Ribs 3-2-1

KMDisland · July 2018

i have a weber wsm smoker which I have had for years. My ribs were great (3-2-1 method). I have not used my weber since I got my extra large egg 6 months ago. I have done ribs 3-2-1 3 times with the egg and I have not been pleased with the results. They seem over done a little dry. On my wsm they would fall off the bone and were perfect. I am doing indirect 225f dome temp. I was just curious if others have had the same issue.

Thanks
kmd

lousubcap · July 2018

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. Above all, have fun.
I would suggest you eggsperiment with your BGE method to get the result you want. BTW- 225*F on the calibrated (key word) dome thermo likely means the cooking grate temp is much below (15-40*F) that for quite a while. Thus the cook could take forever.
Toothpick test for the win however you get there. FWIW-

mEGG_My_Day · July 2018

Try 3-1.5-.5 at 275 dome. Then touthpick per @lousubcap. That usually works well for me. This is for spareribs, not babyback.

edit - I always trim spares St. Louis style. I think the uniform shape helps tremendously to get an even doneness across the rack.

Lmidkiff · July 2018

I had the same experience and went to a 2-2-1 and have been pleased with the change.

Theophan · July 2018

I never foil, so I can't say, but I've heard LOTS of folks on this forum say they really hated 3-2-1 ribs, that they were overcooked and mushy. I think most people significantly reduce that 2h in foil to less.

I agree with @lousubcap above: experiment, try some different approaches so you can determine what YOU like the best. And you might try not foiling them at all, sometime. I'm lazy, and don't feel like messing with foil, but I love my ribs so much I've just never felt like I had much incentive to try foiling them. But at least experiment with less time in the foil. I've been reading this forum for years, and I really think most people find 2h in foil too much.

Teefus · July 2018

I use butcher paper instead of foil and it works very well. A 3-2-1 with Loin Ribs works every time. The three hour leg is about 250* dome temp. After wrapping I let it go to 275*-300*. The last leg of the journey is just long enough to set the glaze.

YukonRon · July 2018

I agree with @Theophan. I never wrap my ribs, just let them ride. That has given me my best results. I tried the wrapping once, it was a hassle and the results were mushy. Mine turn out very tender and juicy, with a nice smoke profile. ~5 hours at 225F for BBs, ~5.5 to 6 hours @225F for Spares and St. Louis style.
I do not turbo either.

KMDisland · July 2018

For the ones who don't foil do the ribs still fall off the bone at the end? I thought the foil ( (with a little bit of apple juice) helped make the meat fall off the bone.

I think I am going to try less time but still do foil

thanks for the advice

dmchicago · July 2018

Not fall off the bone which I’m not looking for anyway.

They have a great pull from the bone texture.

Theophan · July 2018

KMDisland said:

For the ones who don't foil do the ribs still fall off the bone at the end? I thought the foil ( (with a little bit of apple juice) helped make the meat fall off the bone...

We all have different tastes, and there's nothing wrong with that!

Make ribs the way YOU love them!

To me, if the meat truly is falling off the bone, they're a little overcooked for my taste. Mine do sometimes fall off the bone, but what I like the best is having it come off the bone fairly easily, but if no kidding, the meat falls off the bone, you can easily just pull the bone right out, then I'll happily chow down on them anyway, but they're a little overdone for me.

1voyager · July 2018

I do 3-2-1 @ 225 degrees grate temperature with great results. Meat isn't falling off the bone, just a nice tug of tender meat. This is for spares and St. Louis.

One other thing to mention. The difference in dome temperature and grate temperature differs quite a bit for the first couple of hours. Especially during a heavy rain or in winter when the temperature is below 40 degrees F. At least that's my experience.

gdenby · July 2018

Dome at least 25 degrees higher.

I stopped foiling years ago. Its fine if you want to infuse the meat w. some flavored liquid, but does nothing for tenderness. If the liquid gets hot enough, the meat will squeeze out even more water, and one ends up w. tender mush.

My criteria for well done ribs is that when eaten, the bones are dry. No traces of meat left on, because the thin membrane that attaches the muscle to the bone has cooked away. Having the ribs out of foil seems to help that, because the heat travels up the bone, and starts cooking the meat from the inside as well as the out side.

1voyager · July 2018

@qdenby - You don't remove the membrane?

Ribs 3-2-1

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