Rookie Help

Quarlow · September 12, 2011, 08:56:19 PM

Chris what was your temp and times on the ribs? If you tell us how long and your temps we might be able to dial you in.

chrisc151 · September 12, 2011, 09:00:58 PM

So, temps were 200-220 for 6 hours (give or take a couple of minutes). Oh, and forgot to mention I am at 6K feet above sea level in Denver... Usually, the altitude causes food to need more cooking time, but... Also, I used apple smoke, not sure that matter, but thought I would mention.

GusRobin · September 12, 2011, 09:09:32 PM

what rack were the ribs on and where was the probe that you were measuring the temp in relation to the meat?

chrisc151 · September 12, 2011, 09:57:50 PM

I had them on the second from the bottom and then a pork shoulder on the second from the top... I had my probe in the butt, not the ribs. Was trying to go off of time vs. temp. That the prob?

GusRobin · September 12, 2011, 10:07:46 PM

Quote from: chrisc151 on September 12, 2011, 09:57:50 PM
I had them on the second from the bottom and then a pork shoulder on the second from the top... I had my probe in the butt, not the ribs. Was trying to go off of time vs. temp. That the prob?

Where were you measuring the temp of the cabinet when you say it was 200-220?

chrisc151 · September 12, 2011, 10:09:07 PM

Was going off the BDS's digital display.

GusRobin · September 12, 2011, 10:16:54 PM

If the meat was below the probe where the digital takes its temp, then you probably were seeing hotter temps than 200-220. So that probably dried out the ribs.
I would get a remote thermometer and put it under the lowest meat you have and go by that, If you don't get a PID, then you need to adjust the digital temp setting to match what you are seeing in the remote therm. SO if the remote says 250 and the Digital readout says 230m then set the digital to 210 and see what happens.

chrisc151 · September 12, 2011, 10:19:30 PM

Thanks! Maybe I'll put the shoulder lower next time and the ribs on top. Plus, I think I need to baste the ribs more often. The ribs tasted great, but just dry.

GusRobin · September 12, 2011, 10:26:36 PM

look in the recipe section for the 3-2-1 method. This is primarily for spare ribs. 3 hours of smoke with rub on the ribs, 2 hours foiled ( I sprinkle with brown sugar, a tablespoon (or a little more) of butter, and drizzle with honey and double wrap --thats FL (foil love learned from Sparky)), then 1 hour (or until tender) with no foil - sometimes I smoke for this hour. With baby backs I do 2-2-1; with short ribs I do 2-1.5-1. In each case the last hour is flexible. I test with a toothpick to see if it is tender.

chrisc151 · September 12, 2011, 10:28:03 PM

Perfect! Thanks. Looking forward to next time!