Smoking ribs problem!

[csakis]

Hi!

I smoked ribs yesterday. It was my third try. I am still disappointed. The ribs just do not get tender. I smoked it for 3 hours with maple then I left them in the smoker for another 6 (!) hours at around 210 F. I set my PID to 225 but it was windy so it never really went over 210. I mopped the ribs every hour after the first three hours with olive oil/applejuice mix. I FTCed the ribs for another two hours, but I still could not remove the bones. They hardly move.  The edges of the ribs are very dried out. I could almost hammer a nail into wood with it. Something is wrong and I don't know how to find the solution.
Before these ribs I did baby ribs, and they were pretty good. They needed around six hours of cooking and 3 hours of FTC. I am cooking my ribs way longer than any recipe I read. If I only do the 3/2/1 method, the meat would be really undercooked. However, if I keep them longer in the smoker they just dry out completely.
I live at quite a high altitude (over 7000 feet), and the air is very dry here. I don't know if that's a factor. I keep the drip pan full of liquid all the time, though.
Any help would be appreciated!

BTW, my brisket ended the same way. Dry and hard!
csaba

[Smokin Soon]

I have been doing mine for 4 hours of hickory and then loosely tented in foil with some apple juice and a touch of olive oil for another 2 or 3 hours. Perfect every time. I finish in the Bradley, but it could easily be done in the oven. Don't get discouraged, just have to find what works for you.

[Mr Walleye]

I agree with SS. I usually preheat to 260 degrees and smoke at 210. I start with 3 hours of smoke, then let them continue for another hour. No mop. Next I either foil them or put them in a foil roaster covered with foil, either way with a splash of AJ and either return them to the Bradley or throw them in the oven, continue at 210 degrees for another 3 to 4 hours. I usually pull them out of the foil and hit them with sauce on the grill just long enough to stiffen the sauce. Next chow down.

Don't get discouraged... You'll get it dialled in yet.  ;)

Mike

[Consiglieri]

Can you clarify for me where your PID probe is placed to determine the box temp?  I'm wondering if it was too close to the cold meat, which could cause an artificially low temp reading through the probe.  If so, that would mean that you're actually cooking at a much higher temperature, which could explain both the toughness and the dryness. 

Depending on the weight of the ribs in the box, cooking times can vary quite a bit.  Plus it can be harder to maintain a uniform cooking temp top to bottom with a lot of meat in the box. 

Here are a few rib links I've bookmarked.  I hope they'll help

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=4290.0

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5348.msg49957#msg49957

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6342.msg61435#msg61435

Good luck with future projects. 

[Gizmo]

From your description I believe you have a lower temperature hitting the ribs than what you think.  9 hours is a long time for the meat to not be pulled back 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.  If the ribs were overcooked (too high a temperature and for too long), the meat would be pulled back, the bones would slide out, and the meat would be dry.

The method almost always use, and have for many years is similar to what Mr Walleye posted:
260 preheat, I leave the set temp at max until the box temp comes back up to 210 (although it may go to 220 ish) and smoke for 3 to 4 hours.  I don't open the box until after the smoke.  Pull the ribs place them on a foil wrap, add 1/4 cup (or slightly less) of AJ and wrap.  Place them in the oven for 2 hours (if smoked for 4 hours) with the oven temperature at 240. 
To finish, it will depend on how you like them.  Eat them right out of the package (surface will be moist), or the best is to toss them on a grill and glaze the outside,  I like to put BBQ sauce on them and glaze that on the outside for a little variation. 

[canadiansmoker]

I did pretty much the same as Giz  and Walleye when I did my baby backs. I put them on smoke for about 3 hours (spraying with apple juice every half hour after the first 2 hours), then I wrapped them in foil and put them back in for 3 more hours. They weren't really pulling back from the bone before I wrapped them in foil, but after the 3 hours in foil they were literally falling apart. That was my first attempt at ribs in the smoker and I got lucky, they turned out fantastic, best I have ever cooked.

I wonder if either your heat wasn't high enough or if you had them cooking for too long before you wrapped them in foil. The foil wrap really makes them much more tender.

Stephen

[Smoking Duck]

Are you removing the membrane before you do your smoking?  Also, you can try and get an IT of your ribs but to be honest, I never check the IT any more.  Always go by the bones and tear method.

I never worry about how long the ribs are cooking compared to everyone else.  They're done when they're done.  However, I always use the method as described above.  You might want to throw them in a slow cooker after smoking and braising them.  I NEVER get tough ribs when I take them from the smoker and braise them.  Just a thought on a way to get them tender until you get it figured out.  For most folks, ribs are the toughest to get right, so stick with it and it'll happen.

SD

[MallardWacker]

C;

Remember the trip to rib Nirvana is not a place but a journey.  This is what I have come up with.

Do all your preheat shenanigans and worship of the rib then smoke @ 225 for four hours and I pull mine at that point and finish them on a small gas grill.  This has yielded me the most consistent product time after time.  The problem IS when you are on this "journey" they can be a lot of ups and downs...this method had been VERY dependable.  I can regulate the "done-ness" at that point.  Two things I do not like...supper tender ribs and the opposite.

One thing keep that freaking door closed until 4hrs is up.  You bought that smoker let it do it's thing.

Out