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Baby Backs question

I put mine on at 1:30 (225) and it’s now 9 and the thermopen is showing 149. I realize it’s not the ideal way to check doneness but just looking at them I’m thinking they aren’t close to being done. I actually wrapped in foil for 1.5 hours in case there was a stall. Anyone else run into this?

If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

Ronald Reagan

Comments

  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,510
    I do a 3h smoke, followed by 3h wrap in foil.  

    I used to do 2h wrap, but found they weren't tender enough, so I went to 3h and perfect, fall off the bone.

    I keep temperature at 250 to 275F the whole time. 
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,741
    I have never taken temp when doing ribs so I suppose I can't say for sure but a stall with ribs seems unlikely, certainly not an extended one. Bend test will work, but tooth pick test is the go-to for me. I can't imagine baby backs taking 7 1/2 hours, even at 225 degrees.
    Stillwater, MN
  • Dondgc
    Dondgc Posts: 709
    I am far from a rib expert but 7.5 hours and no signs of doneness sounds odd. Unless you’re planning on ribs for breakfast you may want to kick up the heat - a lot. 
    New Orleans LA
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Assuming this isn’t a joke then your thermometer is WAY off, your fire went out a LONG  time ago and/or both...but I still think this might just be a joke thread started on a Saturday! Having a belly laugh yet, @Dawgtired ?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    100 mins till done = Turbo
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Ribs done at 200-205 just like everything else. You have an issue. No possible way they are cooking at that temp for that long and are only 150. Thermometer is not right or something. BTW , bump to 250-275 when doing ribs for faster and more predictable results. 225 is not needed for egg cooking. Your food is in a moist environment and won’t dry out. 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    I finally pulled the ribs after 8 hours and they were fine. The bend test, my usual go to, wasn’t working because the ribs had a linear crease/cut on them. There was also, what I would consider, an extra amount of fat on them, maybe causing a long stall. I’m just not sure what was going on. I’ve cooked a ton of ribs on my BGE over the years and this was a first for me. 

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    RRP said:
    No sir...not a joke at all. Thermometers were dead on. FlameBoss and dome thermometer were both at 225 for the entire cook. 

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Must have been frozen when you put them on. Huh. Where was your flame boss temp probe placed? Grate level adjacent to the ribs? Up in dome clipped to thermo stem? 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    Certainly not frozen. Probe was clipped to the thermometer stem in the dome.

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • MotownVol
    MotownVol Posts: 1,039
    Wrap them with butter, brown sugar, a dab of honey and apple juice.  The steam will significantly speed the cook.
    Morristown TN, LBGE and Mini-Max.
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    That could be a big part of the problem imo. Could be 50 degree difference between grid and dome. Means you may have been rolling at 175. If you aren’t monitoring the temp at the cooking location or as close as possible without touching the food, you aren’t monitoring the cooking conditions. This is especially significant when cooking at such a low temp as 225. If you were at 275 dome you might be at 225 grid or so. My frozen comment was obviously tongue in cheek. That said, it doesn’t take 8 hours to cook ribs, particularly baby backs, at 225. Additionally, you wrapped them which should accelerate the cook significantly. Your actual grid level cooking temp was no where near 225. 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    That could be a big part of the problem imo. Could be 50 degree difference between grid and dome. Means you may have been rolling at 175. If you aren’t monitoring the temp at the cooking location or as close as possible without touching the food, you aren’t monitoring the cooking conditions. This is especially significant when cooking at such a low temp as 225. If you were at 275 dome you might be at 225 grid or so. My frozen comment was obviously tongue in cheek. That said, it doesn’t take 8 hours to cook ribs, particularly baby backs, at 225. Additionally, you wrapped them which should accelerate the cook significantly. Your actual grid level cooking temp was no where near 225. 
    Makes sense...thanks for the advice. I’ll move the probe to the grid next time.

