Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs = Jerky?!?!

[st3v32k12]

Ok, so first attempt with my Bradley Digital 4 Rack.

I wanted to replicate a recipe I had once at a restaurant which were baby back ribs with no sauce, just the dry rub.  The bark had given it such an awesome flavor and it was still juicy and tender.  Not fall off the bone, but still very tender.

I prepared a simple dry rub but only had an hour or two to marinate (I would usually do overnight).  I think I made several serious errors:

1.  Not marinating overnight.
2.  Not cooking hot enough (I was cooking at 200 degrees F)
3.  Not cooking long enough at that low temperature (I did five hours).
4.  Oversmoking (did the whole five hours, I think it contributed to a slightly bitter or sour taste - I used hickory).
5.  I was worried about dryness so I put a water pan directly under the ribs with onions, garlic, bay leaves and pepper corns.

Almost universally (from what I can see), everyone on this forum is saying 3 hours with smoke unwrapped, and then some combination of wrapped and unwrapped, all at 225.

Anyone else have success with dry rub ribs in the Bradley Smoker?

[Tenpoint5]

Yes you can use the 3-2-1 method or the 3-1-1  or some combination of your choice. Just make sure that you start with a good meaty and fatty rib. This will help with your moisture at the end. I do spares most of the time and cut a lot of them down to ST Louis. I dont sausce them every time and the turn out great.

[st3v32k12]

So just so I am clear and I do not end up with dry rubbed jerky next time...

The 3-2-1 method or 3-1-1 method is:

The optimal temperature seems to be 225 correct?

3 hours unwrapped
1 or 2 hours wrapped in foil with some apple juice (seems to be the most common liquid applied) poured in
1 more unwrapped?

[Habanero Smoker]

I generally smoke/cook spare ribs, and don't foil. I use a bamboo skewer to check for tenderness. When you can insert and remove the skewer with very little resistance that will give you the texture you are looking for. For baby backs; start checking for tenderness around 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

I stopped applying the rub to ribs overnight, and feel that a get a more flavorful rib. I generally use pecan, and only smoke for 1:40 - 2:00 hours.

[OU812]

Set smoker at 225 to 250 F I like 250 F

Smoke for 2 to 3 hr. I like 2 hr Hickory

Foil meat side down splash with some kind of liquid. I like a good beer and unsalted butter

Place the foiled ribs back in the smoker with no smoke and check in a hr. 1 1/2 works for me.

Unwrap the ribs, look to see if the meat is pulled back from the bone about 1/4".

Pour the drippings in a dish and remove the fat, a fat separator works nice for this.

Then thicken up the drippings with some good thick BBQ sauce, about 60% drippings to 40% sauce. Just eye ball it.  I like KC Masterpiece.

Brush on the dripping/BBQ sauce mixture on the ribs and back in the smoker with no smoke for about 1/2 to 1 hr. Just enough time to set the sauce.

There wont be enough BBQ sauce on the ribs to tell they have been sauced, just a nice bark.

Thats how I do it any way.  ;D

[st3v32k12]

Ok, so if you will indulge me I have just a couple more follow up questions.  The idea here is to get a base recipe/procedure that works THEN I will start tweaking it...

1.  When you say a splash of liquid, what are we talking?  A couple of tablespoons, a half cup?
2.  When putting the ribs on the rack would you do )| or (| assuming | is the rack?  Would there ever be a need to turn them over during the 3-2-1 or 3-1-1?
3.  A lot of people here are saying marinating overnight is not necessary.  Would there be a noticeable difference in just applying the rub and putting it in the smoker right away?

And finally, any really awesome suggestions on a rub?  I am using an equal part brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, with a 1/2 part of thyme.  I like this one, but I welcome other suggestions.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

[Tenpoint5]

Ok, so if you will indulge me I have just a couple more follow up questions.  The idea here is to get a base recipe/procedure that works THEN I will start tweaking it...

