Dry ribs from 6 rack unit>

redcrew71 · October 06, 2013, 01:06:18 PM

hi all....I have being an old school smoker....walkin smokehouse, etc done bacon sausage, etc. Went into bbq more....recently bought a used altered Bradley 6 rack. It has a larger element the guy installed along the bottom. by passes the oven controller and has separate dial for on off. still provides smoke and timer temp for cabinet.

question is I did two smokes so far...with ribs. both time they were dry. or somewhat dry. they were about 3hrs each with foil for an hour. temp in cabinet ranged from 200 to 250. The rib ends pulled back but no flex. thus I thought they needed longer. Although I do cut the BB in half so they dont show the bend test too well.

Wondering if the Bradley besides water in wood puck pot should have water in cabinet?

ssherman · October 06, 2013, 01:09:24 PM

Quote from: redcrew71 on October 06, 2013, 01:06:18 PM
hi all....I have being an old school smoker....walkin smokehouse, etc done bacon sausage, etc. Went into bbq more....recently bought a used altered Bradley 6 rack. It has a larger element the guy installed along the bottom. by passes the oven controller and has separate dial for on off. still provides smoke and timer temp for cabinet.

question is I did two smokes so far...with ribs. both time they were dry. or somewhat dry. they were about 3hrs each with foil for an hour. temp in cabinet ranged from 200 to 250. The rib ends pulled back but no flex. thus I thought they needed longer. Although I do cut the BB in half so they dont show the bend test too well.

Wondering if the Bradley besides water in wood puck pot should have water in cabinet?

What sort of ribs were they, baby back, St. Louis, Spare? Did you marinate the ribs before smoking?

devo · October 06, 2013, 01:29:26 PM

Yes water in the puck bowl will help keep them moist, also foil them with some apple juice.

Saber 4 · October 06, 2013, 02:47:01 PM

I like to marinate my ribs in apple juice and soy sauce overnight and never have had dry ribs in the Bradley. You can put hot or boiling water, apple juice or your favorite beverage in a 9x13 cake pan in stead of the puck bowl to have more moisture, just make sure to keep the vent open.

KyNola · October 06, 2013, 06:02:29 PM

If I read your post correctly your total time in the Bradley was 3 hours, maybe 4? If so, those ribs weren't dry, they weren't done. I think you were cooking baby backs? Even those need 5 hours. Spares will go to 6, depending on the pig. What were you using to monitor the heat in the tower? If it was the digital readout on the Bradley you most likely were getting inaccurate temp readings as the temp sensor is on the back wall directly above the heating element.

redcrew71 · October 06, 2013, 08:41:10 PM

hi...they were Baby backs.....real thick ones..and they were done in 3hrs...I have cooked plenty of ribs to know when they were done...They were foiled with juice and sauce. yes I suspect the temp in the cabinet is higher than the reading. The element is a circular oven type unit on the bottom...I believe it is a 1500 watt unit...thus it is not an original design element...so I can reach 300 degrees no problem. The water pan for wood pucks was filled with water both smokes. They were tender....not fall off bone....but competition style....just dry a bit.

marinade ribs?? yuk...lol just rub and into the smoker....mopped a couple of times. I had the damper at half open the first time and a bit more this time.

my question is maybe I should close off damper a bit more to keep in some moisture? or add another pan of water above? I usually did ribs full racks...thus I can tell with the bend test...with the bradley I cut them in half both times to fit them on the racks...that might be my problem as I see the pull back from ribs...but not the bend....wth them being so short...so I overshoot the cook.

also...only first couple of posts here....do you always have to do the security questions to post??

Habanero Smoker · October 07, 2013, 02:07:57 AM

I'm not one who subscribes to the moist heat = moist meat theory. Some of the driest tasting meats I have had were in stews.

You may want to monitor the cabinet temperature with a probe thermometer. The fastest I have cooked baby backs was 2.5 hours at a temperature of 325°F. Of coarse I wasn't using my Bradley, and I didn't use a water pan. One rack was fairly thick, and the other much thinner. The thick one was in between pull off and fall off the bone, the thin one was fall off the bone. They were moist except the very thin top layer, which came out tough and dry.

I've gotten pretty good at checking the tenderness with a bamboo skewer. When it slides in and out with very little resistance, the are pull off the bone ready, if the slide in and out without any resistance they are fall off the bone or too over cooked. If you want to cook them in the Bradley and use the bend test, just cut the last 2 - 3 ribs off the slab, so the rest of the slab will fit on the rack. The trimmed off pieces can be placed on another rack, or boned for stir fry, or thrown in the crockpot.

KyNola · October 07, 2013, 07:16:42 AM

The security questions will disappear.

Admittedly I am confused about your other question regarding the dry ribs. The ribs were baby backs and thick, done in 3 hours and temperatures averaged 200-250 degrees. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around that. They were foiled with juice and sauce, tender yet dry. Is it possible that it is the simply the pig's fault? By that I mean I have found that ultimately the outcome of anything I smoke is up to the animal that the meat came from. In the US a select grade of meat is going to be tougher than a choice or prime grade.

As for closing the vent further, I will yield to others on that topic as I took my vent off long ago. One word of caution, if you trap moisture in the tower the moisture will condensate on the underneath side of the top and eventually will rain back down on your meat. The rain will be black and incredibly bitter. It may also run down the inside of the door and out the bottom of it, leaving a dark stain on whatever your Bradley is sitting on.(Don't ask me how I know that. :-[) Moreover, you may cause the smoke to back up into the generator, effectively destroying it over time.

redcrew71 · October 07, 2013, 04:30:52 PM

Quote from: KyNola on October 07, 2013, 07:16:42 AM
The security questions will disappear.

Admittedly I am confused about your other question regarding the dry ribs. The ribs were baby backs and thick, done in 3 hours and temperatures averaged 200-250 degrees. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around that. They were foiled with juice and sauce, tender yet dry. Is it possible that it is the simply the pig's fault? By that I mean I have found that ultimately the outcome of anything I smoke is up to the animal that the meat came from. In the US a select grade of meat is going to be tougher than a choice or prime grade.

As for closing the vent further, I will yield to others on that topic as I took my vent off long ago. One word of caution, if you trap moisture in the tower the moisture will condensate on the underneath side of the top and eventually will rain back down on your meat. The rain will be black and incredibly bitter. It may also run down the inside of the door and out the bottom of it, leaving a dark stain on whatever your Bradley is sitting on.(Don't ask me how I know that. :-[) Moreover, you may cause the smoke to back up into the generator, effectively destroying it over time.

thanks for the info...yes that is why I think my cabinet is hotter than the display....I do have a wireless therm to try it out inside next time.

yes I would not close off completly as it also kills the heat as well..thanks...good notes.

doing a 8lb turkey for Cdn thanksgiving this weekend...see how that goes.

Dry ribs from 6 rack unit>

devo