bad ribs

Unknown · January 2008

My dear husband loves his eggs and has been very successful cooking steaks and fish, but he just can't seem to cook a decent rib to save his life after many, many attempts. [p]Here is what he is doing. He fires the egg up and uses a combination of big green egg charcoal and chunk wood (he has tried apple, pecan, etc.) after about 30 minutes or so, he gets the temp stablized around 225. He has tried a bunch of different dry runs and various pork ribs from Ingles, Costco, wholefoods thinking maybe that has something to do with it. He puts the ribs on a rib rack and sets it on top of a pan of aluminum foil. Then, we wait for a couple of hours for the meat to fall off the bone. Once in awhile they will come out okay, but most of the time they taste like a cigarette but and are black. [p]Any idea on what he could attempt to make a better rib?

AZRP · January 2008

Sounds like he's not waiting long enough for the smoke to burn clean. You might have him try getting the dome stable at 250 then wait another half hour or so before putting them on. Also try it without the smoke wood just in case there is a problem with it. -RP

Meatatarian · January 2008

It sounds like too much "chunk wood" to me. You should have mostly charcoal and just a couple of small chunks of wood. If you go with too much wood and cook the ribs exposed to the smoke for the entire duration, your ribs will have a nice coat of creosote. Blah.

Rascal · January 2008

Barbara, I'm relatively new to EGG'n but have had good success with pork butts, chicken & beef. However, my attempts with pork ribs echo what you describe. Although I haven't experienced the blackening or off-taste, they most often are just so-so. Everyone stands behind the 3-2-1 method on the NW site but so far it just hasn't worked well for me. I do mine low & slow (indirect) over a drip pan and spray ocassionally with apple juice. I dunno.... I just can't come up with the succulent, flavorful results, the memory of which gets you drooling even before you light the fire for the next batch. Seems as though a lot of newbies have trouble with this one. Hopefully your post will bring on a round of hints & tips![p]Rascal

Unknown · January 2008

Barbara,
A few thoughts - first, do not put the ribs on the egg till the lump stops smoking. Is he using the plate setter with the drip pan on top of the upside down plate setter then the grate? This will stop the blackening.[p]Do not use a lot of smoking wood, it does not take a lot. Even though you do not see the smoke from the wood you still get the flavor.[p]225 is a good temp, if they are tender he has the tough part licked!![p]

stike · January 2008

...and if it's a "mix" of lump and wood, as in 50/50, then there's just way too much smoke.

and they need to wait way more than "a couple hours"

BajaTom · January 2008

2 hours is not nearly long enough to get the ribs done. I smoke mine at around 235/240 indirect for 5 to 6 hours. I use St louis style ribs. I don't like spares. I use only 1 or 2 chunks of hickory wood. I use a dry rub and normally do not use a sauce. When I do use a sauce I put it on the last 1/2 hour so it doesn't burn. Good luck, Tom

tach18k · January 2008

Recheck the thermometer and make sure it is recording temp correctly. also most ribs should take about 5 hours or more to finish cooking at 250 dome. I used to use the 3,1,1 and now I just let the ribs go for 5 hours and no foiling. they come out fine for me. also try the CarWashMike ribs way of doing them.

AZRP · January 2008

I see you got your thumbs back, I gave you some karma, now see if you can keep it. -RP

Slotmercenary · January 2008

if you are cooking them for a couple hours and they come out black and tasting like a cigarette i would have to think that your thermometer is way off and it is too hot. babybacks take about 4-5 hours and spares take 6-7. it is a matter of practice and patience. also the chunk wood for smoking only needs 2-3 fist size pieces for an entire load of lump.
good luck and
Bon Apetit'

Rascal · January 2008

Barbara, If you are using a drip pan (which you should) be sure to keep some liquid in it, even if it's only water. Fat dripping on your fire over hours of time (as on a slow cook vs. searing steaks) can impart a nasty taste to whatever you're cooking. The same thing can happen if it's burning in a drip pan. Happy Cookin'![p]Rascal

Wilby · January 2008

I agree with others are saying here. Either the smoke is not clear and stable yet or there could be too much smoke wood. Try it again I bet they turn out better. Remember this is a trial and error way of life. You will get better at time goes along. I cooked ribs for Christmas dinner for the first time and they turned out really good.

