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Ribs FAIL!

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    Ribs FAIL!

    I finally got to cook my first plague ribs. I had 2 racks of baby backs since those are the only ribs I could find. I'm at my vacation home for the weekend so I got to cook them on my new (last fall) Masterbuilt Thermotemp XL. I had the cooker set to 250°F and had my Fireboard ambient probe set in the middle of the cabinet as a double check. Below I am posting a screen shot of the Fireboard session to show how perfectly the Thermotemp XL performed. The ribs were dry brined with an SPG rub and rubbed with Memphis Dust overnight and hung in the cooker using PBC hooks. I checked them after about 4½ hours and they were disastrously overcooked. I'm actually surprised they didn't fall apart on the hooks. The IT probed about 208°F on my Thermapen YIKES! Most of the meat was very dry, although there were some areas between the bones which had a good amount of fat so they were sort of edible. They couldn't really be cut into individual bones without disintegrating. Below is a pic from when they came off and they look decent, but looks can be deceiving. I blame my neglecting to place a Fireboard meat probe in one of the racks to give me some idea of when to check for doneness. I always do that, even with ribs, but got lazy today.

    Click image for larger version  Name:	IMG_20200530_185352.jpg Views:	121 Size:	2.10 MB ID:	854542

    Here is the Fireboard session. The first spike is from when I pre-heated to 350°F to get the hickory chunks smoking. Then I put the ribs in and dropped the temp to a scoche over 250° and left it.
    Click image for larger version  Name:	Screenshot_20200530-195052.png Views:	116 Size:	60.3 KB ID:	854543
    Last edited by Dewesq55; May 31, 2020, 09:32 AM.

    #2
    Did you slice them hot or cooled off some?

    SLC's are more forgiving with overcooking, they get moister by the degree past doneness.

    Comment


      #3
      At least they were not completely ruined

      Comment


        #4
        So it's more of a problem of you managing your time than the bbq smoker or cook.

        Comment


          #5
          I’d eat’ em
          when I smoke ribs I start checking on them after 3 hrs
          It’s not like bakin’ a cake

          Comment


          • Dewesq55
            Dewesq55 commented
            Editing a comment
            Oh, I didn't say we didn't eat them. . .😁

          #6
          what am I missing? 250 deg for 4 hours should not have done that....something is off

          Comment


          • ecowper
            ecowper commented
            Editing a comment
            Actually, back ribs with not too much meat on them can be done in 3.5 to 4 hours at 250.

          • Dewesq55
            Dewesq55 commented
            Editing a comment
            smokenoob - I hear you, but I have very good correlation between the temperature setting on the cooker and the FB readings. Also, in past uses, this cooker had run pretty close to what the dial was set at. So I don't think the temp readings are off by much, if at all. I just overcooked them. My bad.
            Last edited by Dewesq55; May 31, 2020, 09:37 AM.

          • smokenoob
            smokenoob commented
            Editing a comment
            Ok, just wonky wibs then.

          #7
          Sometimes life gets in the way of smoking, I wouldn't go nuts over this, more sauce more beer and/or wine will help.
          You had an off day.
          I have 4 racks to smoke tomorrow, as I lament my BKK runs best at 300ish so will see where I end up at the end of the day.
          Theses are great or you dirty rotten....

          Comment


          • Mr. Bones
            Mr. Bones commented
            Editing a comment
            Good luck, Brother! Have a Great Cook!

          #8
          Meat is ornery. It doesn’t cooperate. It fights us and challenges us. And we learn from it every time. Most likely these ribs had less meat on them than normal. Back ribs run 3-5 hours, generally, depending on the amount of meat on them when cooking at 250’ish.

          Comment


          • Mr. Bones
            Mr. Bones commented
            Editing a comment
            True dat. Therein lies th Fun, right?
            BBR's rarely take me much past 3, @275° some less, but it's also a function of airflow in a given cooker, as well as cooker temp. Since I have more than one cooker, it's a fun game to play.

