Baby Backs and Chicken - Need some advice

[TrippingBilly]

Yesterday fired up the OBS for the 4th day in the last 7.  Last week did Chicken, this week hot smoked salmon then cold smoked some Lox, and yesterday I was confident that I would cook Baby Backs that would please my guests and prove that I could do it (many failed attempts over past few years on grill, oven, etc).  I also was going to cook Chicken as some of the guests aren't fans of ribs but I felt I had it under control. 

The outcome was mixed.  I used 2-2-1 method, however was more like 2.5-2-1 due to some temp issues I thought I was having (see picture below) and the one set of ribs turned out great but the other seemed to be a bit under cooked.  With that said, I'm not sure they actually were undercooked as the meat looked pinkish, however it wasn't translucent as undercooked pork looks.  First question: Does the color of the cooked pork look the same throughout the rack?  Sorry if that's a dumb question, but I really don't want overcooked ribs... ever!  Second question: My family would prefer fall off the bone ribs so should I just leave it in the foil for 3 hours and do a 2-3 process?

Here are the pics, maybe the experts will see something where I went wrong. Thanks in advance for any and all feedback...

Here are the ribs ready to go that were prepped about 18 hours before:


Here is the temperature after I decided to put an unused probe hanging right below the bottom rack of ribs as instructed on this forum.  quite a bit of difference between door and probe.  This is why I smoked them a bit longer because I was afraid the temp was not getting  high enough to cook ribs:


Here is the chicken ready to go on and smoke along with the ribs:


Here are the ribs after smoking ready for a splash of AJ and tightly wrapped in foil for 2 hours:


Here is the smoker right before the final hour of finishing ribs and chicken... it is a beautiful site :)


Finally, here are the ribs ready to eat (some for sure, others who knows):


All in all it was an awesome day and the ribs that did make it out were tender, perfectly smoked, and came away from the bone clean.  Not fall off the bone, but what I would expect from the 2-2-1 method.  Thanks again for the all the posts that helped me prep and execute and I look forward to ready the feedback that will come.

Happy New Year, TB

[ArnieM]

Happy New Year back at ya TB.  Nice pics.

Ribs can be difficult.  Some talk of the meat pulling back on the bone.  I don't trust that because I've had some that do and some that don't.  You can use a toothpick or small sharp knife in the meat between the bones to check for tenderness.  The brute force method is to grab a couple of bones and pull them apart to see how tender it is.

I don't like the meat falling off the bone.  I like to be able to bite it off.  :D  But, to each their own.

Assuming the IT has hit 150-160, pink shouldn't be a concern.  That's the temp range I like my pork in and I'm still alive.  ;D

This is an extreme example of the meat pulling off the bones.  A couple of Berkshire pork back ribs.

[hal4uk]

Like Arnie, said, "falling off the bone" ain't really what your looking for...
A good rib will pull clean off the bone with a little tug.
If they "fall off the bone" that because they're mush.

Also, the finished (inside) meat color will vary from grey/pink/brown --- that's not what you want to go by.
Do the toothpick or pull test.  With practice, you can just pick them up from one end with tongs, and feel "the bend".
I know most folks say (roughly) 5 hours for back ribs and 6 for spares, but it's usually more like 6/7 for me.

I wouldn't go over two hours in foil --- that's a good way to make rib soup.
If they're not ready by the time you expect, just let them keep going without foil, and spritz or mop if needed.

[DTAggie]

TB it looks like you had the right temp based on that probe just below the rack.  Never rely on the door temp.  On baby backs I have found 3-1-1 works good for me.

[TrippingBilly]

Is it necessary to rotate the rib racks?  I did not do that.

[DTAggie]

I don't during the 3 hrs of smoke as I do not want to lose heat/temp during that time.  After foiling I will rotate.

[ArnieM]

I don't foil and I don't rotate (too old).  I put the thicker part of the ribs toward the back - more heat there.  I don't sauce mine but if you like sauce you might want to put 'em on the grill with sauce for 15 minutes or so.  My sauce goes on the side and isn't much used.

As Hal said, you don't want rib soup.