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Why rib bark so dark?

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    Why rib bark so dark?

    Hi All!

    Yesterday I made pulled pork and baby-backs on my new 26" kettle. I don't have a SnS yet, so hacked a version with bricks and aluminum foil (foil under the indirect side), and the top vent opposite side of the coals. I also used apple wood chunks and MMD on both pork and ribs, and a water pan under the food on the indirect side.

    The pork came out great - looked like a meteorite when I pulled it off. I started the pork much earlier and then added 2 slabs about 6 hours before guests were coming over. I cooked the ribs uncovered for 3 hours, then crutched them for an hour, then uncovered for the rest of the cook. For both I was in the 240-250 range.

    The outside of the ribs looked like the pork - very dark and crunchy bark. In fact it was tough enough that I had trouble when cutting the ribs apart before serving - the knife often couldn't bite into the bark so meat would get pulled off the bone.

    While I loved the bark on the pork, I don't care for ribs to be as dark and crunchy. Does this form because of the smoke (or too much smoke)? The MMD (or too much MMD)? When I cook ribs on my gasser (with MMD and some apple chips in a smoking pouch), they don't come out nearly as dark. Is it because of the way the hot air flows in the kettle?

    Sorry - I don't have any pictures!

    Thanks for any thoughts!

    Scott
    Last edited by trasmc; May 29, 2017, 08:01 AM.

    #2
    Hmm, did you have any water pan in place? If not, try adding one the next time. Adding moisture means the crust won't be as crunchy. At the same time it will increase smoke absorption which could be good or bad, depending on your preferences. The dark crunchy bark is due to hot dry air, together with any rub you put on. Did you apply a thick layer of rub?

    Comment


      #3
      I did - sorry I didn't add that originally (edited the post to include it). Added a couple quarts of boiling water when the grill hit the target temp.

      Comment


        #4
        It might have been cooler down where your water pan was. Did the water evaporate during the cook? Also, how long did you cook after you unwrapped?

        Comment


          #5
          No, there was still some left at the end of the cook (total cooking time about 10 hours).

          Comment


            #6
            It sounds to me like they were on too long and or closer to the heat source. I use a 26" kettle and with a butt on there is only so much room left for two racks. Did you have an probe for interior temp near the ribs? Sometimes I cut the racks in half to keep the farther from the coals.

            Comment


            • jgreen
              jgreen commented
              Editing a comment
              I would agree. Usually somewhere between 4.5 to 6 hours will cook most ribs.

            #7
            I did have an internal probe, next to the ribs. And sorry for the confusion - the water in the water pan lasted the entire cook, the ribs were only in the kettle for about 5.5 hours. Could be the water was too cool to add enough moisture to the air? And yes, it was crowded, but after I removed the pork and only had the ribs on (ribs were on by themselves for about 2.5 hours) they were on the far side away from the heat.

            These are all good points - thanks everyone!

            Comment


              #8
              At 240-250F, 5.5 hours might have been plenty long. Temp may also have scorched the sugar in your rub some? Did you have wood chunks smoking the entire time? Might have been plenty of smoke. If the bark was bitter, I would think too much smoke. The "crunch" makes me think some combination of heat, dry and time most likely culprit(s).

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