What is the upside of 3-2-1 ribs, besides acceptable fare? Timing.
Timing, right? Six-hour cooking, one hour of rest. That is seven hours total--time to eat.
There is something to be said for predictable timing for dinner! And ribs are one of the few things I used to always cook by time, using the 3-2-1 method.
That said, I can't say I ever let them rest when I did the 3-2-1 method back in the day. Or 2-2-1 for baby backs. They were already fall off the bone, and I think a rest will let them turn into more mush. My family always raved about those fall off the bone ribs, but I've not done it much in the past 8-10 years. I prefer a little bite, without the bone pulling out of the meat in my hand...
Do you ever think about making some fall off the bone for them but another section of a rack the way you like it? I only ask because I try so hard to cook them with that perfect bite and clean pull like you say but around these parts “fall off the bone” is the pinnacle. So what’s a cook to do, cook the way you like it or cook the way your guests will like it? OR, just maybe, cook both and open their eyes to the possibilities. That’s usually what I end up doing with predictable feedback.
Last edited by Andrrr; January 19, 2023, 10:16 PM.
Andrrr I just have taught my family to like the ribs I make, and they don't usually complain. Every once in a while if I have some ribs that are taking long and dinner looks like it might be late, I'll wrap them for an hour towards the end of the cook, just to speed it up.
I imagine they would eat both if I did it both ways, but its been a minute since I had any ribs to cook...
You can trust 3-2-1 ribs. Whatever the variations might be: the quality of the slab, the ambient temp, the type of cooker, pit temp swings, whatever you can think of; 3-2-1 ribs are going to come out good. Sure, they might pull off the bone, but we aren’t judging bbq contests, we’re feeding faces. I guarantee you that those faces are going to be smiling.
Can you do better? Hell, that’s why we’re here. But I’ll go anywhere and enjoy your 3-2-1 ribs.
3-2-1 ribs are a great introduction to making your own BBQ. Generally a foolproof technique if you can control the fire and the smoke. You can stop there and enjoy some fine ribs. Or you can keep learning and refining your skills, reaching for smoky sweet perfection.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
I'm not sure my family would notice if the ribs were or weren't fall-off-the-bone. They eat them for the flavor, not necessarily for the texture.
Most folks love moist and tender meat, and that's what fotb ribs give you. It's a good technique to have in your arsenal, but since I prefer ribs with a bit of tug, that's what my family usually gets, unless I'm crunched for time at the end and have to wrap to meet my dinnertime ETA.
I, on the other hand, like things near the minimum safe temperature. I still have my original teeth so I have the horsepower to rip into them if needed.
After reading this and the 1-2-3 thread, I'm using tomorrow's cook of a pair of baby back racks to do a side-by-side comparison, with one rack done X-2-1 (where X will range from 2 to 3 depending) and the other nekkid, and see what there is to see.
We also much prefer the tug-off-the-bone to the fall-off consistency, but we have not done the side by side. Stay tuned!
fzxdoc That’s exactly where I’m at. Half of the family likes fall off the bone and the rest like a little tug. So I usually cook two different methods….not a big deal, we love to bbq anyway.
Well, it's just me and my lovely bride, and we've chowed down on enough ribs to know neither of us prefers fotb. But, I've never performed the controlled experiment, and this pair of BBs is a perfect opportunity. I'm an experimentalist, I can't not take that opp!
Trim 'em
Bribe 'em ($10 minimum)
Hang 'em
Smoke 'em till almost done...
Glaze 'em if you feel the need
Back on the heat to set the optional glaze
Rest 'em
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