Mealy texture in smoked pork spare ribs

[Estes916]

I smoked a rack of ribs yesterday on a Primo XL at 225, and used the 3-1-1 method. The temp remained pretty close to 225 all day, using a FireBoard pit monitor. I used hickory chunks wrapped in foil to promote smoke rather than have them catch fire.
The rub I used was from a recipe called "Big Bad BBQ Rub". I used Meatheads Tennessee Hollerin' Whiskey Barbecue Sauce.

They looked great, smelled great and the flavor was OK for pork spare ribs. BUT!!!!

The texture of the rib was noticeably mealy and kind of off-putting... I still ate them of course...
I bought the meat back in December through Costco - a 3 Pack from Swift. Once I got them home, I split up the 3 pack using a food saver, then into the freezer. Prior to smoking them, I let them thaw then applied the rub the night before smoking.

Does anyone have an idea about what would cause that weird mealy texture? Could being frozen for 4 months cause that? Is it possibly the quality of the meat? Did I do something to cause it?

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Mosca]

I have kept ribs frozen for much longer than that, and the texture was fine.

Do you know the temp of your freezer? If you do, and it is consistently below 0°f, then I’d say it’s the quality of the meat. Because there are no other variables here. You have a handle on everything else, it looks to me.

[Mark V]

I can say that if frozen properly you would have no problems. Were the ribs packaged in a brine? If so, salting with a rub might not be good.

[Elton's BBQ]

Any acid's in the marinade?

[Starsky]

I wonder if it is possible that the meat was mishandled before it was frozen at the plant

[RiverJeff]

Mine would get that way when I wrapped them for to long so I no longer wrap

[58limited]

+1 Same here - I only wrap for the last 30 minutes if at all.

[HawkerXP]

Rub on too long?

I usually apply rub the morning of.....

[Oak Smoke]

I wonder about the same thing that HawkerXP does. The worst ribs I’ve ever smoked had the rub applied the day before. Matt at Meat Church says not to rub any sooner than 30 minutes before they go on the smoker. That’s the way I do mine now and haven’t had any more problems.

[Huskee]

I used to prep my ribs the afternoon/evening before smoking and never had that, so it's doubtful. Now my common practice is a few hrs prior and they are wonderful. I disagree with Matt from Meat Church, but hey that's ok.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I've had that with a few pork products, frozen or not... maybe 1x a year... tenderloin and ribs is what I've experienced it with. We really only have 3 brands available locally but I don't remember if it was the same brand each time it's happened.

[JeffJ]

Overcooked?

[bbqLuv]

That is my thought, too, but 2-1-1 should be Okay.

[TripleB]

Bingo.

[Estes916]

Thanks all for the ideas. It may be putting the rub on too early, or maybe something at the plant where it was packaged... Anyway, Ive got one more rack in the freezer. I'll give it a go again, but hold off on rubbing the meat until just before it goes on the fire and cut down on the time...

[Rod]

I do the exact same thing in terms of where I get the ribs and how I separate and freeze. I'm gonna guess they were overcooked. I usually do 3-1-.5. Maybe even less for saucing. When the bone draw back is about 1/2" is usually perfect for me. They still have a little pull to the bite.

[FireMan]

Four months in the freezer is Not the problem. I’m goin to guess it was not a single step but maybe a combo of things. I would point my finger at rub to long along with cook to long. Personally, just personally, rub goes on 1/2 to 3 hrs before & at 265 to 275.

[JeffJ]

I put the rub on overnight and have never had that type of problem. I do recommend limiting marinating times especially if the marinade is highly acidic.

in my experience the problem you suffered can be broken down to 3 possibilities (maybe a combination):

bad cut of meat
marinated too long in a highly acidic marinade
overcooked

[Estes916]

Thanks everyone. I think they were slightly overcooked.... Also the rub might be too old... So I'll build some fresh rub, and watch the doneness a little closer. The temp was about 225. Do you pay attention to the IT of the ribs? Should I be looking for an IT of about 200 degrees on the meat between the ribs? If so, at what temp should I foil? 165 Degrees? Or do I just trust the bend method and pull them then the ribs bend a lot when I pick them up with the tongs?