          • fzxdoc
            fzxdoc commented
            Editing a comment
            I completely agree, ecowper and Mr. Bones . My husband prefers BBRs over SLCs so I usually make one rack of each, starting the SLCs about an hour or so sooner at 275ish.

            K.

          #9
          Eeek. I usually slice one (Or 2) off the ends At about 3 hours.

          I have a sorted past with back ribs when I used to buy the behemoth ones with much loin attached. I smoked those suckers in a COS and not in a good way.

          I ended up pretty good with them but can’t shake the feelings of yore, therefore henceforth hitherto upon... I slice at about three hours to this day.

          I also buy way small racks now. No doubt I prefer St Louie but if buying backs they need to be small racks.

          im sorry about your ribs my friend. That’s disappointing when you have your heart set on something.

          Comment


          • Mr. Bones
            Mr. Bones commented
            Editing a comment
            I def avoid th ones loaded with loin meat...loin=lean=dry afore th real rib meat is done, ime. An I HATE wastin food, 'twas thoroughly beaten into me from parents that weathered th Depression, Dust Bowl, an WWII..

          • fzxdoc
            fzxdoc commented
            Editing a comment
            Write on, Milord, forsooth. Those extra loin meat BBRs have been forthwith banned from your kingdom, sounds like. Same with my kingdom.

            Kathryn

          #10
          Baby backs are funny things they can have a lot or a little of the loin on them Normally I start checking at 2.5 - 3 hours. Then every 1/2 hour after that. I have given up on bbr's cause you never know what you are going to get and I really prefer the taste of spare ribs.

          Comment


          • Mr. Bones
            Mr. Bones commented
            Editing a comment
            I do spares way more often, BBR's are usually by request, or jus cause I ain't made em in some time...bout a buck a pound difference, on any given day, here, as well. Don't mind payin dat buck, fer a flavour upgrade, but to me, spares actually taste better, as well...OMMV, an I defer to their preference, with respect.

          • Steve R.
            Steve R. commented
            Editing a comment
            I'm with you in preferring spare ribs. But if I have no choice but to use BBRs, I go ahead and trim off the excess loin meat before cooking. And the narrow end of the rack does have some mighty fine tasting meat on it.

          #11
          That's why I don't do BB

          Comment


            #12
            I rarely do 3-2-1 anymore on SLR's because I find they only need 5 hours, and thus I have cut back on BBR's as well. Check them at 3, never more than 4. And that's at 225. Thanks for sharing, I think you can learn a lot from mistakes.

            Comment


              #13
              Yes, live and learn. I didn't mean to be crying in my beer. I was just sharing a fail the same way we all share our successes. While I have certainly cooked BBRs before and never had this happen, I cook way more spares/SLCs because they are what I prefer. So hopefully I learned a lesson here about cooking BBRs. On the positive side, as Barbara noted, at least I wasn't cooking for others. Eating my own mistakes is one thing. Expecting others to eat them is quite another.

              Comment


              • Mr. Bones
                Mr. Bones commented
                Editing a comment
                Brother, Certainly never took it fer cryin in yer beer, jus as th same self-admonition we Perfectionists all experience, from time to time.
                I also enjoy sharin my fails, mayhap even more than my successes, in th hopes that it might prevent even one lone person from bein as Stupid as I am, an botchin up some perfeckly good food.
                An yup; puttin yer heart, soul an guts on a plate fer others, especial payin customers, adds quite th additional layer of complexity, an guilt-trip.
                Last edited by Mr. Bones; May 31, 2020, 11:33 AM.

              • Mr. Bones
                Mr. Bones commented
                Editing a comment
                Wasn't there some dumbarse redneck on here, like a month or so, boilin ribs?

              #14
              Maybe some relatives you just don’t wanna see back

              Comment


                #15
                It’s all good my friend. We are here for you. As mentioned above 👆 save them for relatives not company.

                id need a whole channel for my failures. Then another for cooking.

                Comment


                • smokin fool
                  smokin fool commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I don't call them failures simply miscalculation by the meat and the smoker, sometimes the weather.
                  I just put them all together, its up to them to work out the rest of it

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