the info given. However, here are some thoughts. My opinions only.[p]Meat is cooked when it's cooked. That means everyone's time estimates are just that: estimates of how long to cook. You must let the meat tell you when it's done.[p]You didn't say if the ribs were spares or baby backs. Were they 3 and under or 6 pounders? All of this impacts cooking times. As a general comment, 6 hours seems too long to cook any ribs at the temps you did. Also, is that dome temp or grill temp?[p]Most people put a rub on and let them sit overnight in the fridge. Others just put on the rub for an hour or 2 and then begin cooking. Most don't marinade ribs, at least based on the discussions I've read. Also, when cooing with any ceramic cooker, you don't need a drip pan WITH WATER.[p]I would recommend trying again and this time check the meat for doneness rather than by specific times. The meat will pull up from the bones. When that occurs, check for doneness by twisting on a bone. It doesn't need to pull out, but it should have some give. Another way is to pick up the rack at one end and see if the other end bends pointing to the ground.[p]Good luck and don't be discouraged. Cooking with ceramics is different (and better). You just need to learn the tricks.

tach18k

Spit Fire,
It almost seems like you had beef ribs, which 6 hours is too long. Pork ribs would take no more than 4 hours for me.
One thing missed on the post below. How many ribs were cooking and were still in a rack? All the temps and time should be for full racks intact. I have done baby backs in 4 hours 2,1,1. and were perfect at 250.

Smoked Signals

Spit Fire,[p]Did you let the meat rest after being in the cooker?
I usually let them rest in foil for 20 minutes or so ... drives my family nuts. They have a hard time waiting.[p]Smoked Signals