To tent or not to tent

[Ken C.]

...just curious,  when doing ribbers, is it necessary to "tent" the ribs in the smoker or,
will the ribs smoke and cook just fine without tenting with tinfoil

thanks...Ken

[KyNola]

Ken,
Tenting is not an absolute necessity.  Some will put the smoke on the ribs then wrap them in foil with a splash of apple juice and continue cooking in the Bradley.  I have ribs on now.  Will put three hours of apple smoke on them and then wrap as described and finish in the house oven at 225 degrees for 2.5-3.0 more hours.  Then, open the packages, sauce the ribs and then back into the oven for 30 minutes, leaving the packages open to "set" the sauce.

Enjoy Ken!

KyNola

[pensrock]

I agree with Kynola, and make mine the same way unless I finish the ribs on the grill.

[IKnowWood]

Its all personal approach.  Ribs are an art than many execute in different ways.  I did Baby Backs yesterday, rub overnight, then in the smoker 4 hrs smoke (3 hrs Pecan, 1 hr Jim Beam) @ 220 then Apple Juice spritzed every 45 minutes for another  2.5 hrs.  Cooked to 195 degrees.  And out they came.  Moist falling off the bone wonders.  Only sauce on the plate, conservatively, opened 5th from last Goose Bay BBQ sauce.  used very little.  Will use a little more next week on Meatloaf.  Guess need to start to look for replacement eventually.

[FLBentRider]

For the rib recipe I use, tenting or boating is necessary, because later on the the recipe the liquid that collects in the boat is used to make sauce...

So I guess the answer is "It depends"

[Roadking]

Sorry NO TENTING

My do's and don'ts

Use a dry rub for no more than 2 hours before cooking

Marinate for flavor

Put a coat of mustard before applying the rub

Sauce only for the last 15-30 minutes once the meat is cooked and tender

Use an internal thermometer for food safety

Don't guess if the meat is done, use a thermometer

Don't boil your meat unless you're planning to make a meat stock and throw the meat away.

Cook Low & Slow – only use your oven if your cooker won't cook low and slow. If you use an oven to shorten the cooking process to rush things, then you shouldn't cook, go to a BBQ house and let someone else do the cook'n for you.

Don't put sauce on the meat Before Cooking

[Smokin Soon]

Ken, Ribs are are a mixed bag here, as everyone has developed the method of cooking ribs to individual tastes. Everyone likes differant smoke levels and tenderness. I have found that I like ones from Kynola
and Walleye, as they are smoked for 3 and tented for 3. Crisp them up as you like and sauce, but to tell you the truth they are ready to rock and roll at that point.
Just gotta see what you like.