1.  When you say a splash of liquid, what are we talking?  A couple of tablespoons, a half cup?
2.  When putting the ribs on the rack would you do )| or (| assuming | is the rack?  Would there ever be a need to turn them over during the 3-2-1 or 3-1-1?
3.  A lot of people here are saying marinating overnight is not necessary.  Would there be a noticeable difference in just applying the rub and putting it in the smoker right away?

And finally, any really awesome suggestions on a rub?  I am using an equal part brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, with a 1/2 part of thyme.  I like this one, but I welcome other suggestions.

Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

1 - 1/4 cup
2- no need to turn them over
3 - rub the ribs down and let them sit until the rub gets damp should be about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. About the amount of time the smoker takes to come up to temp on a cool day.

page 5 of this thread has one of the rubs that I use on ribs. If you read it from the start of the thread it should give you some insight on smoking ribs in a Bradley. http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=10182.60

[st3v32k12]

Oh yeah one more: if you're only doing one rack in a 4 rack smoker, is it better to put the ribs on the bottom, top, or one of the middle racks or does it not really make a difference?

[KyNola]

Assuming you have a 4 rack model and only using one rack I would place it one up from the bottom rack.  That's just my personal opinion and preference.  I don't know that there is a definitive answer to your question.  Someone more knowledgeable than me will be along to give you better advice I'm sure.

[mikecorn.1]

Well I certainly do not have more knowledge by any means, but I say the same thing that Larry said. Second from the bottom is my preference. Keeps it away from the bottom heat and away from the cooler area up above in the tower. ??? WTF, anyway that's my reasoning. ;D
I yields to another with a better answer then what I just pulled out of my arse. ;)


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[OldHickory]

I have a BDS 4 and I dry rub and cook on the 2nd rack up with a small aluminum drip pan on the first rack to catch and save the drippings.  I always smoke with hickory ( surprise ) and cook @ 220* until the meat pulls away about 1/2" from the end of the rib.  I then FTC for about 1 hr until time to serve.  Sauce is always on the side if so desired.  Usually about 3 to 4 hr cook, depending on the ambient T.  Works for me.

[st3v32k12]

WOW!  What a difference!!!  I still have some work to do, but it was completely night and day.

Used hickory for 2 hours.  BDS was set to 250, actual temperature varied between 230 and 250.  Cooked for 3 hours unfoiled.  Then 1 hour foiled with beer and butter.  Then one more hour unfoiled where I basted them with the drippings mixed with BBQ sauce.

It was juicy, fall off the bone tender.  My only issue was there were Costco ribs and I find they have WAY more meat on them than the ones I get from the butcher, and because they were so huge I ran out of rub so there was not enough of a bark on them (normally I would have laid the rub on pretty thick).

Next time, I will post pics, but a big thank you to all who gave suggestions!

[OU812]

SWEET!

Now your on the way to the perfect rib,,,,,,,,,,,,,,gotta love it.

[SoCalBill]

There has been a lot of good advise in this thread so far. I will add my method as all I cook is baby back ribs I get from Costco. In fact i have 3 racks going right now.

I only CYM and rub. I like a dry "Memphis" style rib. I like to serve the BBQ sauce on the side which i warm up and put in squeeze bottles.

My method is as follows.. i follow a 2-2-1

1. Night before rinse and cut the ribs in half as I feel it makes it easier to manage.
2. Light coat of CYM followed by the rub of your choice. i seem to gravitate to Byron's, Famous Dave's, and now Zach's hickory rub
3. An hour before they go on a pull the ribs out of the fridge and turn on the BDS @225. Put water & apple juice in the bowl
4. Load 2 hours. 3 hickory and 3 apple pucks. Add the ribs and cook for 2 hours.
5. Foil the ribs with a splash of apple juice. you don't need much. Continue to cook for 2 hours
6. Load the smoker with 1 hour of hickory or apple. Remove from the foil and smoke.
7. Once the smoke is done i will check and let them keep cooking until done.

One variation of this is i do a 3-2 this is where i will smoke up front for 3 hours and then the last two i don't foil but will spray apple juice on the ribs. i will also rotate the ribs every hour.

Today i am doing a mix of my way and ribs ala sparky1 to try something new.

[st3v32k12]

Forgive my ignorance: CYM?