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Texas cruch for ribs????

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    Texas cruch for ribs????

    Anyone using the Texas cruch for back ribs? When do you wrap? How long to keep them wrapped?
    Not sure what the process is.

    #2
    The only time I wrap ribs is if they finish early and I need to hold them in the oven or the cooler. My experience is wrapping is an unnecessary step for ribs at home and I've always had great results without wrapping. I think competition is a different story. Ultimately, though, experiment, determine which results you like best and go with it. My guess is the responses here will reflect a lot of personal preference. Wrap or not, enjoy the ribs, and remember to send pictures!

    Comment


    • Jfrosty27
      Jfrosty27 commented
      Editing a comment
      Same here. Saves a lot of foil.....

    #3
    I'll wrap back ribs when they are particularly meaty (i.e. they have a lot of loin meat on them that can dry out). Usually do something like 3-1-1 (hours, unwrapped, wrapped, unwrapped) at 250-275. But that may be unique to my smoker.

    I tend not to wrap spares since they tend to be more fatty.

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      #4
      Wrapping pork ribs is not done to get past the stall, which is what the Texas Crutch is for as there really isn't a stall with pork ribs. Those that wrap pork ribs tend to do so to make them more tender I think. Personally I never wrap pork ribs.

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      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        +1

      • Texas Larry
        Texas Larry commented
        Editing a comment
        +2

      • Panhead John
        Panhead John commented
        Editing a comment
        Exactly. Texas Crutch is related to brisket, when the internal temperature stalls. Usually around 150* - 160* or so. I occasionally will wrap ribs but usually not. I like a little crunch.

      #5
      Used to crutch my ribs but as have stopped for good now.
      pkadare summed it up, wrapping is for tenderness.
      I like my ribs to bite back just a little bit.

      Comment


        #6
        Why rap? AKA the Texas Crutch, halt the formed bark, to tenderize, or speed up cook time. On Treager's website they tout 3-2-1 method. Smoke ribs for three hours, @225, wrap in foil for two hrs. then one hour sauced.

        Comment


        • Texas Larry
          Texas Larry commented
          Editing a comment
          I find that 3-2-1 ribs are over cooked to my taste. But you gotta do you!

        • bbqLuv
          bbqLuv commented
          Editing a comment
          Some like fall off the bones ribs. 3-2-1 is only a guide.

        #7
        I will wrap when time is of the essence and I have to have them ready by a certain time. Sometimes I may not be able to just start early, so I need a shorter cook time. Otherwise, I don't really have a preference. When I do wrap, I wait until some bark has formed and they are the color that I want. This is 2 or 3 hrs into the cook.

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          #8
          Pork baby backs? I never wrap’em. Keep’em moist and let’em go!

          Also, I do my ribs dry. Just a slightly modified MMD rub, no sauce.
          Last edited by Santamarina; September 25, 2020, 02:14 PM.

          Comment


          • HawkerXP
            HawkerXP commented
            Editing a comment
            Dry, Dry, Baby ... ... ...

          #9
          I used to do the 2-2-1 method for loin back ribs from Sam's and Costco:

          2 hours smoking at 225
          2 hours wrapped in foil at 225
          1 hour unwrapped to reset the bark, sauce, etc.

          It makes for almost fall off the bone ribs. I rarely wrap ribs now, unless crunched for time and they aren't looking done.

          Comment


          • bbqLuv
            bbqLuv commented
            Editing a comment
            Nailed it!

          #10
          We don't wrap but if done early into the foil they go.

          Comment


            #11
            As others have said, I don't go into a cook wanting to wrap. 'Crutch' is a good word, because it infers that a particular cook needs a hand to seize the day. Luckily feeding time is flexible here at the Casa de Lou... so wrapping is a situational tactic when I want a faster hotter cook and need to retain the juicy goodness.

            I'm starting to envy the PBC crowd - I don't have a cooker that's so forgiving I can't screw up a cook. It's not that I do screw up cooks, but I do still need to watch them and sometimes change the cook to save the food. That's okay, I don't yet 'have to have' 'set and forget' as part of my arsenal.

            As to process - I free-range wing-it instead of using 3-2-1 or 2-2-1. If I had to wrap, I always open the wrap to see if a want to do a sear or dry the bark just a bit. If so, do it until you're satisfied with the exterior texture and look that you want, then do a tented rest and serve unless you need to store. For bigger cuts I skip the unwrapping and go into faux cambro for at least an hour to rest the cut and redistribute juices. You can easily hold a big cut 3 to 4 hours and only benefit. When you do open the cut, do it on a board or in a container that can handle an unexpected juice explosion - don't lose that goodness on your countertop.

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              #12
              I like to 3-2-1 St. Louis ribs and 2-2-1 for BB's. I use paper instead of foil, I think you do get some air movement within, rather than with foil that can seal up pretty tight. Depending on how they look, I will modify the wrap time or the last hour depending on the meat on hand.

              Comment


              • gilbertpilz
                gilbertpilz commented
                Editing a comment
                Paper also absorbs some of the fat.

              #13
              Thanks for sharing all your experience. I may try wrapping just for the experience. But I too like my ribs with some bite.

              Comment


                #14
                I don’t wrap.
                But then I don’t wrap anything...
                Didn’t even know that was a thing until I started getting serious about outdoor cooking. Always made it work prior to that and figured there was no solid reason to change.

                Comment

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