Extra meaty baby backs: Not so extra?

[DaveD]

Hey folks, I've had a rack of Smithfield "extra meaty" baby backs in the freezer for a while and busted them out for today after reading some threads about how to mitigate the loin meat atop the ribs that "earn" them the "extra meaty" label. All the ribs I've done up to now I've just run in the smoker without wrapping or glazing, just dry brine overnight and whatever rub I'm using.

Bit of background: My very first smoke was a set of baby backs that, I now understand, had a bunch of loin meat on there and they came out way dry. Took me ten months to work up the nerve to try again with "normal" BBRs, but revenge was sweet, they came out fantastic. On that cook, I stuck to my usual rib process, but paid much closer attention and tested tenderness frequently in the home stretch. So far, so good.

My plan for today was to run at 250F/121C for 90 minutes or so until the color and some bark develop, then wrap in foil with some apple juice, honey, and butter for a couple hours, followed by unwrapping and glazing with some BBQ sauce for half an hour or so, which several folks here (notably Troutman , whose comment on one of those threads was my starting point) have reported as being successful with loin-intensive BBRs.

Now my question: got today's rack, which weighs 3.3lb/1.5kg, prepped last night, and now I'm not so sure it has much loin meat on there after all:



Is that paler strip the loin meat? It's in the right position and looks like it to me... if so, there isn't that much and I'm second-guessing whether I need to do the whole wrapping thing, or whether just to use my standard process so that the only real variable is the starting material. (Yay for changing as few things as possible between experiments!)

Would appreciate any sage counsel, pearls of wisdom, bon mots, and pithy advice y'all might have to offer

[Spinaker]

I would just let it go with out wrapping. Honestly, I never wrap ribs. I would just go with your standard, especially if they are not as meaty as you anticipated. I always find that wrapping softens the bark too much and makes for some mushy ribs. I like to have some body to the rib meat. To me, wrapping ruins all the hard work of developing bark and exceptional mouth feel when eating them.

As you stated above, just pay closer attention to them. Since there is loin meat, you could even insert a temp probe and get some fairly accurate measurements as far as temp goes. I would take them to about 190-195 for tenderness but still good body in the bite.

[Panhead John]

+1

[fzxdoc]

You'll know an extra meaty rib rack when you see one. It'll have an 3/4 inch or so of meat thickness along the length of the rack. If you can give it a good pinch, it's extra meaty. Any less than that, I just hang it in the PBC the usual way. That said, I never buy extra meaty BBs because I don't like having to second-guess a simple cook like ribs.

What I like about your game plan for today is that you get to try a different-to-you type of rib cook, which is the fun of BBQ. I'd say go for it. Then you'll know if you and your family like wrapped ribs for future cooks. A lot of folks swear by them.

While I'm more of a dry-rub-unwrapped-all-the-way type of rib Qer, I am giving wrapped ribs a try over several cooks, varying a parameter at a time, since some guests prefer them that way. It's been a fun journey so far, trying to get a rib that is somewhere between fall-off-the-bone tender and tugworthy for folks who like it that way. Plus wrapping lets you add things like juice, butter and honey, something abhorrent to me personally, but a flavor profile that is loved by so many.

Kathryn

[DaveD]

Thanks folks - indeed, I think there is a place I can get a T probe in there effectively. And the "family" is just my lovely bride and myself, and we both prefer the tug-off consistency over fall-off, big time.

I'll be putting them on in about 90 minutes. Right now I'm leaning toward sticking with my SOP today, and doing another Grudge Match with two racks of ribs from the same purchase (got two racks of spares left from a Creekstone sale a few months ago), one done with the SOP and the other wrapped with some fixins to make that comparison. Of course, that won't be about mitigating loin meat, just comparing the outcome from the two processes with most other things being equal. If I stick to SOP, then there's really only the one variable, the "starting material" (cannot help myself from using that label, from my petrology lab days...), and that's very appealing.

Appreciate the reality checks! And here's Uncle Slayton (yes I named my smoker) after I gave him a good cleanup this morning. That Pit Boss degreasing cleaner works really well!



(Smoke coming out of the firebox, I'd just turned it on to do a burnoff of the cleaner residue.)

[tstalafuse]

DaveD Not on topic, but that looks like a Pitboss something or another model.. Happy with it? good, bad, ugly?.. I am looking for a vertical that simply has a reliable heat. Not so interested in smoke profile, just a good steady consistent heat..

[DaveD]

tstalafuse You're right, it's a Pit Boss Copperhead 5, and I love it. Mind you, it's the only smoker I've ever used, I'm a month shy of one year since getting it - I'm still pretty new at all this. But it is rock solid reliable and consistent, provided you use the water pan as directed. Design needs that thermal mass in there. Small footprint and a ton of cooking space. Food has tasted pretty amazing IMO too. No downsides for me.

[Starsky]

You cleaned it? There goes all your seasoning!

[DaveD]

Got the ribs in at the crack of noon. First hour on the low-T "smoke" setting (about 140F/60C), then bumped it up to 250F/121C.

Rubbed & ready:

In the smoker...

After one hour on SMOKE. (Also the rack is in full sunshine for the pic):


Having a bit of an annoyance: The T probe started to lose signal when I close the door on it, so I swapped it out for another one, and now THAT one is doing the same. Grrr... Ended up having to get the Meater+ in there, which I could just barely do. Will view its readings with some skepticism, it is probably not far from bone...

[Panhead John]

I wouldn’t worry about it. Stick an instant read in em later on, after 3 hours or so.

[DaveD]

Yeah, I'm not overly concerned. I just like to have a ballpark idea without having to go out there if possible.

[rlozinak]

They are looking good

[DaveD]

Cruising right along, and looks like a bit of stalling afoot. At 2 hours in, IT 139F/59C, and the Meater+ app's estimated remaining time says 1:48.


Thirty minutes later, with IT at 154F/68C, the app's ETA rose to 1:51. Here it is at 3 hours in, IT=166F/74C, Meater ETA at 2:16.


And just while I've been typing this up, the Meater's ETA has jumped again to 3:08. Stallsville, baby! (The big trough in the ambient T is when I was futzing around with the T probes.)



Keeeeeeep goiiiiiiiiing...!

[DaveD]

And it's a wrap. They took about five hours total, and I pulled them when they were probing very tender, with some areas at 200F/93C and a bit higher. Wrapped in a couple layers of butcher paper and rested half an hour. Served with green beans and some cheesy sage-y biscuits that my lovely bride made from scratch.

They came out great! You can easily see that strip of loin meat on top of the rack, and it was no more than about 1/4 inch/1cm thick in the central part, thinner toward either end of the rack. We could easily tell it apart when we bit into the rib, but it was never too much except in maybe one or two mouthfuls. So we scored on that front.

The ribs proper were moist and juicy, very flavorful. Highly satisfied with this outcome. Thanks for tuning in today!

Here's the final temperature profile. I bumped it up to 275F/135C for the last hour or so.


As they came out of the smoker ready to wrap. That strip of loin meat is very apparent, running right down the middle of the rack.


Slicin' & servin'.

[Panhead John]

Good job Dave! Looks great.

[fzxdoc]

Nice job on that cook. The "extra meaty" part was on the skimpy side, compared to some I used to get. Biscuits, beans, and ribs. Another perfect summertime supper. Congrats.

Kathryn

[DaveD]

Very skimpy! I'm glad I stuck to my SOP. I'll do the controlled experiment next time on the wrap + fixins vs the SOP.