Baby Backs

[SparkDog]

Today I gave the New Weber Kettle and Slow N Sear a whirl with some Baby Backs. Followed the recipe for The Last Meal Ribs. They came out great but, as usual, I have some questions.

These are the ribs before the cook. I pulled off the silver skin but I wonder, did I get it all? If you look at the two ribs to the far right, the knife ran along the bone and removed everything but when I pulled the skin off, a layer was left on the bone. the question is did I get it all or do I need to be more persistent in my removal?

These are the ribs before they came off and with the first few sliced off. The judge said I did well and she would be happy for me to try these again sometime so it was a very good cook from a results standpoint. The kettle & SNS gave me fits. This is my second cook with the SNS and the temperatures were all over the map. Up to 235 and down to 215. I could not seem to get it set to cook without me adjusting here or there. Is this normal? In the end, it was a success but required a lot more attention than I thought is should.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

[RonB]

Don't worry if the temps vary a bit. Anywhere between 225* and 275* will get the job done. Once you are in the target range, let it ride for a while before adjusting the vents.

[jgreen]

Ribs look great. I try to get most of the membrane off but don’t fuss if I leave a little bit. I would say 215 to 235 is a pretty normal range. No worries with that.

[mnavarre]

Vent changes with the SnS take a while to really show up on your pit thermometer, on the order of 15-20 minutes. Also trying to get the temp up is quicker than trying to get it down, just because an SnS with a full water trough is around 10 pounds of thermal mass. Don't try and chase the temp, find vent settings that work for you and then make minor tweaks when needed.

Also, those ribs look tasty.

[Rod]

215-235 is perfect. Spiking as high as 275 ain't no thing either. Just be careful of the bend test for thick backs. They tend to not crack until over done.

[Fire Art]

A 20 degree temp swing sounds perfect to me and your Wibs r proof

[UncleFester]

Yeah I don't get too upset if some of the membrane doesn't come off. In fact, every now and again, I'll get a rack where I can't get any of it removed. In those instances, I just score it up pretty good and have never really been able to tell a difference. Sweet spot for me on ribs is 250, but even 275 is perfectly fine. It's not until a consistent run at 300+ before I start to notice a decrease in quality. Temps will bounce around a bit, especially on the kettle. Good work - those ribs look really tasty

[FishTalesNC]

You’ve gotten great advice here, and those ribs do look good! I would call 215-235 quite stable myself. One point mnavarre made that is worth repeating is it’s easier to bring temps up, AND sometimes bringing temps down can lead to acrid smoke if you have to choke it, so I try to not let it get away from me (at least with ribs, wouldn’t worry with a butt). Congrats on the kind words from the judge too! 👍🏻

[Troutman]

If you get to the point of making another investment you might want to try a fan and a temperature control. I have all my Webers setup that way, you can achieve set temps that don't vary more than 10 degrees once dialed in.

Like others have aisd, ribs are pretty forgiving so your cook temps seemed fine. On the silver skin, some folks leave it on, so no big deal if you didn't get it all. I'd say you did a pretty good job all-in-all, nice work !!!

[SparkDog]

The temperature controller - Is that a fire board? I have noticed some posts in looking around but I don't recall what I am looking for.

[Troutman]

I highly recommend the Fireboard with the Pit Viper fan. There are others like the Pit Boss but none as comprehensive and versatile as the Fireboard.

[HawkerXP]

New Weber's like a new PBC leak. Once you build up a nice layer of "gunk" around the rim of the lid will help with leaks.
There is a layer under the silverskin, fat? Not sure. You don't want to remove this layer as bones will come loose from the meat. I find that about half of the racks I get from Costco have silerskin already removed. Those look great!

[SparkDog]

It is good to know that there is a layer under the silver skin. I have been trying for years to pull all that off when only the top layer is all I needed. Thanks

[treesmacker]

I found my ribs from Costco had silverskin already removed also.

[RustyHaines]

My advice is to relax on the temp. swing you had. No sense fussing over a few degrees. I my opinion you had it dialed in close enough. The ribs look awesome. I agree with not using the bend test with BB's, I need to probe them.

[klflowers]

Great looking ribs. You may want to try Blasphemy Ribs from @mgaretz:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/porknography-ribs-pulled-pork-ham-etc/398047-blasphemy-ribs

[SparkDog]

Those look good and the short cooking time will help them fit in on the busy weekends. Thanks!

[klflowers]

I have done them a couple of times and they come out pretty good.

[BRic]

Hi , your ribs look very nice , they have nice color to them .When we do our ribs they cook between 275 - 300 degrees f
Here is a pic of our ribs cooked at 275 f . on a offset smoker .

[SparkDog]

Thanks all for the kind words and great advice. today I learned ribs aren't necessarily temperature sensitive (they can take a lot more than the 225), the it's not the end of the world if I don't get all of the silver skin, and there is a layer between the silver skin and the bones. The kettle temperatures fluctuate then settle out so give it some time to find where it wants to be and, last but not least, another way to cook ribs when there isn't a lot of time for a longer cook. Again, thank you all. I have learned more in the pit in the last month than all my searching over the past few years.

[FireMan]

I liked the comment of "the last month". It’s so cool when you know you are getting it.