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Pork baby back ribs

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    Pork baby back ribs

    I have read that some people don't wrap there ribs at all and cook them straight on grill in indirect heat untill they are done ,but I have read to wrap them up after 3 hours and cook for 2 then make internal temp reaches 195 to 205 , so question is does it make a diffrence to wrap them
    Last edited by CowboyAL; June 9, 2021, 01:56 PM.

    #2
    Both ways work just fine. Once a cook comes out the way you want it to, you generally don’t change things. So people who got it right with wrapping continue to wrap; people who got it right without wrapping don’t wrap. I’ve done both, both came out great. Since wrapping is an extra step, I skip it.

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    • Jfrosty27
      Jfrosty27 commented
      Editing a comment
      What he said. 👆

    • Sweaty Paul
      Sweaty Paul commented
      Editing a comment
      +1

    #3
    Personal preference, sometimes I wrap, sometimes not.
    I don't look for an internal temp any more, its either the toothpick test or the bend test.
    Prefer the toothpick test, if a toothpick passes thru the meat like butter the ribs are good to go.
    Other people use the bend test, some a combo of both.

    Comment


    • smokin fool
      smokin fool commented
      Editing a comment
      Bend test is not my fav prefer the old toothpick test

    • shify
      shify commented
      Editing a comment
      It’s not bend or toothpick… it’s bend test AND toothpick (mostly because I also lack a bit of confidence!)

    • Attjack
      Attjack commented
      Editing a comment
      jfmorris have you ever run into spare ribs that don't pull back from the bone? I have and I'm not a fan. The ribs taste fine but you lose one clue to telling when they were finished and they just don't look as good.

    #4
    I hate wrapping ribs, wasted foil.

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    • ecowper
      ecowper commented
      Editing a comment
      Plus the bows catch fire and then it just doesn't look very nice under the tree

    #5
    My wife likes fall off the bone ribs, so I wrap hers.

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      #6
      The bones tend to fall off the rib meat when I wrap baby backs, so I don't do it anymore. I do the 3-2-1 method with spareribs, though.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        That’s what I do

      #7
      CowboyAL what you are describing is often called the 3-2-1 method, which is usually used for spare ribs - you see the 2-2-1 method described for baby backs. What I get here in Alabama most places that are sold as baby backs are more appropriately called "loin back" ribs, and are extra meaty because they include a thick layer of pork loin meat, which can dry out when cooked to the doneness needed for ribs. It's why after 30 years of smoking baby/loin backs, over the past couple of years, I've gone to using spares, usually cutting them down to St. Louis cut spares myself.

      Anyway, back to your question. Smoking for 3 hours (or 2), with a braise in foil for 2, then finishing and possibly saucing for 30 minutes to an hour unwrapped is how I did ribs for many years. That 2 hour braise in foil pretty much makes the ribs fall apart - like fall off the bone tender. And it also destroys any bark you built up in the beginning of the smoke. My family loved the ribs I did like that for years. I had been to Memphis, even used stuff like rub from the Rendezvous, and the ribs were good, but I kept following that same process. That foil wrap, also called the "Texas crutch", also serves to speed up the cook a bit.

      Since discovering Amazing Ribs and Meathead 's "Last Meal Ribs" recipe (see https://amazingribs.com/best-barbecue-ribs-recipe/ ) - I've stopped wrapping my ribs, and had already stopped wrapping my Boston butts (pulled pork) 15 years ago, and could not be happier. It's one less thing to worry about, and I'll tell you right now, BARK is where all the flavor is, and I love bark.

      The only time I would consider wrapping for an hour or two would be if I was in a time crunch to get ribs done on schedule for dinner. Otherwise, I would just plan on it taking 5-6 hours, and if done early, wrap in foil then, and hold in a cooler or warm oven until dinner.

      The only thing I routinely wrap in foil while cooking is a full packer brisket, and I don't do that until it is over 170F, and past the stall, and has a good bark. But, this is a rib discussion, and I digress from the question.

