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What am I doing wrong?

I cooked two racks of baby back ribs yesterday and they turned out a little dry. I went meat up for two hours, meat down for one, meat up for another hour(because the meat still hadn’t pulled away from the bone) and one hour wrapped in foil. Smoked on a medium with a plate setter at 250. The temp never wavered. 
Thanks!

Comments

  • bikesAndBBQ
    bikesAndBBQ Posts: 284
    Have you cooked ribs before like that with good results?  I would go by a doneness test like the toothpick test or bend test rather than just timing them. If you’ve done them like that before with good results, maybe you just got a bad rack of ribs. Were they tender?
    Pittsburgh, PA. LBGE
  • Chainsmoker
    Chainsmoker Posts: 114
    I’ve been out of the game for a while but best as I can remember, yes, that’s the way I did it. Recently, I thought I had been cooking them too low (225) so yesterday I bumped it up to 250. 
  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351
    Here is how you can get them juicy every time, smoke them direct @ 225 / 250 ish with what ever rub you like wood chips/ chunks you like for an hour or two you don't want to go to long with the smoke or you can dry out the meat, then put them in a glass 9x13 pan with a can 12oz or 16 oz bottle of coke cover with foil tightly, put it back on the egg same temp they should be done in 4-5 hours so, start checking them at 3 hours if they go to long you will have pulled pork. We do this with boneless country style ribs for smaller amounts of pulled pork. Oh you will NEVER taste the Coke.

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Toothpick test for the win.  Always dependable results.  FWIW-
    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.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Dry ribs are almost always undercooked.  When you overcook them they fall apart. It certainly sounds like you cooked them long enough, but sometimes they can be stubborn especially if they are thick. I would also consider bumping the temp up a little  


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

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    A question. What was the texture of the meat like? Most often under cooked will seem dry, but somewhat tough. Meat strands may still sticking to the bone. But sometimes, the meat can be mushy, sticky, but also dry feeling. That's over cooked. The protein has denatured too far. If the texture was mushy, I'd suppose the foiling at the end may have been the cause. The package retained enough heat to drive too much water from the flesh.

    All the foiling recipes I've read don't have foiling as the last step. Usually is done in the middle, after the meat has a good dose of smoke, but before the final firming and saucing. Also, the time in the foil is the only time when the meat side is down.
  • onedbguru
    onedbguru Posts: 1,647
    I haven't done ribs in a while, but typically do 3-1-1.  3hrs @250-275, 1hr foiled, 1 more hour for the bark.  This has been a winner time after time. (Can't bring myself to poor cola on meat like that.) 
  • Chainsmoker
    Chainsmoker Posts: 114
    Thanks everybody.  I've been on the road all day so I'm just getting back to this. They weren't mushy. They seemed dry and a little tough when I pulled apart two bones. I sure thought I foiled last (in the past) but maybe I'm wrong. Next time I will put them back on after the foil. As far as the toothpick test, is that a better way to check doneness than when the meat pulls back from the ends?  Someone commented that 5 hours seemed long for babybacks. What's an average time frame? 
    Thanks again!
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Toothpick and bend test are your endpoints.  Your ribs were undercooked based on texture and cook history. Baby backs are usually done in 4-5 hours depending on technique.  Be sure to calibrate your dome thermo.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • bikesAndBBQ
    bikesAndBBQ Posts: 284
    Personally, I would foil until you get the results you want most of the time. I read somewhere that the pull back from the bone can be deceptive. I go by the bend test and toothpick test. As far as average time, it really depends on temp and thickness of the rib.  I don’t think 5 hours is long for baby backs. I start checking mine around 5 hours. Some are done at that time and some aren’t. Cook to doneness or internal temp not time. 
    Pittsburgh, PA. LBGE
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    My average for BBs is 5 hours, spares 6 w. dome 250 - 275. My experience is that most of the time when the bones start to show, the rack(s) are approaching done, but not actually done. Its not universal. I've had racks bending in half w. negligible bone showing.

    BTW, was there any membrane on the bone side. It doesn't absolutely need to be pulled off, but unless the ribs are finished really hot, the membrane will remain chewy.
  • Chainsmoker
    Chainsmoker Posts: 114
    gdenby said:
    My average for BBs is 5 hours, spares 6 w. dome 250 - 275. My experience is that most of the time when the bones start to show, the rack(s) are approaching done, but not actually done. Its not universal. I've had racks bending in half w. negligible bone showing.

    BTW, was there any membrane on the bone side. It doesn't absolutely need to be pulled off, but unless the ribs are finished really hot, the membrane will remain chewy.
    The membrane was removed. Thanks for the help!
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,741
    I've never paid any attention to pull back. The tooth pick never lies.
    Stillwater, MN
  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
    Might have just been the meat. 
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
  • billt01
    billt01 Posts: 1,523
    Look for fatty ribs, cut off the excess, and roll..

    "Juice" is liquid fat....
    Have:
     XLBGE / Stumps Baby XL / Couple of Stokers (Gen 1 and Gen 3) / Blackstone 36 / Maxey 3x5 water pan hog cooker
    Had:
    LBGE / Lang 60D / Cookshack SM150 / Stumps Stretch / Stumps Baby

    Fat Willies BBQ
    Ola, Ga

  • Chainsmoker
    Chainsmoker Posts: 114
    gdenby said:
    My average for BBs is 5 hours, spares 6 w. dome 250 - 275. My experience is that most of the time when the bones start to show, the rack(s) are approaching done, but not actually done. Its not universal. I've had racks bending in half w. negligible bone showing.

    BTW, was there any membrane on the bone side. It doesn't absolutely need to be pulled off, but unless the ribs are finished really hot, the membrane will remain chewy.
    The membrane was removed. Thanks for the help!
  • Chase2016
    Chase2016 Posts: 36
    edited May 2018
    I have tried many different rib cooking techniques from this forum, but I tell you the best one I've had yet is called the turbo ribs. So simple...season your ribs with whatever you like then go 350 indirect heat, bone side down for 100 minutes (1 hr 40 minutes) pull and let rest for 10 minutes. Money every time. Trust me, try it. DO NOT LIFT LID OF GRILL FOR THE ENTIRE 100 MINUTES, BUT PULL THEM AT 100 MINUTES 
  • Wooderson
    Wooderson Posts: 350
    350, raised direct for about 1hr 40 mins.  I haven't been let down..... And the missus make me cook them couple times a month..... Not that I mind