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Done with Ribs - Fail again

Went and got 4 racks of baby back ribs Friday morning.  Took them home - removed the membrane and applied rubs (2 had Bone Suckin Sauce rub, 1 had Raging River and the other had Red Eye Express - Figured I try them all out to see what I like better.

Setup the Egg for 240-250 with Wicked Good Charcoal and Apple and Cherry chunks mixed throughout.  After about 45 minutes at 240 - sweet smoke coming out the top I put the 4 racks of BB ribs on.  After 3 hours I took a peek and sprayed some apple juice/Jim Beam mixture over the tops of them.  At about 4 hours I tried a bend test and they bent and the meat ripped apart.  I applied some BBQ sauce to 1/2 of them and cooked for 15 more minutes.  Pulled the ribs off the Egg and let them sit under a foil tent for 15 minutes then cut up and served.

As far as taste they were ok with the Raging River being the best followed by the Red Eye Express (A little more spice - pepper).  The meat on all of them was not moist and a little tough and dried out - not fall off the bone like I have done many times on the old gasser years back.  They all had a nice smoke ring for whatever that is worth.

This is the 4th time I have made ribs on the Egg and they are not worth it.  I never like them when I cook them on the Egg.  Got 4 new racks in the freezer that are available to whoever wants to come and get them before I chuck them out to make room for other meat.

_______________________________________________________________
LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


Garnerville, NY
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Comments

  • SteveWPBFL
    SteveWPBFL Posts: 1,327
    Are you near West Palm Beach?

    I've had varied degrees of rib success on my BGE, perhaps due in part to too high expectations since pork shoulders are near fool-proof (takes one to know one?).

    So. I now set the Egg up indirect at 300F grate temp and put the ribs on with any ol' rub when the smoke clears until the rib IT and bone temp is 210F. They are not 'fall off the bone' (which I'm not impressed by anyway) but they are tender and pull off the bone nicely. They are tasty, JUICY, and well liked. Our journey continues from here .....
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    I don't think you are cooking them long enough. I cook mine at least 5 hours at 275.
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • ericdc
    ericdc Posts: 30
    I cook my spares about 5 hours, no foiling or anything. just flip em once about halfway. used plate setter with some temp about 260. they were good.
  • zosobao5150
    zosobao5150 Posts: 133
    Well, if the meet was dried out, I think you either overcooked them, or you are getting meat with almost no fat within it.  Perhaps a combo of both?

    I assume you are cooking indirect?  Did you get the meat from the same place for all the cooks?


    XL BGE
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    If you are going for fall off the bone, then I recommend a foil stage.  My formula is:

    275 dome
    3 hours on the egg
    90 minutes in foil with apple juice (or other liquid).  I use a foil pan and put all the ribs in in it cover. 
    Back on the egg about 20-30 minutes and sauce if you wish...keep cooking until they pass the bend test.
    image
    (I'm just gonna keep posting this picture all day). 





    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    edited April 2013
    <P>OK YOU HAVE TO TRY ONCE MORE. I will pay for your ribs if you don't like what I am about to suggest. Yes I will pay for the ribs if you are not happy. But you have to follow the directions.</P>
    <H1>350 indirect 1hr 40 min. Baby Backs.</H1>
    <H1>Pull membrane, add rub, add  mustard ( Note: with or w/o mustard works),again with the rub. Put on at 350 and leave the hell alone for that time (DO NOT OPEN THE EGG). This is called turbo ribs and I will never go back to 4 and 5 hour ribs.  Add whatever smoke you like. Be sure you trust your temp gadge.</H1>
    <DIV><STRONG> </STRONG></DIV>
    <P> </P>
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • MikeP624
    MikeP624 Posts: 292

    My baby backs take anywhere from 5 to 6 hours (no foil) at around 275. They are not fall off the bone, but they do come cleanly off the bong with a little bite.  Some times the bend test is not that accurate.  I go by how much the meat pulls back from the bone, and the bend test, and sometime resort to try and get the IT.  Which can be hard for ribs beause they are thin and boney.

