Mmmm ribs "Not"

[Quarlow]

Well I did 4 racks of pork ribs yesterday. But I have to say I am not loving the ribs I have been producing. 3-2-1 yeah but you know they seem more tender at 3 when I go to put them in the foil, almost, well infact one rack was tearing apart. Then after foiled for 2 back on the racks with some sauce and in for 1. Taste was ok but probably better with just the "Jan's rub" and no sauce but not real tender although the meat came off of the bone.
This was the thickest rack, it didn't pull back much.


This one was second thickest and pulled back nice, but still no joy for me. Bree loved them though.



                 CT on the left                                         Tony Roma's on the right.

and the money shot.

So I think next time I am going to go 4 or so without the foil and see what happens.

[bree230]

They were so good! What are you talking about? Had more for lunch today too.
And look at those mashed potatoes! So perfect. :D I scooped them and put the butter on. ;D

[KyNola]

Hey Q,
Those look pretty darn good to me.  Here what I did last time I did ribs.  Rubbed with a bit of oil and used Jan's Rub(naturally), wrapped in plastic wrap and friged overnight. Next day fired up the MAK to 225.  After about 3 hours or so I went and checked on them.  Mixed equal parts of vegetable oil with pineapple juice and every 30-45 minutes or so would spritz them with the juice/oil combo.  Remember to shake the juice/oil combo each time before spritzing as they don't stay mixed longer than about a minute at the most.  Really liked that touch.  When the meat started pulling back and I was getting the amount of bend I wanted when you lifted the rack, they were ready to go.

Not advocating this same method for you.  Just something I did and was pleased with the outcome. Besides, if Bree liked them, what more could you want?

[calis72]

Is there a link to a thread that explains the 3-2-1 and 2-2-1 stuff?  I've been looking around and can't find it....

[bayamosmokes]

Cooking ribs is going to make my hair fall out. Can never get it right. The best rack i ever did was my first rack.

They are always undercooked or I keep them in the foil too long and overcook them. I tried making St. Louis ribs the other day and the wife made
sure to tell me she prefers baby backs, just not mine (OUCH!)

I am determined to get this right. I also would like some suggestions on rubs. I have not found one to use on ribs that i like. My preference is sweet and I normally add brown sugar or turbinado to whatever rub i use.

One last thing, how much rub do you apply? light, medium, substantial or HEAVY?

BTW Quarlow, those look delicious to me!

[deb415611]

Is there a link to a thread that explains the 3-2-1 and 2-2-1 stuff?  I've been looking around and can't find it....

Here you go calis72   http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=10182.0   basically 3-2-1 would be three hours with smoke, two hours in foil, 1 hour without foil    The thread shows it in detail with pics :)

[StickyDan]

I've been doing my ribs with just some rub and lots of time and patience. The results have been mediocre to pretty good. The only time I've used juice and foil is when I reheat the leftovers in the oven.  Helps keep them moist. 

[KyNola]

Bayamo,
Just my personal preference but I'm pretty heavy handed with a rub.  I want those ribs covered pretty substantially.

As for which rub, again that is personal preference.  I happen to like Jan's Dry Rub but I could be prejudiced.  Jan is my wife.  The recipe is here. http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?467-Jan-s-Dry-Rub  It has a slightly sweet taste to it. You could always up the sugar content if you like it sweeter or try the pineapple juice/vegetable oil spritz that I mentioned.  That adds a suttle sweet taste to the ribs as well.

[bayamosmokes]

KyNola,

Thanks for the recipe link. I will try it.

Have you ever tried Johnny Triggs method? I seems he foils the ribs upside down (meat down) and adds parkay, honey, brown sugar and tiger sauce.
I have thought about trying it but man that sounds sweet. He seems to win alot of competitions so it must be pretty good.

Just seeing if anyone has any history with this method.

[Caneyscud]

In doing the 3-2-1 (for spareribs) or the 2-1-1 (for babybacks) be careful when putting them into the foil.  At times - for whatever reason) - they can be closer to done than you might think.  A tightly sealed foil packet, can produce steam.  Heat transfer to the meat with steam is a lot faster than with normal cabinet hot air - i.e. the meat cooks faster.  So by the time they get out of the foil, sometimes they are, what I would call, overdone.  Just because they are in foil, you can look inside the foil to see how they are doing.  If they start showing signs of doneness - get them out and onto the rack for bark firming and sauce setting.  The 3 hour, 2 hour, and 1 hour are not magic.  The meat rules. 

As far as a sweet rub - others need to chime in - mine have no sugar.  I like to do KY's technique of oiling first (Walnut oil is interesting) then sprinkling rub on.  And if I'm in a playful mood, I will mix some rub in with a mop or spritz and apply during the cook or if really playful, I'll sprinkle more rub on during the cook. 

And you might use more than one type of doneness test.  A goodly percentage of the last say 20 racks I've recently done, did not pull away much.  Those were babybacks.  Spares will usually pull back more for me.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Q,  those look fantastic and from a discerning judge you did a great job.  Enjoy, dude !

Cooking ribs is going to make my hair fall out.

Okay, now for my own b**chin'.  ME TOO!  I have been chasing the perfect ribs for 30 years.  I have come so close but not been able to get it just right.  Did my first ribs on the six rack DBS this past weekend and it made clear that I have much to learn about cooking with this thing.  Heat and time aren't yet a natural feeling - still learning.  They were good, wife and kids loved' em, but they weren't what I was looking for.

When it comes to ribs I am very particular.  I have eaten "the best" and "award winning" and "city's favorite" ribs all over the U.S.  I find most disappointing - soft, mushy, and/or largely devoid of good pork flavor.  I have come to the opinion that the judging public mostly wants mushy tasteless meat on a bone to use as a carrier of goopy sweet barbecue sauce. 

About 12 years ago I found my model of rib perfection in TX, which was unexpected for me.  Until I can consistently replicate that sparerib I will not rest. Back to cutting board and the fire - there is work to be done!

[ArnieM]

Hi cousin Q.  The ribs look good to me. 

I'll PM you a pic of Debbie and I.  There is a mild resemblance between us but I think you came from the better looking half.

[Quarlow]

We must have the same mirror. :o ;D ;D

[DarqMan]

Q, those look really good to me.  My friends always give me c**p because no matter how good the eats turn out I always am looking for ways to improve.  How else do we get any better if we don't question what we did?

[classicrockgriller]

I vote, Ribs look good!

But if you are not Happy, make them better next time.

It's called "Do Overs" ;D