St Louis Ribs 3-2-1

[walleye56]

I have been sticking to the 3 hour timeframe for the smoking of the ribs, and do a slight variation on the 2-1. I am using a GMG Daniel Boone. One of the more popular pellet cooker recipes recommends 3 hour in the smoke mode. Their manual states that the smoke mode is "SMOKE 150-180°". Most other recipes show 225° for the 3 hour smoke mode. Please provide some opinions as to the best temp for smoke mode.

Should a constant temperature be maintained throughout the complete process or should temperatures be variated for the 2-1 phase? My main goal is ribs that are not dry and a slight pull off of the bone.

Also any input on the recommended smoke flavor would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Troutman]

First of all what is your understanding of 2-1? The method calls for 3 hours smoke, 2 hours wrapped (foil or paper) and 1 hour of saucing and finishing. The wrapping period can really be at a higher heat level since the ribs have essentially taken on all the smoke they are going to get. Go ahead and crank your pellet pooper up into the mid 250ish range for that. The finishing end game is there to glaze the ribs with sauce and re-set the bark that may have softened in the wrap.

Personally I have gotten away from this opting instead to smoke at 225* for 4 hours, wrap for about an hour then do a fast sear/saucing, maybe 20 minutes or so. Ribs are always bend test done under this method. Others may disagree or have other ways of doing it. Good luck with your rib cooks !!!

[bardsleyque]

I don't sauce ribs ever,except maybe some on the plate

[walleye56]

It seems that i want to try your 4-1-20 minute or so. Do you spritz/use MOP sauce? What type wood do you use for the smoke?

What do you add for the foil stage?? I have a tendency to sauce heavy for that and I am thinking to stop doing that.

[Troutman]

I just use a little apple juice when I wrap, not into the whole Parkay, honey and brown sugar thing. I do spritz the first couple of hours with apple juice/apple cider vinegar combination. You might want to do what I have done, run a rack this way and one naked and see which you like, we prefer wrapped but YMMV !!

[Mosca]

Skip the wrapping. Smoke ‘em at 225-260 until the meat pulls back from the bones. Then sauce them and cook for about 15 minutes more, until the sauce looks all glassy.

Edit: the reason I say skip the wrapping is because if everything else is fine, they don’t need it. And with a thermo controlled rig, everything else will be fine. I used to wrap out of neurosis: "OMG, they don’t look done, are they getting done? I can’t tell! Better do something! Look on the internet... OMG! I have to wrap them! Is it too late? No? Quick, get the honey and butter and cider vinegar!"

Ribs were just fine 200 years ago when there was no foil. Just let them cook low and slow until the meat pulls back from the bones, and they crack a little when you lift them in the middle. (But the pull back is a better indicator.)

[Mosca]

Haha, I didn’t want to look up when aluminum foil was invented, I figured 1818 was far back enough.

[Jon Liebers]

when was butcher paper invented?

[Mosca]

1879. Aluminum foil was 1910, tin foil was late 1800s.

[Sweaty Paul]

Concur with this approach too.

[texastweeter]

I smoke at 225 until done on pork ribs. I DO wrap beef ribs though. once the smoke is done (usually around the 2-3 hour mark) I switch to charcoal only. Actually I am normally smoking on a gasser smoker, in which case, I just stop adding wood chunks/chips/pellets/sawdust.

[LA Pork Butt]

I have wrapped, but rarely do. Wrapping tends to make them too soft for me. The meat pulls away from the bone when I try to cut them. Lately I’ve been cooking them at 275 upon Spinaker recommendation. I don’t know that I have had bad ribs no matter which method I’ve tried. If you like the results from your cooker’s recommendation, enjoy them.

[fracmeister]

Never have wrapped ribs. Smoke at 225F till they break when you lift with tongs picking them up about 1/3rd way then sauce and sear that with a flamethrower (the big rig some use to clear weeds or melt tar--- a trick I picked up at Bogart's in St Louis). Doesnt do BETTER than caramelizing over my grill grates but oh what a nice show!

[EdF]

Same way here.

[ClayJones]

Hey! I like the sound of that! What's wrong with a little showmanship?

[Jon Liebers]

to me nothing is better than good ole Johnny Trigg 3-2-1 (and the 1 usually turns into just 10-15 min). I am not looking for meat to pull back from bone, rather what's important is that clean bite.

[Spinaker]

Pull back on the bone is generally a good indicator that you are approaching that clean bite. To me, the foiling makes the meat to soft. Just my personal preference.

[Jon Liebers]

I prefer to look for doneness by lifting off the grill and seeing how much bend/flex and cracking there is . if I do it right, there is actually just a little shrinking off the bone. But , that's a big if.

[EdF]

The KBQ has this cool characteristic. You don't smell the meat until it's right about ready!