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Half turbo ribs?

A little background- a buddy of mine recently told me about turbo butts. I’ve been low-n-slowing bbq since I got my egg about 8 years ago. I’ve had great results but I’m always up for trying something new- especially if it can save me some time. I did some research around here and found someone who did a turbo butt but started with a few hours at 250 until the meat was 140 and then cranked up the heat to finish. Seeemed like a good compromise to me. Fast forward through a 6 hour smoke (not 12+) and we had the absolute best bbq pork I’ve ever done. I’m sure the overnight mojo marinade injection contributed (I usually don’t do that until right before) but the texture and juiciness was perfect. So I’m converted. It’s easy with my fireboard/fan setup as well. Maybe too easy.

Now I want to try ribs. I see plently of ‘turbo’ ribs cooking them at high temps for an hour- I want some good smokiness still. Anyone doing half and half smokes? I’m thinking an hour at 225-250 smoking them then finishing at a higher temp. Maybe 300? I don’t mind experimenting, but wanted to see if anyone else is doing the same. Maybe I’ll wrap half in butcher paper and keep half nude.

I tried the sous vide cook for 24 hours and finish on the egg- and the texture and juciness were great- but they just lacked that smoky goodness. I did a blind taste test and all my guests picked traditional ribs over sous vide even if they were a bit more dry.

Comments

  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
    edited September 2018
    I'm convinced going full turbo is the way to go.  I cooked em low and slow for a decade and now only do them turbo.  Ribs @ 350 for about 2 hours.  No foil.  Tasty.
    I do pork shoulders and brisket turbo too without any loss of texture, moisture, etc.
    Packerland, Wisconsin

  • @rprice54 - I've done them close to the way you describe by mistake (I wasn't paying attention and the temp bumped from 275 (my normal temp) to about 325 somewhere during the cook.  They turned out great (No wrapping, St. Louis cut spares).

    Please report back if you give it a go.
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
  • R2Egg2Q
    R2Egg2Q Posts: 2,136
    Here’s a cook I did similar to what you’re describing but with a little less time at the low temps: https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1170858/spares-in-2-1-2-hrs#latest

    I made a comment in that post about the smoke profile being a little lighter than my slower cooks. I was still happy with the outcome.
    XL, Large, Small, Mini Eggs, Shirley Fabrication 24x36 Patio, Humphrey's Weekender, Karubecue C-60, MAK 1-Star General, Hasty Bake Gourmet, Santa Maria Grill, Webers: 14" WSM, 22.5" OTG, 22.5" Kettle Premium, WGA Charcoal, Summit S-620 NG

    Bay Area, CA
  • (my fireboard/fan setup as)

    what set of is this you speak of?

    XL BGE, Imperial Kamado, brinkman gasser, Taco Cart griddle 
    (Wishlist- BGE M-Max)


    Santa Ana, Ca 
  • Thanks for the replies. I think I will try some type of hybrid cook. 

    Fireboard started as a Kickstarter WiFi thermometer. I needed (wanted) something I could keep an eye on away from the house. I also had major issues with the Bluetooth range on my igrill. At the time it was cheaper than other WiFi setups. 6 channels is nice as well. I can monitor two eggs and 4 butts at one time. 

    They added the ‘drive’ portion about a year later. By the time I bought all the parts it’s probably comparable to other fan setups. 

    I do like that it’s Alexa friendly. I can ask what the temps are and I can change the set point with Alexa. It sends me text alerts when something gets to an alarm point. I like it. 
  • One unexpected perk was my igrill probes work with it. 
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,794
    I've done multiple low and slows - and multiple turbos with both ribs and butts.  At this point I like the results either way.  There is a little better bark on a turbo butt.  And the window between "done" and "overcooked" is shorter on a turbo.  Otherwise I can't tell the difference in the results.  

    So, I just adjust the cook based on my schedule/timeline.  Last weekend I did two hybrid butts because I needed to be somewhere for a few hours in the morning.  I dropped the butts on at about 240 (would have been happy with anything between 225 and 300 honestly) and then did what I needed to do.  Then when I returned I opened up the vents and got the temp up to 350 to bring it home while I could keep an eye on things.

    But don't do hybrid because you think it will yield better results.  Do it, if that is what fits your schedule.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • rprice54
    rprice54 Posts: 39
    edited September 2018
    Hybrid cook #1 done. 1 hr at 250 (XL Dome) then 1.5 hrs at 325 (I did toothpick test every 30 min after the first hour), then sauce and cooked for another 30. Total 3 hours.

    Bark was great. Smoke ring/flavor was great (pecan chunks) and texture was perfect- gentle tug off the bone. But they were just a hair dry. I may shave 15-30 min off next time but I’m a believer. 


  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    The ribs look great. Just my $.02- but I think dry ribs are almost always under-cooked so I would add some time rather than shave some off. It seems counter intuitive, but the fat and collagen will melt and add moisture back to the ribs when you cook them longer. 

    Also to add pictures use the "picture" icon on the toolbar and you can add multiple. I think you are adding the pictures as attachments. 




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

  • I hear you and know what you’re talking about but these ribs were overdone I think. I’ve had the not done enough before and they are usually dry and tough. These were almost crumbly. 

     A few racks just shredded and fell apart instead of slicing- with a very sharp knife. This was the cleanest cut. 

    Don’t get me wrong. They were great ribs. Just seemed a tad off if I’m being a perfectionist. 
  • Okay so some of my complaints were premature- two of the racks were too dry, I'm guessing the ones on the edges. I can't seem to find my nice traeger vertical rack that keeps them all over the platesetter.

    Out of the 6 racks the rest were perfect. I did another hybrid-turbo cook this weekend and the results were great. 2.5 hours of cook time, half of my old 3-1-1 at 250 method.