MikeM. · January 2008

Barbara,[p]I had difficult time with ribs to. Bad taste, tough, dry, etc. I have used what's called 3-1-1 method with moderate success. But another method I use is to cook ribs in foil for about 2-2 1/2 hours at 300. Remove from heat and rest for 10 mins. Remove from foil and then grill them direct. I use raised grate for this so I can take my time and they don't get to charred or burn bbq sauce. Temp is about 300-325. I put on about 3 chunks of wood while ribs are resting to get smoke flavor. Smoke flavor is not over powering, but nice. Ribs come out fall off the bone with this recipe. Check out link. This is where I got recipe. I haven't been disappointed with this method. I haven't made BBQ sauce from recipe but may try it sometime. Good Luck.[p]http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Scott-Hibbs-Amazing-Whisky-Grilled-Baby-Back-Ribs/Detail.aspx

Jeffersonian · January 2008

I'll echo Rascal's recommendation and add that the drip pan should be elevated off the plate setter to keep the dripping from scorching and giving off a burnt odor that will infuse your ribs.

gdenby · January 2008

Most likely, as the others have said, you are getting both "dirty" smoke and some fumes from burning drippings.

Let me offer a couple of other comments. It sounds like you are not using an extended grid. That is, working up from the bottom, you have the fire pot, fire ring, grill, pan, rack and then ribs. Even with a dome of 225, down that close to the burning lump it could be very hot and you are just burning the ribs. Most people use and elevated grid to get the ribs at least to the gasket level, where the temperature is usually about 15 - 25 degrees cooler than the dome.

Ribs are done most easily when you have at least a drip pan under them, and even more heat shield, such as a platesetter, prevents the meat from charring.

However, you can do fine ribs direct if you use an elevated grid. Some of the best spares I've made were standing in the V-rack on the raised grid. I made sure to keep the dome no higher then 250. After the third hour, I mopped the ribs down every 1/2 hour with a vinegar/cider mixture.(Move quick with the dome open for mopping, 'cause the dripping will begin to flare in just a minute.) At 6 hours, the meat had pulled well back from the bone ends, and when I tugged at the endmost rib, the flesh around it just began to shred.

Oh, 1 more thing. Are you using a rub? If so, does it have a lot of sugar, more than half the mix? Sugar cooked higher than 400 will taste really bad, and depending on your taste, even really dark carmel might not be the best flavor for ribs.

gdenby

stike · January 2008

i see zero. you have thirteen. i haven't ever seen any on mine. can you 'see' yours?

BajaTom · January 2008

Make sure there is not to much sugar in the dry rubs. Sugar burn and can get black. Good luck, Tom

fishlessman · January 2008

mine all dissapeared rescently as well and im at the disadvantage of having no way to give or take away karma with my screwed up login. probably shouldnt tell folks your a pats fan, i think you lose some everytime

Lonestar Smoker · January 2008

Barbara,[p]I have not cooked ribs on my BGE yet but I have done a lot of Ribs on my other smokers. If I am doing spares I will peel the membrane and rub both sides. Cook indirect for 2 hours at 225 to 250 degrees. I then place the ribs in double layer of foil, sprinkle some brown sugar on them, a little cayenne, squeeze a little honey on them and then add a 1/4 cup of apple juice. Seal them in the foil and cook for another hour. Remove from foil and place back on the grill. Continue to cook until desired tenderness. Saucing about the last half hour or so.
If you are doing baby backs adjust the time to 1.5, 1,1 this is an estimate of time. Baby backs don't take as long to cook as spares.
Hope this helps.

Beanie-Bean · January 2008

Barbara,

Are you guys using a plate setter? I didn't see that mentioned in your post.

If the ribs are getting burned in just a few hours with the thermometer reporting 230, I'd also recommend calibrating the dome thermo.

I cook the St Louis spares for about 5 hrs indirect with no foil. Car Wash Mike has a 3-1-1 method outlined on his "Playing with Smoke and Fire" site...

One other note: I'll only put the smoking wood on at the beginning so that the smoke ring forms nicely

Good luck with the cook. I've done ribs from HEB, Sam's, and Costco, and all of them have come out nicely on the BGE. There are a lot of helpful people here on the forum, and you can feel free to send me an email and I can go over what I've done to get some nice ribs on the BGE.

St Louis-trimmed Spares:

Baby Backs:

Longknocker · January 2008

I'd tell ya how to do it but then I'd have to... :laugh:

dhuffjr · January 2008

Barbara,
Yetibob nailed it.[p]He is using too much wood. [p]Light the lump and let it stabalize and wait until the smoke is a blueish color not thick and white.[p]I'd put one one chunk of wood onto the hot coals and a second and maybe a third off to the side where the fire has not reached. [p]Some let that smoke wood smoke clear up some but I rarely do. I just don't go crazy with the wood I put on for smoke so it does not last really long.[p]H

Unknown · January 2008

Barbara,
My bet is like dhuffjr says , "using too much wood". Just a chunk or too about half the size of a doubled up fist is plenty.
CP

bad ribs

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