3 racks of St Louis Ribs - I’m scared

NDG · May 2019

putting 3 racks of St. Louis on tmrw, scared as I have been extremely upset with my last few attempts at ribs. For the life of me I can never tell if under or over, but I know results only have 2 or 3 tasty ribs a rack, rest leathery that needs sauce to stomach. Considering a sous vide rack as well, just to compare, bc maybe it’s just the quality of meat that sets me up for super small window of success? These have been frozen for a year now that I think about it, yikes. My Q . . Anyone had success SV ribs and finishing on BGE?

lousubcap · May 2019

No SV help here but trust the toothpick test for the win. And if part of the rack is finished before another, cut it off and continue the remainder of the cook. FWIW-

BTW-frozen in cryovac, time seems to stand still. No issues with the age.

JohnInCarolina · May 2019

I do SV ribs and finish on the Egg all the time. There are plenty of threads here that will show you the process. It’s easy.

JohnInCarolina · May 2019

Here you go:

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1185710/spare-me-the-trouble-the-sous-vide-egged-spare-ribs/p1

Note: these days I do baby backs, and for 18 hrs at 147F.

HendersonTRKing · May 2019

I’m a minimalist on ribs — I start with St. Louis cut slabs, pull the membrane, square them up, rub, with or without an overnight sit, low and slow til the bend test tells me they’re done. 5-6 hours at 250 does the trick. Sometimes I glaze for the last hour, sometimes it’s just sauce on the side.

I used to fiddle around with foil with some liquid (cider, vinegar) and brown sugar but wasn’t worth the extra effort. I don’t like the falling off the bone and I prefer them rubbed and dry to wet and sticky.

Now I’m hungry for ribs. All I can say is try to relax and enjoy the ride. Nothing to fear but fear itself!

hoosier_egger · May 2019

SV ribs are fire. Great bite and super easy

ryantt · May 2019

I just trust the bend test when cooking for company, also it seems like most people like them fall off the bone. You’ve got this and I’m looking forward to seeing your outstanding cook.

pgprescott · May 2019

The challenge of the small window is one reason I love to cook ribs. I’m a toothpick test guy with ribs. You can also temp them. I find they are done @ 198 - 205. You can use the thermopen like a toothpick and have the reassurance of a temp if it. Ales you feel better. I have been cooking comp style for Stl / spares lately, but I cook BB’s naked straight through routinely as their leaner composition lends them to that style IMO. Start checking temp / tug about 3.5 hours in at 250 or so and go from there. Should be done @4.5. Good luck

smbishop · May 2019

Followed Chris's recipe today, turned out great! https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/chris-competition-style-spare-ribs/

Wolfpack · May 2019

With only an access to a gas grill I had to plan ahead and did @JohnInCarolina sous vide 18hr ribs with another 2 hrs on the gasser.

Topped with Blue Hog championship bbq sauce- mine turned out perfect. Hope you have the same luck.

Here were the first 4 half racks that came off.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/8b/ob9s4f75bivr.jpeg

Theophan · May 2019

NDG said:

... leathery that needs sauce to stomach...

If ribs are overcooked with foil, they're mushy and too falling-off-the-bone. If ribs are overcooked dry, they get crispy, not "leathery." (Done it a few times, I'm afraid.) So I think it's certain that they were undercooked, and THAT's the issue, not SV or not SV.

Learn how to do them properly in the BGE, and THEN learn how to do them SV, and you'll have a way to compare. Don't give up on great ribs without SV. I'd MUCH rather have ribs cooked in wood smoke than in a plastic bag in hot water...

Please try the bend test and the toothpick test as others have advised above. If the rack bends to 90°, they won't be leathery. If a toothpick goes in really easily, they cannot be leathery! I'm very sure you just weren't cooking them long enough. Rely on testing them, not on time or temperature.

NDG · May 2019

Thanks for all the replies - appreciate it . . Skipping SV and back on the horse tmrw morn.

Think I’m going under 300 for ~3 hrs AKA hit the stall zone (160-180) then foil with some liquid to braise, until toothpick test passes (never done this test before & bend test never gives me confidence). Sauce optional after t-pick green light. Last time I put sauced ribs back on ( a al 3-2-1 ) I just got too much caramelization for my taste. We will see, thanks & happy holidaze.