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    That could be a big part of the problem imo. Could be 50 degree difference between grid and dome. Means you may have been rolling at 175. If you aren’t monitoring the temp at the cooking location or as close as possible without touching the food, you aren’t monitoring the cooking conditions. This is especially significant when cooking at such a low temp as 225. If you were at 275 dome you might be at 225 grid or so. My frozen comment was obviously tongue in cheek. That said, it doesn’t take 8 hours to cook ribs, particularly baby backs, at 225. Additionally, you wrapped them which should accelerate the cook significantly. Your actual grid level cooking temp was no where near 225. 
    After the 7 1/2hrs of cook time he listed in my experience the grate and the dome would be very similar in temps. Either way 225 is crazy low cooking in an Egg. 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    225 was what Meathead at Amazing Ribs had stated as the best cook temperature. https://amazingribs.com/best-barbecue-ribs-recipe

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    That could be a big part of the problem imo. Could be 50 degree difference between grid and dome. Means you may have been rolling at 175. If you aren’t monitoring the temp at the cooking location or as close as possible without touching the food, you aren’t monitoring the cooking conditions. This is especially significant when cooking at such a low temp as 225. If you were at 275 dome you might be at 225 grid or so. My frozen comment was obviously tongue in cheek. That said, it doesn’t take 8 hours to cook ribs, particularly baby backs, at 225. Additionally, you wrapped them which should accelerate the cook significantly. Your actual grid level cooking temp was no where near 225. 
    After the 7 1/2hrs of cook time he listed in my experience the grate and the dome would be very similar in temps. Either way 225 is crazy low cooking in an Egg. 
    Maybe. I see the heat going around the plate setter and exiting the top.  It’s almost always hotter at the top. I think that This is especially true at very low temps. I know there is a school of thought that the whole chamber will eventually settle in at the same temp, but I’m not sure I buy that. Similarly, if you somehow place the probe directly below the plate setter, it would always be hotter as well. It’s similar to vertical cabinet smokers with a heat shield. The temps are way cooler at the bottom even though it is closer to the heat source. The heat is directed up and around the lower grids. Either way, somehow the temp was considerably lower than even 225. Who knows I guess. 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,174
    Dawgtired said:
    225 was what Meathead at Amazing Ribs had stated as the best cook temperature. https://amazingribs.com/best-barbecue-ribs-recipe
    @Dawgtired - the article does not talk about cooking on a ceramic grill in my cursory glance.  As noted above, there are thermal gradients in all cookers (including the clock box).  I run solely on the dome thermo as that is the one instrument all BGE's have.  Once you figure out how your rig cooks with a suggested single temperature reference (no need for information overload) you will be fine.
    Given the initial dome to grate off-set on L&S cooks most here let the BGE settle where it lands in the 250-280*F range on the dome especially for us luddites who run manual.  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.
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    So question arises from this. If the directions say cook at 350, does that mean you compensate somehow using the dome thermometer? Or, when someone says 350, they mean the dome temperature to begin with. I wasn’t aware that there could be a 50 degree disparity between the dome and grid temperatures. 

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Unless otherwise noted the temp should be considered dome temp. Not everyone checks grid temps  I know I quit checking it several yrs ago just because it was nothing more than information overload. Pick one an run with what suits your style of egg’n best

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • Dondgc
    Dondgc Posts: 709
    Dawgtired said:
    I wasn’t aware that there could be a 50 degree disparity between the dome and grid temperatures. 
    Yes and it will drive you crazy if you try to watch both temps. CRAZY. So pick one and go with it. I usually monitor at the grate but I think it Is far more common to measure at the dome. Because temps in the dome seem to have less fluctuation - and because most of the people on this forum know more than I do -  I am thinking of changing my approach. 
    New Orleans LA
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    I’m all for monitoring the dome as it is easy. I would just suggest that one should be aware of the approximate grid temp and figure that in their calculus as many people adapt recipes from the intewebz that use an actual temperature at the point of cooking. 
  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,510
    At beginning of cook, 50F difference between dome and grill is basically what I saw when I cooked brisket last week. But toward end when brisket was above 160F, the temperatures came together, within a couple degrees from each other.
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,510
    Anyhow, i think 225F dome is way too low for ribs.  Like others have said, grill could have been at 175F. But I just go by 275F dome for 3h, then wrap for another 2h to 3h ... they're always done and always tender.
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
  • fishepa
    fishepa Posts: 211
    I usually cook ribs, pork butt, and brisket anywhere from 275-300 and it all comes out delicious.  
    War Damn Eagle!