Need some Rib advice

wellsy37 · January 2015

Team Egg with Pork experiance,

I have done 2 sets of ribs in the past and been disappointing with my final product.. used the 3-2-1 method and sprayed apple juice every hour when there wasn't foil.

My plan is to do three full slabs cutting the spare rib to a St. Louis style placing on the rack attached with indirect heat @225-250 for 5-6 hours.... not foil at all. Using a dry rub

Questions I have

1.) Does a rack vs laying them flat on the grill affect anything? Is there a better way that I don't know about?

2.) How often do I spray with apple juice? Should I use some other concoction to spray?

3.) How do I test the "doneness" while on the rack?

4.) What dry rub should I use? (I live in Austin Texas... do they have that at HEB?)

5.) How do I arrange the smoking wood so that it lasts the whole time instead of just the first couple hours. Do I only use my electric starter on a portion of the lump so that it will spread of the time of the cook?

Any other suggestions would be great!

I am locked into never covering with foil as I want to do something different

Will post pics by Monday of the results!

theyolksonyou · January 2015

What didn't you like about your previous attempts?

badinfluence · January 2015

Can't help much as I always foil. Question to you when you did foil what liquid did you put in with the foil? I put honey and butter and brown sugar down on the foil then place meat side down on top of all. And I do a 2-2-1 method. You can tell when they are done by looking at the pull back on the bone. Should pull back a inch or so. Or do the bend test. Of my favor ate way to tell it just to sneak a bone and eat it. Lol

Brisket_Fanatic · January 2015

1.) I don't think standing up or laying flat changes the way they cook.

2.) Durning the first 3 hours I spritz every hour with apple cider vinegar/apple cider mix

3.) @RRP I think said meat temp between bones is 195 - 205 if memory serves me. Otherwise I just like to do the bend test or prick the meat with tooth pic and feel if they are done.

4.) I use a secret blend of 14 spices but store bought grocery store rub like Famous Daves RIb RUb would be fine as well.

5.) I like to use 2 - 3 fist size chunks for smoking. Put them in and let the VOC's burn off until you get a nice thin blue smoke about 30 minutes before putting on the ribs. Just push them down into the lump from the top.

If i am cooking spares I like the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 or some combination otherwise with Baby Backs I like to go 6 hours at 250 with no foiling.

wellsy37 · January 2015

theyolksonyou said:

What didn't you like about your previous attempts?

The meat was too tough.... was not "fall off the bone"... no real moisture in the meat

theyolksonyou · January 2015

Then not foiling is not your answer. Maybe the liquid or amount of you put in your foil. If you want fall of the bone, stick with the foil and modify your method from there.

Mickey · January 2015

Baby Back Turbo Ribs (No flip) 350 indirect for 1hr 40 min. Before cooking: Pull membrane , rub, mustard, rub. Put on at 350 and leave the hell alone for about that time. This is called turbo ribs and I will never go back to 4 and 5 hour ribs. Note: with or w/o mustard works .. I like Bad Byron's Butt Rub / I like cherry & pecan mix for wood. If you want sauce: opened 15 min early and sauce. I like the sauce on the table.

Brisket_Fanatic · January 2015

wellsy37 said:

theyolksonyou said:

What didn't you like about your previous attempts?

The meat was too tough.... was not "fall off the bone"... no real moisture in the meat

If the meat was tough and dry then they were undercooked. Rib meat when overcooked will fall off the bone and have a mushy texture.

JohnH12 · January 2015

Mickey said: "Baby Back Turbo Ribs (No flip) 350 indirect for 1hr 40 min. Before cooking: Pull membrane , rub, mustard, rub. Put on at 350 and leave the hell alone for about that time."

Will this work for a full rack of untrimmed spares if everything else is the same.

tisoypops · January 2015

I got the famous daves at heb. It's pretty good. I Wish grocery stores had better choices. Gonna have to order online to get any of the bada$$ stuff everyone raves about on here im afraid.

ShadowNick · January 2015

Don't spritz, cools down the meat and increases cooking time due to evaporative cooling. Sounds like they just weren't done yet. A lot of the sensation of moisture in ribs comes from the break down of tissues and fats, not water. That's why they were likely dry and tough. A lot of the water had cooked out but the tough stuff hadn't had a chance to break down yet. Pull them when a skewer can slide through the meat between bones like butter.

chainsaw19 · January 2015

Love the turbo method

Jerald · January 2015

As far as rubs, it depends on your taste. This is one that I like:

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon white pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

If you prefer more of a Memphis flair :

grege345 · January 2015

You want fall off the bone your gonna have to foil. Try emerils rib rub. It's good and ez to find. Expand from there. Skewer test is a good way or if you want you can use a thermo. 200° there done. It's just tricky to be accurate. Pull back on bone is also good way or combination of all. Good luck and let us know how you make out

gdenby · January 2015

I stopped using foil years ago. Only reason to do it is to infuse sweet liquid into the meat, sort of like a pre-saucing.