      Back on ribs - I cannot say I have EVER checked the temp of my ribs. I would imagine if you did, 195 to 205 would be right, much like with a Boston butt. I just go by the bend test for spares, or just probe for tenderness with baby backs. A lot of times you can just tell its done by the way the meat pulls back from the ends of the bones too.

      Smoke On!
      Jim
      Last edited by jfmorris; June 9, 2021, 03:02 PM.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank yo bro I’ll try it without wrapping I’m use to the 3 2 1 methods but I’ll try it without any foil and see if there’s a difference

      #8
      I think 2 hours in wrap is 1 hour too long and to my tastes make ribs th at are a bit mushy.

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      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Ok thank you so much

      #9
      I think it also depends on your cooker, on my pellet grill I prefer not wrapping and going 210-225 the whole way. The only time I will wrap is for time, not moisture. Babybacks also have pretty good fat distribution and I've yet to make a dry rack on my pellet grill, I have had the smaller end ribs a bit dry with a hotter cook coal cooker one time.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you I’m gonna try without wrapping see how it turns out

      #10
      I prefer to cook my ribs all 5-7hrs unwrapped. The extra bark tends to help in case you overcook them to that fall-apart stage. Nothing else I smoke is unwrapped though- brisket, butts, chucks, all get wrapped. Only ribs don't get wrapped on my back deck.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you for the advise

      #11
      Agree with MH, wrapping for 2 hours is too long for me. But so is the 3-2-1 method in general. I can do St. Louis cut at 275*F for 2 hours straight, 1 hour wrapped in paper and 15-20 minutes to tack up glaze (if I glaze at all). My wife prefers I do hers all the way with smoke and no glaze (Texas style with S&P only) so I just let hers ride the same amount of time.

      Hers tend to be a little darker and seared, where mine tend to be a bit lighter and mahogany colored. Since we eat with our eyes as well, I prefer the lighter ribs. Taste wise, both have their merit. So as said, cook them several ways choose which one is right for you !!! I'd recommend you do several half racks with differing methods, its a fun and delicious way to experiment.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        I diffently will do that thank you

      #12
      There is a difference. I have wrapped all the ribs I have cooked on my pellet grill. There is the 3-2-1 method, see Traeger receipts:3 2 1 BBQ Baby Back Ribs Recipe - Traeger Grills®, I used this as a basic guide,
      Competition style spare ribs smoked 3 ways : wrapped vs unwrapped foil vs butcher paper best recipe? - YouTube
      From my experience and recommendations, I cook to tenderness, "Time and temp" as a starting point for my Plan cook.
      The last meal ribs is great advice found on the free side of this site.
      Happy grilling to you.
      Last edited by bbqLuv; June 9, 2021, 05:38 PM.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you

      • bbqLuv
        bbqLuv commented
        Editing a comment
        welcome

      #13
      Here is another take...

      Some of us have a PBC. Pit Barrel Cooker. Likes to run around 270ish. Babybacks....St Louies....normally done in less then 4 hours. I'm talking no more then 4 racks hanging. We can do more but I haven't. yet

      Just throwing that out.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Ok bro

      #14
      I don't wrap ribs until removed from the cook. I wrap them in foil and put them in a Nesco roaster on warm to keep them juicy and 'hold them' ready to serve and eat as wanted. Usually I'll do two racks and open range graze during a TV event like a ball game, which is why I do it this way. One of the best $ 50.00 I've spent.

      Comment


      • CowboyAL
        CowboyAL commented
        Editing a comment
        Thank you

      • JGo37
        JGo37 commented
        Editing a comment
        CowboyAL A hotplate next to the Nesco with a pot full of hot simmered BBQ sauce is a great way to go for folks that like 'em wet. You can setup a nifty serve-yourself.

      #15
      I've done both and currently I'm sitting in the no wrap camp.

      Comment

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