Dissapointed with first baby back ribs

Fernslinger · May 16, 2011, 11:15:45 AM

Let me start off by saying I have pretty much mastered smoking ribs in my trusty Weber kettle grill. I have vertical racks and got really good @ maintaining temps in the 220-250 range. The downside is I have to tend the coals/wood chips every 20 mins...so it is somewhat time consuming. I usually just use a combination of charcoal and whatever woodchips I have on hand. They come out awesome!

Saturday I set out 2 racks of ribs and rub them like normal with mustard and my normal combo of dry rub then let them come to room temp while the smoker heats up. I get the smoker to 230 and put them in then let Bradley work its magic.

I hit them with 3 hours of Hickory then let them go for about another 2.5 hours or so...I don't really go by set time on ribs, just by how far they pull back from the bone. I glaze them with some sauce about 10 min before they are ready to be removed then let them sit for a bit. Cut and enjoy.

They were by no means bad, but they just were not as good as the ones I do on my Weber....maybe I just need more time to perfect my technique with the Bradley. It took me quite some time to get the current Weber method down to what it is.

Bobdelasmoke · May 16, 2011, 12:06:27 PM

total noob here but here's my 2cents. I followed the 3-2-1 method from this forum for my first ribs and it turned out great.

jiggerjams · May 16, 2011, 12:51:52 PM

Hang in there Fern you will figure it out. My second batch far exceeded my first batch. I have had the best ribs out of the BS...for me anyway and I have ate a lot of ribs. Mine always take longer in my 6 rack.

Habanero Smoker · May 16, 2011, 01:17:26 PM

When you say they were not as good as with the Weber; are you talking about flavor or texture or both. The smoke flavor you get with the Bradley is not going to be like you get from a charcoal, or propane fire. The Bradley flavor lacks the additional flavors you obtain from wood or charcoal, and the additional flavors propane or natural gas grills produce. On the other hand, the smoke flavor is more "clean".

Fernslinger · May 16, 2011, 03:24:58 PM

Texture was good but they were a tad bit dry. Probably just a timing issue...

I was a little underwhelmed with the flavor. The ones I do slow and low with charcoal and hardwood really pop. These were just so so...I think I just need more time to refine my technique is all.

GusRobin · May 16, 2011, 03:44:53 PM

Two things - where were you taking the temp? If it was with the Bradley temp probe you may have been seeing higher temps then you thought if the meat was lower than the probe.
For baby backs at 225*, I do 3-1-1 (3-2-1 with spare ribs) --3 hours smoke, 1 hour foiled with some juice of some type added or beer, 1 hour un-foiled with some sauce and sometimes some more smoke. I then foil and FTC for an hour. Comes out moist each time.
So if you did a total of 5 1/2 hours un-foiled it may have been too long. Foiling is a matter of choice, but without foil I wouldn't cook as long or at least keep checking them and be ready to pull earlier.

TedEbear · May 17, 2011, 07:22:13 AM

Quote from: Fernslinger on May 16, 2011, 03:24:58 PM
Texture was good but they were a tad bit dry. Probably just a timing issue...

3-2-1 is generally to long for the smaller baby back ribs, if that's what you did. After an initial 2 hours bare try the Texas Crutch for 1-1.5 hours on baby backs. Seal them in foil with a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of apple juice per slab after the initial bare cook time. For the final hour take them out of the foil back on the rack bare to firm them up and use the dripping to make a Vermont Pig Candy glaze, which you brush on the last 15 minutes.

muebe · May 17, 2011, 08:49:40 AM

TedEbear is right. Baby backs are better with 3-1-1. Larger cuts like St.Louis you can do 3-2-1

FLBentRider · May 17, 2011, 08:55:18 AM

IMHO It really depends more on how meaty the ribs are. I've had some really meaty baby backs that take longer than the spares.

thirtydaZe · May 17, 2011, 08:58:38 AM

my first batch in the bradley were a tad bit off too. i've since perfected my style, which will always still be a work in progress, but im to the point now where i wont even touch a restaurant rib.

i would say, i won't even touch a rib unless i make it, but that wont be entirely true, i know you can find good bbq if you look hard enough.

Fernslinger · May 17, 2011, 11:48:17 AM

I didnt do the 3-2-1 method...not really into foiling the meat while cooking. I think I just went a little too long...The temps on my Weber run a little hotter which cause the meat to pull back from the bone quicker. That was the indicator I was mainly using as I dont use a temp probe in the meat for ribs.

Next time I will hit it with smoke a little longer and back off on the cooking time a little bit to see what happens.