Failed cook

[Drewcooks2024]

Failed Cook

I tried my hand at making beef ribs yesterday on my Weber Smokey mountain. I got some choice grade Dino plate ribs at my local heb.I ran it at 275F Majority of the cook however the temps ran off a bit after I opened it to spritz and I couldn’t really get them back down below 290F It was also my first time running my billows and on a really windy day here. I cook the beef ribs to Around 165F internal then i wrapped in butcher paper. I checked it around 203F internal and it was probe tender so I pulled it and I let it rest in cooler for about an hour . When we ate it they were very tough and almost dry like and I noticed the fat did not render. I seem to be having a hard time making beef on my new Weber Smokey mountain i also had this happen with a chuck roast . Any ideas what may have went wrong ? Do I need to add a gasket to my wsm? When I cook on my other smokers everything comes out great is there just a larger learning curve with the wsm?


Goes to show not every cook is a success but I enjoy the learning process

[LA Pork Butt]

Is this your 1st try on beef ribs? Sometimes the beef doesn’t measure up to the grade. I recently learned that each cut of the cow isn’t graded, but the grade is established by the grading of the steaks which might not translate accurately to other beef cuts like ribs and brisket.

[gcdmd]

GTK. Tnx.

[Huskee]

I'd read they grade the entire carcass from the rib loin, or a certain spot on the rib loin.

[LA Pork Butt]

Huskee I can’t remember where I read that info about steaks, but it made sense to me. I don’t know what reality is, but it would help explain why other cuts can vary from then grade.

[captainlee]

As above LA Pork Butt but also the wind will play havoc on your temps in the pit and on the surface of your meat. Your picture clearly shows that the fat didn't render.

[Drewcooks2024]

Is this your 1st try on beef ribs? Sometimes the beef doesn’t measure up to the grade. I recently learned that each cut of the cow isn’t graded, but the grade is established by the grading of the steaks which might not translate accurately to other beef cuts like ribs and brisket.

This was my second attempt my first attempt was last year on my Traeger and they came out amazing but they were also prime grade, this time HEB only had choice grade but the price was reasonable so I decided to try them.

[LA Pork Butt]

There can be significant gap between choice and prime.

[GOCS]

A couple thoughts:
- Any chance your probe was on the bone? Or close to it? That will throw meat temps off badly.
- I usually wrap foil on pork ribs and haven't done dinos yet. But with my pork ones, the paper makes better bark and the foil juicier meat. With your temps off to the high side, I wonder if the paper made it worse on the dryness. Because it looks like great bark...

No try is a failure if you learn from it, I guess.

[Sid P]

As much as we’d all like smoking meat to be a science, it’s really an art. It doesn’t matter what I’m smoking, I won’t pull it until a toothpick slides in easily. That was 194° on the last plate ribs I did (Costco Choice), and 212° on the point before the flat was tender the last time I did a packer brisket.

You just never know…

[Oak Smoke]

Agree with Sid P . At some time you will get to the point where you will be able to read how well a cook is going and alter your course to get where you want to go. What is your instant read thermometer telling you, what does your probe tell you, what does the color tell you? One of my “come to the rescue” methods is wrapping in foil and braising for a couple of hours to get the tenderness I want. You can over do it. But finishing a cook with a 2 hour braise at 210 F can be a game changer.

[Starsky]

I've had issues using butcher paper instead of foil. The paper seems to absorb too much of the juice, even though I wet it down first.

[Murdy]

Maybe a longer rest would have allowed the fat to render a bit more?

[Huskee]

When you say you "rested" it another hour, what do you mean? Did you hold it up at temp? Or did you let the temp come down while it rested? They need held up at temp for at least an hour, not at cooking temp but lower, say 180-190, to allow more time for the tough fat & collagen to delishify.

If I may offer some tips...

If you feel your WSM likes to run hot, then run it lower, at 225-240 instead of 275 t/o the cook so you have more of a buffer.

Don't spritz. You're just delaying the cooking and doneness time by repeatedly cooling the meat.

Like mentioned by others it could simply be the beef you had. I've done many and had 1 rack of beef ribs that I remember, and 2 briskets in my many attempts that didn't turn out good. It happens sometimes even when you're sure you did everything right.

Don't give up!

[mrichie1229]

+1. I agree that a longer rest at 180-190 can do wonders.

[hoovarmin]

"Delishify." Delishification is crucial.

[Hulagn1971]

I agree with what everyone else has said. Is your middle piece securely in place on the bottom bowl? Sometimes when I put mine together I've noticed it wasn't exactly snug in place. I blew up the pic to see and just can't exactly tell at that vantage point. You could tape your door shut with HVAC metal tape, I taped both of mine at all 4 seams and that helped tremendously. I never use the door to be honest. Also, when it gets cold and windy, a welder's blanket is your friend. Grab one from Northern Tools or Tractor supply and get some spring loaded clips. Wrap the blanket around the smoker and clip it closed. Be careful not to smother your intakes with it and keep it clear of the exhaust vent up top. Something definitely was going on with a leak somewhere with those temp spikes. Normally, when I cook on one the temp will swing 10-15 degrees up and down at times which is pretty normal. BTW, I have always used butcher paper for wrapping and haven't had any issues...yet.