First Baby Back Cook Good But Not Great--Pls Help, Help Me Rhonda

[fkrall]

Noted; thanks. I've saved Troutman's Primer!

[BFlynn]

You can also try wrapping in butcher paper. That will help keep them moist without killing the bark.

Last set I smoked for 3 hrs.
Wrapped in paper and put back on for 1 hr.
Unwrapped and sauced for 15 mins.

Your timing may vary.

Read Troutmans Rib Primer, if you haven't already

[fkrall]

Well said!

[Whiskeyman53]

Don't be jealous, it's one finger on 2 different hands.

[Mark V]

My ribs are never great all the time, I am not that consistent. Ribs are not all the same, hard to be consistently great. The smoker, the charcoal/wood, rubs and sauce, the weather all make a difference. We here are all probably too critical on how they turn out, the average person is probably real happy with what we consider just good.

[jfmorris]

fkrall with blasphemy I can only fit two slabs of ribs, using an elevated grate, if it’s 3 or more you need to use the Weber rack.

[Sweaty Paul]

Concur with jfmorris.

[Old Glory]

I'll defer to the experts but no one mentioned a water pan under the ribs. Not sure if that works for a Kettle and S&S but it might help stabilize temps and prevent dryness.

[Ahumadora]

Was going to say that as well. Problem I see is you didn't start drinking before the cook.

[smokin fool]

Not much I can add to what @fjmorris has said
Smoking is a relaxing past time not a contact sport sometimes doing less gets better results

[fkrall]

Good point and very interesting, BFlynn! My 3 racks were 8.5#, total, significantly larger than those I saw elsewhere. I prefer my guy, but I was thinking of trying the smaller ones next. After your post--that's what I'll do! And yes, I dry brined, as I normally do.

[BFlynn]

I'm assuming that you dry brined the ribs, since that's part of the last meal ribs directions. If not, you should.

How big were your baby backs? I'm seeing a lot of racks now in store at 3-3.5 sometimes even 4 lbs! What they're doing is leaving extra loin meat on the rack. That's gonna get dry. I try to get baby backs around the 2 1/2 lb mark.

[barelfly]

You could add a bit less, I think the last few 5-6 hour cooks I’ve done, I’m using 3/4 full but still have a decent amount left. But I close the top and bottom vents and it shuts down pretty quick so that you can use the remaining briquettes for the next cook.

[fkrall]

Specific comments in-line, but overall what rapid, supportive, detailed, and helpful responses to my post. Thank you all. Was also wondering if I could add less than a full chimney of KBB after the 12-15 pilot group is underway. I did as instructed but that seemed to be overkill for a 5-6 hour cook.

[fkrall]

Not gibberish at all--many thanks! Temps rarely stabilized because of frequent dome removal to rotate racks. Range was 225-260/70 per my Smoke. Biggest issue was they weren't consistent in any one range, so I had to keep making frequent microscopic adjustments each time they settled. Waited 10 minutes per adjustment ("10-minute rule") but then would have to readjust. Improvements would be less spotty dryness, but overall had good bark, good flavor, and good "feel" of the meat when eating.