     

  • another vote for foiling them mid way with a liquid. 

    don't quit man!
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I wouldn't sweat it... I've cooked some great ones and bad ones this weekend. I put too much rub and it over powered the meat.. they passed the bend test but were tough to me. my company loved them so they got a free rack of ribs. I've still never cooked ribs that I would give a " hell yeah"... but we will not quit, we will persevere, we will not go quietly into the night...
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    There's a million ways to cook a rib. These shouldn't have been too bad. Maybe some time foiled with juice and butter would have saved them.

    Do what Mickey said.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    IMO..... Beef ribs are so much better than :@)
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • bccomstock
    bccomstock Posts: 338
    I did some spare ribs the other day on the Egg.. Kept it around 225 indirect for about 6 hours.. No foiling at all.. They were tender and just about fall off the bone. One almost fell apart on me pulling it out of the rib rack..

    image
    LBGE
    MS Gulf Coast - Proud member of the Who Dat Nation!
    My Not Frequently Updated Basically Dead Blog: http://datcue.wordpress.com
  • Hi54putty
    Hi54putty Posts: 1,873
    Mickey said:

    IMO..... Beef ribs are so much better than :@)

    +1
    XL,L,S 
    Winston-Salem, NC 
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669

    This is the Turbo Ribs.

     

    image
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    Like others have mentioned, it sounds like they are not quite done. When they ripped, did they bend and "fall-apart" rip or stick out and "break" from their own weight? They should seem floppy and try sticking your thermometer or a toothpick in between the bones. It should in and out "like butter".
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    when bent the bones ripped out.  If it needed longer would they be "Juicy" still.  I think another hour might have resulted in bricks, no?

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,167
    I'm a firm believer that if you want fall-off-the-bone with ribs you have to use foil.  Otherwise, when they pass the bend or toothpick (more accurate method for me) test you will still get some "pull".  As noted above there are many ways to get there but before tossing the ribs, try a foil step with the next batch-or foil one rack and not another and see what the results yield.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • scottc454
    scottc454 Posts: 94
    You'd be surprised at how bad a rib can taste at one stage and how good it can taste after an hour more of cooking.  They are dry and chewy because all the fat hasn't melted.

    4 hours seems at least an hour too short at that temp. If there is a next time, I'd recommend taking some off at various stages and perhaps even leaving some on to discover where the fall off the bone, overcooked stage is.

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @robnybbq: don't give up, man! Ribs can be darn tasty off the egg.

    I'm a lazy sunova so I stopped doing the wrapping, foiling, spritzing, mopping, etc sometime ago. The first time I made ribs on the egg was kinda last minute with little thought put into it, and SWMBO said that they were the best of all the ribs I have ever made on any cooker. 

    Just to establish context: I don't like fall off the bone ribs. I like them juicy, with just a little pull to them. I like dry rub ribs, so I barely ever sauce them. I cook spares (maybe they are more forgiving?).

    My method now is: untrimmed rack of spares, slather with mustard, rub on one side first. I like to use a hot rub on the membrane side. I don't remove the membranes. Get the egg up to 300°F dome. While its heating up, I rub the other side of the rack. Throw them on, raised indirect. Done in about 3-3.5hrs. No peeking. They are done when a toothpick slides in easily or they pass the bend test. Temp can be hard to measure on a cut like ribs, but I think I liked mine done to about 195-200°F.

    I have tried turbo ribs before, and while its a great way to cook ribs when you just can't wait a few hours, I think they come out kinda greasy because of the way the fat renders during a turbo cook. Also they seemed to have less smoke flavor when I did them that way. YMMV. It would be worthwhile to try, see if you like it, then tweak as you see fit.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    As others have said, the time seems too short for the temperature. My subsidiary test to the bend test is the pinch test. If I can pinch off a taste, and the bone underneath is fairly dry, they're as good as they are going to be. The meat is tender, the collagen has turned to gel, and my fingers don't get burned when pulling it off the bone.

    I tried to find a pic I posted to the old forum that showed the pinch test. Alas, I seem to have pitched the pic. Here one of a rack that had gone a little too far past the bend test. Maybe you can see that the bone is mostly dry. The ribs have had some mopping or sauce, which indicates that I thought they were a little overdone.

