rib rub,gun shy after bad ribs,want to try again

dennis1 · May 05, 2010, 12:34:36 AM

hey everyone,i am making my wife and mom a rib dinner for mothers day,i have done alot in the bradley smoker .I tried ribs once and they did not turn out,so i have never tried to do them again(kinda gun shy after that) but reading everyone's ribs that they made and looking at the pictures my mouth is watering and i really want these to turn out this time.can anyone give me a hand on a good rub and a little training on how to make these in the bradley smoker,the normal stuff like how long to smoke,temperture,and how long after the smoke do they stay in to have fall off the bone ribs.Thank you for all your help on this.

Habanero Smoker · May 05, 2010, 01:42:12 AM

Here is an easy tutorial to go by, but I would do a test run before Mother's Day; and remember if you only cook one rack in your test run, it will take longer to cook a larger load.

How to Make Ribs in a Bradley

dennis1 · May 05, 2010, 03:49:19 AM

thank you very much,i will take a look

Caneyscud · May 05, 2010, 05:41:37 AM

dennis1

Best advice I can give you is to take one recipe that looks good to you and do it following the recipe as close as you can while remembering "the ribs are done when the ribs are done". So some testing for doneness is needed. Don't just rely on the time in the recipe. There are a ton of different "ways" to smoke ribs. For instance, the way I do them is totally different from the link above. All that means is that they are different - not better or worse, just different and my preference after eating and doing dozens or hundreds of racks. Most recipes all turn out good ribs - albeit slightly different. Remember Great Ribs are the ribs YOU think are great - not the ones Caney, or your dad, or your neighbor down the street, or the guy on the food channel thinks are great --- or (blush) the ones Giada thinks are great! I would definitely stay away from recipes that say to boil or bake in the oven first. The temptation is to read a dozen recipes and incorporate a bit of this one, a bit of this one, a little of this one, a lot of this one, etc..... to make your Super Ribs. What you then have is a conglomeration of ideas that is untried. As a 2nd time rib cooker that would not be a judicious decision. Use a tried method until you get the hang of it - say 2 or 3 times. Then tweak to your heart's extent. i.e. you might like mesquite smoke rather than hickory, you might like very little smoke, you might like more heat, you might like more garlic, you might just like salt and pepper for a rub, you might like them dry rather than sauced, etc.......

db14 · May 05, 2010, 05:53:41 AM

Dennis, time with ribs will always depend on how much you're doing and which type of ribs. The more you pile in the longer it will take to cook them. Also, baby backs tend to cook quicker than spare ribs. Every step of the process can be personal preference. I go with 3 hours of smoke and recommend following that stage up with one that provides moisture back to the meat. This can be accomplished by sprtizing, basting, mopping, or foiling. That stage can last 1-2 hours. Finally, you finish by straight cooking them for up to an hour either plain for dry ribs or with a sauce for wet ribs. These times are some general guidlines and are based on one rack, so if you're doing more expect to have a little extra time in each stage or to be on the high side of those times. In the end, you want to see the meat start to pull back from the bone so that you can actually see teh end of the rib bones clearyseparated from the meat by about a quarter of an inch or so. And keep asking questions. Everyone on here is full of answers and different methods. It's the best way to learn.

dennis1 · May 05, 2010, 08:02:14 AM

i do have to say that this forum is rated the best in my book,you can always find someone to give you a hand.i really appreciate you taking the time to tell me a few tips.i have a rub that sure sounds good,i think i will start with that one and hope for the best.i think the problem i had the first time i smoked ribs is that i over smoked them,i thought that you smoke them until they were done.i have now realized thats not how to do it.thank you very much,Dennis

dennis1 · May 05, 2010, 08:04:10 AM

i do have 1 more question??? what temp is the correct temp? 140-170??

FLBentRider · May 05, 2010, 08:07:29 AM

Quote from: dennis1 on May 05, 2010, 08:04:10 AM
i do have 1 more question??? what temp is the correct temp? 140-170??

Temp to cook at 225F

internal temp of ribs... good question. Most don't cook ribs by IT.

db14 · May 05, 2010, 08:09:08 AM

I assume you're talking about IT (internal temperature of the meat) and not CT (cabinet temp)? I don't really go by meat temp since there's not a great way to take it on ribs. Most people just watch for the meat to start to pull back from the bone.

If you are referring to what Ct for cooking the ribs, I shoot for 220F. Some go a little higher and other a little lower. I stick with what works for me.

dennis1 · May 05, 2010, 08:48:21 AM

thank you verey much, will let you know how they turn out, ill take some pics and post.

Caneyscud · May 05, 2010, 09:23:42 AM

You can smoke the entire time with ribs - nothing wrong with it. Probably did not ruin your previous ribs. Most ribs are "ruined" in other ways. Your tongue won't fall off, smoke won't come out your ears, although your sweat might smell a little different for awhile! ;D I regularly do it. If I wanted lightly smoked ribs - heck, I'd just do them wrapped in foil in the oven with some hickory bbq sauce or in the crockpot - far easier and cheaper ---- But I don't care for soggy ribs and those would be far from what I strive for. But then again, you might not like it. Again, pick a recipe, try it then tweak. I would not tweak more than 1 or 2 things at a time. If you change, say 6 things, and it did not turn out well - which one was the culprit? Anything say over 4 or 5 hours of smoke, you come up against the wall of diminishing returns. Some say the amount of money you spend in additional pucks may not be worth the minor amount of smoke flavor you are adding.

KevinG · May 05, 2010, 09:29:53 AM

I'm not sure if this will help you any or not, but here's my first experience with ribs in the Bradley.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=15655.0

dennis1 · May 06, 2010, 03:47:34 PM

anything will help thank you

hal4uk · May 06, 2010, 10:03:57 PM

Whoaaaaaa...
Don't get me wrong...
I love ol' Caney...

But... If Giada calls ya...

dennis1 · May 10, 2010, 04:57:25 AM

thanks you guys very much for your help,THE RIBS WERE ABSOLUTLY FANTASTIC!!!!!! they fell right off the bone and i had every person at the campsite drooling.i used a rub from alton brown that was a five star rating and turned out to be just that.i was going to take pics but a forgot the damn camera!!! next time i will not forget the camera,we are going onanother camping trip for memorial day and my wife wants me to do chicken in the smoker,or cornish hens or maybe both!!! now that i did ribs and they turned out great i want to cook in my smoker all the time now.