Don't mess with spraying/spritzing. As above, it just slows down the cooking. Ceramic cookers hold in enough moisture at an even temp that no extra water is needed. The amount of flavor added is minimal,

My impression is that ribs done laying flat are a little more consistent. Usually if I'm using a rack, it is because I need to cram in as much as possible. So some portions don't get quite as much airflow as others. And there is a vertical temperature gradient, so the ribs are not quite at the same temperature from one end to the other.

I'm not to good with the toothpick test, so called. I use the bend test. If the slab folds under it own weight, its done. Or, if I can pull a bone partially out w. my fingers, also done.

Mix your lump w. chips or chunks. FWIW, another effect of ceramic cookers is that the tight air flow control doesn't produce much visible smoke. The wood bakes away into vapor once the water in it evaporates.

I've had John Henry's rubs, which are made to his east Texas taste. I see from the store locator at the company site, there are several places that carry them in & around Austin. Curiously a few are liquor stores. Also, check out any local butchers. Around me, better shops package their own blends, and they are often better than average.

wellsy37 · January 2015

Team.... thank you all for the inputs..... it seems I did not cook the ribs long enough in the past.... I went with a 3 - 2 - 1.5ish method and that seem to get them looser.

Used famous daves for a rub... and Coke, honey, and butter for a foil treatment......

the cooking was perfect... need to work on the spices!!!!

thanks to all!!!! would post pics... but I was chasing my 2 year old around and did not have time to take them.... barely had time to watch over the meat.

Legume · January 2015

Try Academy for rubs as well, they usually have a decent selection. Not as many as HEB, but what they have are usually higher quality / smaller brands. Watch the salt content in the rubs - salt ruins ribs for me since the surface area to meat ratio is so much different than a brisket or pork butt, so I use rubs that have less salt so I can go heavier on the flavor.

If you're near the airport at all, Callahan's on 183 has a good selection of rubs you don't see at HEB or Academy.

I don't know about spares, but if you like baby backs, the three pack from Costco has the membrane already removed.

Jeepster47 · January 2015

Sample packs from rub manufacturers yield a great value. It hurts to spend money on a bottle of rub that the family votes down.

Oakridge BBQ has two different sample packs ... low cost and free shipping. Try the "Dominator Sweet Rib Rub" first.

I received a sample pack of several Dizzy Pig rubs through a friend. You can assemble your own sample pack on their web site ... go to the one(s) you want to try and click on "Select Size" where you'll find their sample size package. Dizzy Pig certainly got their money back on that package ... found three of them we liked and now have stocked at home. Include Raging River in your sample pack.

Penzeys seems to be overlooked in the BBQ world. They shouldn't be, because their spices are very fresh and very good. And again, you don't have to buy a half pound jar to try them out. Try their English Prime Rib rub ... it's one of our staples.

ummgood · January 2015

I agree with everyone else. I have only done 4 rib cooks at this point. I have cooked 3 racks each time (costco pack of loin backs). I use a rib rack, I have the plate setter legs up, I put a foil pan with water then put the grill with the rack on it. I cook for 5 hours at 225 and they come out great every time. I don't open the egg except to put the ribs in and then finally take them out.

The only times I have had disappointing results was due to the rub. Honestly so far I have tried 4 rubs and my favorite is Rudy's rub. I have been trying to get other rubs because my kids think the Rudy's is too spicy.

Jeepster47 · January 2015

@ummgood ... use a different rub on each of your three racks for the next cook. Maybe use Rudy's on one as a benchmark or maybe three new ones. Then get the family involved in voting for the best ... the high vote getter becomes the new benchmark as you add in two new ones next time. The kids will love the process.

Sample packs will provide a low cost trial and error success test method.

ummgood · January 2015

Jeepster47 said:

@ummgood ... use a different rub on each of your three racks for the next cook. Maybe use Rudy's on one as a benchmark or maybe three new ones. Then get the family involved in voting for the best ... the high vote getter becomes the new benchmark as you add in two new ones next time. The kids will love the process.

Sample packs will provide a low cost trial and error success test method.

Thanks I love that idea! I will have to get some sample packs.

Need some Rib advice

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