NDG · May 2019

@JohnInCarolina thanks for SV rub link, missed that in my search but next time I will try this when I have more time to prep.

JohnInCarolina · May 2019

NDG said:

@JohnInCarolina thanks for SV rub link, missed that in my search but next time I will try this when I have more time to prep.

Yep. It’s not for everyone but like most things here, worth trying at least once in my opinion. One plus is that the SV step can be done many days in advance. Then you have ribs finished on the BGE in an hour, which is great.

Theophan · May 2019

NDG said:

... bend test never gives me confidence...

I've overcooked some ribs, I'm afraid, and I know what they're like. Never, ever "leathery." If your bend test seemed to fail in the past, I really wonder if they bent 90°. Maybe they sort of curved 90°, but didn't really bend at a 90° angle? I've had a rack not only bend 90° but start to just break apart in the middle! (I'd say they were a little overdone at that point, a little too "falling off the bone.") It's just not possible that they can be "leathery" if that's happening!

Here's the principle: Ribs start out tough, slowly get tender, and then either get too tender and mushy (if foil is keeping them moist) or might start getting kind of crispy if they're practically getting carbonized by being way overcooked without foil. (Again, I'm sorry to say I've done it.) So... the task, then, is to test where they are in that spectrum and take them out when they're the way YOU want them to be. You might have to do the same test a few times in a few different cooks to get a feel for what the test was like compared to how they were when you ate them so you can get direct experience with how the test went and how the ribs chewed. If it seems probable that you've undercooked them before, really pay attention to the toothpick, poke them in several places, and think about your teeth going into that piece of meat. If the toothpick slides in really easily, so will your teeth.

NDG · May 2019

Yea maybe leathery bad description - I could say crispy or dry jerky-ish - usually a bit Inebriated after a Rib cook and just bummed out. Anyway thanks for sharing.

caliking · May 2019

I’m going to throw a shout out for turbo ribs, made popular by @Mickey :

350ish
indirect (I think Mickey goes raised direct)
90mins or so
They’re done when a toothpick or other pointy thing goes in with very little resistance

Just did 2 racks today, and they turned out great. Had a bunch of other things going on, and the ribs caused the least stress.

Wooderson · May 2019

I've had great cooks with raised direct at 350 for 140 minutes. My family and i don't dig on falling off the bone, i need a tug. FWIW

Mickey · May 2019

Baby Back Turbo Ribs (No flip)

350indirectfor 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.

I don't cook over the 100 minutes.

Be sure your temp gauge is correct.

StillH2OEgger · May 2019

Lots of ways to do ribs and we all (mostly) have different preferences on how they turn out. The only thing I can add to the good advice above is if you're going to foil, maybe try one of the racks without any liquid in the foil so you can compare to the ones that have liquid added. I am a foiler, but usually for not more than an hour and I don't add liquid. It provides the tenderness we like with a preferred texture compared to those that have been braised or steamed. Good luck whatever you end up doing. I'm sure they'll be great.

dstearn · May 2019

6 hours today no foil.

NDG · May 2019

Loved ours - thanks to all

XC242 · May 2019

Nicely done!

StillH2OEgger · May 2019

All that worry for nothing. Great work!

lousubcap · May 2019

Way to get after it and get a great outcome. Congrats.

NDG · May 2019

@StillH2OEgger thanks to you as I went foil with no liquid added . . . this will be my go-to moving fwd.

StillH2OEgger · May 2019

NDG said:

@StillH2OEgger thanks to you as I went foil with no liquid added . . . this will be my go-to moving fwd.

Glad to hear it. There's really no right or wrong way, just whatever leads to the results you and family/guests like best.

thetrim · May 2019

Good job, esp. for a Buckeye

Thapco · May 2019

"fall off the bone"??? Ribs have bones for a reason, to use as a handle. If the meat falls off, what is the use of the bone. Tender, just before it falls off the bone is the best

CigarCityEgger · May 2019

Great looking ribs!

3 racks of St Louis Ribs - I’m scared

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