Valentine's Day Rib Massacre

[Old Glory]

Writing up this FAIL so I can get some feedback and others can learn from my mistakes as well.

My wife asked for ribs for Valentine's Dinner (how awesome! I was pumped!). Because it was a special occasion I ordered Kurobuta Pork Ribs from Snake River Farms. I set up the BGE to run at 225 and for once I got it just right. I put the ribs on at 12:00 figuring they would be done by 5:00 rest for an hour then we could eat. Well I checked them at 1:00 everything looked great. I checked again at 2:30 and they were way overdone. I was totally shocked. Overdone in 2.5 hours. Temp did creep up to just under 250 but still I NEVER would have though they would finish that quickly. They were a bit thinner than my supermarket ribs but still...

Is this common with Kurobuta ribs? I am pretty shocked.

Plan B is thick cut pork chops SV then sear.

[MsTwiggy]

I have no experience with this, but share your surprise! Anxiously waiting to hear from the group. Good luck with the chops!!🔥🔥🐿️

[bmillin]

Not with Kurouta, but have similar experiences with others. no explanation.

[captainlee]

Had it happen once too, done in about 3 hours, normally about 5. Must of been a snowflake pig.

[Sweaty Paul]

Haven't had that happen before. I am following for sure. Did they appear or handle differently from prior ribs?

[Old Glory]

They were slightly thinner but nothing significant. I kept checking them just in case but never thought they would be overdone in 2.5 hours.

[mrteddyprincess]

Ever since I joined AR discussion group, I have a disconnect with the time it takes me to cook ribs with what others report. My rib cooks on my Lang 48 inch Patio Deluxe average two to three hours. That's probe tender flexing away from the bone. I don't know five hour rib cooks. They don't exist for me.

So your experience is not a surprise for me.

B

[Old Glory]

I will certainly be monitoring them much more closely.

[briano52]

Wow that is result is hard to understand. I splurge on Kurabota once in a while with uniformly excellent results. Every cooker has its own personality but I usually do my pork racks in about 3 hours at 225-250 followed by about a two hour paper wrap cook at about 225. Some get done sooner or slightly longer so final check is by toothpick or bending.

Maybe check your temp monitoring? Are you measuring your ambient temp on the hood or on the rib level grate? I don’t know much about the BGE but I do know that it makes a big difference in where your ambient heat probe is placed in any cooker. When I am trying to learn the propensities of a cooker, I place multiple ambient air probes to see what the temps are at various levels and spots in the cooker. Once, I figure it out, I can usually get by with just one.

I know the BGE is a wonderful cooker. I am sure you will figure it how to cook those ribs and it will be worth it.

[Old Glory]

Was using the dome temp. With all the ceramic the BGE is basically a heat sink. I always go by the BGE's thermometer but next time will use the Fire Board probe.

[Henrik]

It sounds very normal to me. Chops don’t take 5 hours to cook.

[Old Glory]

The chops were fine SV then seared in cast iron. The ribs were finished way sooner than expected. Such a bummer.

[briano52]

But the OP said they were over done in 2.5 hours. 5 hours can easily be an overcook but not 2.5 I think.

[FireMan]

I do start watchin my Wibs at 2 hours. Never had anything done in 2 1/2 but been close. 3-3 1/2 alla time. You just might have had the perfect cook with fickle meat. Now strictly me, but I don’t buy fancy pork, I mean it’s a pig fer cryin out loud and I’m to cheap when it comes to pig meat.

[Old Glory]

I usually buy supermarket ribs but was trying to be fancy for Valentine's Day.

[Troutman]

Mangalista and Iberico ribs I’ve cooked are thin and full of monounsaturated fat. They cook up very quickly like within two hours. I’m not familiar with the Japanese Kurobuta but I suspect they are more delicate than our domestic pig. Sorry for your disappointing experience, I know those ribs are not cheap.

[Old Glory]

Thanks Troutman they were on sale so it didn't sting as much as it usually would have. They were pretty thin but not excessively so. I have two more racks in the freezer to try again. This time I will probe temp the BGE and watch them very closely.