    Next time you post, could you offer a pic? It would help figure out what's going on.

    And, perhaps offer some of your failures to others. I'm often disappointed with what I cook, I  think I know just what I want, but often my family (my wife does not hesitate to criticize)  and my guests are delighted.

    But if the gasser worked for you, don't give away another batch of ribs, give the Egg away. I'm sure there will be many who would be delighted to grab it.
  • Wow you should not quit,  man I have not made a good steak on the egg yet, and I bet I have tried at least 20 times, ok I was stupid and tried the same way a whole bunch, but I finally looked around and I will try another way, and before I cook them I am going to ask these guys, and gals here for sure. They have helped me immensely. This doesn't mean that I listen to them all the time, kinda hard headed that way. Ok just dont give up. Unless you can make like a cool show and say like " no go to stubbs, save youself the ribs are hideous"  just thinking out loud here. 
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Its just ribs and chicken breasts are my nemesis.  I can cook a Brisket well and that is supposed to be hard to do.  Pork butts, steaks come our great (especially now that I have a spider with a cast iron grate to cook low into the flames) , spatchcock chickens/turkeys, prime ribs, pork loins, chili, chuck roasts,

    Just not ribs and chicken breasts - they are like cryptonite.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Aviator
    Aviator Posts: 1,757
    edited April 2013

    Yeah, like others have said above. I do ribs regularly and is a favorite of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than some single malt before, during and after/with ribs.

    Some are bad ribs, and I blame it on the cryo packs; you don't know if that pig was dead 10yrs ago. I have started buying fresh from publix and have never looked back. They are more expensive, but who wouldn't spend some for some good ribs.

    ______________________________________________ 

    Large and Small BGE, Blackstone 36 and a baby black Kub.

    Chattanooga, TN.

     

  • ericdc
    ericdc Posts: 30
    I try to by the ones that are just wrapped and not sealed airtight in solution. one of our 4 local grocery stores sell them like that. I assume they are fresh.
  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    I have been getting mine from Costco for a few years now and have never had a bad pack. Maybe i'm just lucky.

                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    JRWhitee said:
    I have been getting mine from Costco for a few years now and have never had a bad pack. Maybe i'm just lucky.

    This is how I go too. I have never had bad meat from Costco. I attribute this to their high quality standards.
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    We use BJ's.  When I used the gasser they were great.  just cant cook them right now.  We got them from Restaurant Depot this time - they look the same - maybe a little less meat on the bones but basically the same.  they were labeled "Fresh" but they also had "Frozen" thawed ribs as well.

    Who knows - Next up is probably a pork loin, spatchcock or something new and exciting maybe if I get time.  Only got Sundays possibly available now and they are getting booked up on all the stuff I cant get to during the week.  Maybe I should hire a chef to come cook on the Egg so I can have some good eats when I get home at night.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • double
    double Posts: 1,214
    JRWhitee said:
    I have been getting mine from Costco for a few years now and have never had a bad pack. Maybe i'm just lucky.

    This is how I go too. I have never had bad meat from Costco. I attribute this to their high quality standards.
    Agree only bad thing I had from costco was some lobster tails. Ribs and meat has always been great.
    Lynnwood WA
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Aviator said:

    Yeah, like others have said above. I do ribs regularly and is a favorite of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than some single malt before, during and after/with ribs.

    Some are bad ribs, and I blame it on the cryo packs; you don't know if that pig was dead 10yrs ago. I have started buying fresh from publix and have never looked back. They are more expensive, but who wouldn't spend some for some good ribs.

    As @Aviator rightfully pointed out, it is very important to keep the cook well-lubricated starting from the pre-planning stage fo the cook. Single malt does the trick for me also. Maybe that's why everything tastes so good... I'm too soused to know any better!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Personally, I prefer spare ribs cut STL style.  Baby backs are too lean for my taste and sometimes are dry.  (Just my humble opinion.)
    Brighton, IL (North East of St. Louis, MO)