BBs failure, what th'??

[Stuey1515]

I had my little COS remind me that I am still very much the noob yesterday.
As always failure is an option when cooking.

Bought two racks labelled as BBs's but they felt very thick and meaty through the cryovac plastic.
Gave them the usual rub & sauce, the 3-2(1)-1 treatment that has served me so well, but they just weren't playing the game with the bend test, being very stubborn
I sent them back under wraps for almost an extra hour until I wasn't game to go any longer.

The BBs ended up dry and nasty, these racks had what looks like a small "loin" still attached, hence the extra thickness.
The meat around the rib was tender and juicy but the "loin" was completely ruined, not a happy camper last night.

Can any guru's advice this little black duck what this cut actually was please?
Very different to any BBs I've done before, and I'm usually putting out a reasonable rendition of these.
My second question is how do you cook these two very different cuts on the same rib, remove the "loin" and cook separate?

I was so p*ssed that I forgot to take any pics, sorry FireMan

​​​​​​​Appreciate any input

[Steve R.]

I run into same problem with BBs labeled "extra meaty." I just trim off the extra loin meat prior to cooking, and that helps a lot.

[RonB]

That's what I was gonna say.

[jfmorris]

Yep - what the other guys said. Around here a lot of places actually label those "loin back ribs". That loin meat tends to dry out just like it would if you overcook a pork loin. This is why recently I've switched to spare ribs, trimming them down to "Saint Louis" style myself. I've cooked hundreds of those slabs of loin back ribs (extra meaty baby back) over the years though, and here is what I can say:

1. They won't pass a bend test, due to the thickness. Don't even bother. This is likely why you overcooked them. The bend test only works on spares for me - not this type of rib.

2. Try a 2-2-1 method rather than a 3-2-1 method if that is your technique. These are baby backs, even with the extra loin meat, and most of the sites that discuss that 3-2-1 method say to do the initial smoke for 2 hours for baby backs.

3. If you have a nice filet knife, just try to take off some of that extra loin meat before cooking. That loin meat is dry if cooked past 145F (63C), yet we know the ribs themselves need to cook to 195F (91C) or so before they are done.

4. You may want to try the "blasphemy rib" method instead with these. In this technique, you will cut them into individual ribs BEFORE cooking, then season, smoke, and sauce. The advantage? They cook about twice as fast (2.5 to 3 hours), and have smoke, bark and sauce on ALL sides of each bone. Go to https://blasphemyribs.com or search in these forums for mgaretz discussion of this technique. This is now my favorite technique for these loin back ribs.

[Stuey1515]

Thanks I will study up on this recipe

[mgaretz]

I can tell you that the Blasphemy Ribs recipe works well with those extra meaty ribs. You don't need to to do anything special or different.

[jfmorris]

Amen to that mgaretz - I think this is about the only way I will cook those extra meaty loin back ribs going forward.

[HouseHomey]

Yep. What they 👆Said. I just don’t buy those big one. Little 1.5-2lb racks are best.

[Troutman]

Did you just give someone the finger ?

[FireMan]

Yup. Mr. McGoo did. It’s the peeps, yessir.

[HouseHomey]

Troutman FireMan "duh, which way did he go George."

So sorry for the bird. Contacts off and glasses on.

[FireMan]

First, if the Wib is OK, it’s OK, no problemo. Second, yer sorry, no pics! What! Whadiya think we are, mind readers? A little bit a loin thing here & it feels something there & we’re supposed to know exactly whats goin on. Sure, we’re perfeshonal guessers, AKA doctors. Gim Me A Break! Take pics next time! Over.

[bbqLuv]

Is that picture comment a "Negative"?
I just came out of a dark room, so let the jokes develope!
Exposure to humor is a good thing, but I shudder at the thought.
You may want to Enlarge this topic if you are in the right frame of mind.
Sorry, I just thought this up in a flash.

[Troutman]

Dark room, shudder, flash...you must be a camera guy !!!

[HouseHomey]

I see (now I do) what you did there.

[Rod]

Yep. Those extra thick ones will never pass the bend test. Like jfmorris I only cook STLs anymore. I think they have a better pork flavor anyway. On either cut however, I prefer a 3-1-1 method. Usually, the last hour (for saucing) is more like 30 minutes. I go by the toothpick method as well as how far the meat pulls back from the bones. Usually 1/4-1/2" and they always seem to turn out good. Like many, I prefer a little pull when taking a bite. Fall off the bone means they are overdone for my taste.

[Whiskeyman53]

Absolutely agree with everyone, I usually buy spareribs and trim them however the local store had baby backs that they labeled as extra meat baby backs. Prepared them the way I thought ribs with that amount of meat should be. Wrong, dried out and very tough.

[Troutman]

Until they met their demise there was a meat purveyor out of Dallas called Matador Prime. They had the full loin BBs and I really liked them. Some guys don't but I think it's a misunderstanding of the cut and how to best cook them. You have to treat them like a bone-in loin roast. You concentrate on the loin part and temp it to no more than 135-140* F max. They should come out tender and juicy that way. Not sure what you did but go by temp not by time or some magical 3-2-1 method, these don't cook like ribs per se.

[jfmorris]

Those are a lot meatier than the loin-back ribs I've seen - that really is just a bone-in pork loin!

[Sweaty Paul]

You’ve gone and made me hungry again Troutman!

[Whiskeyman53]

Everything is really bigger in Texas, Great advice for this type of rib.

[BFlynn]

I try to buy BBs around 2 - 2 1/4 lb. Bigger than that, and they're just adding loin meat. I get it.... loin sells for $1 /lb and they get more money if they leave that loin meat on the rib bone.

I don't use the 3-2-1 method. I use the (Smoke til bark is done - wrap in paper til probe tender - sauce for 10 mins) timing.
That turns out to be close to (2.5 - 1ish - a few minutes)

[MBMorgan]

The bad news is that (as others have said) you've encountered the dreaded loin back rib and it will not pass a bend test. The good news is that there's enough meat on those bones that, if you're careful, you can usually temp the ribs using a thermo with a skinny enough probe (e.g., the Thermoworks MK4) so that you can pull them when you can't find anywhere the temp is below about 191F (91C).

FWIW it's worth, I heartily concur with advice such as that from Troutman to "go by temp not by time or some magical 3-2-1 method".

[Stuey1515]

Thanks for the info guru's, you can't beat the value of experience with BBQ. Wishing I had asked these questions before I decided to incinerate this perfectly innocent pork. I will pay more attention at what I am buying in future, *hangs head and shuffles back under rock*

[Mr. Bones]

No need to hang yer head, Tom Dooley...

If ya ain't never screwed up a cook, I'd haveta reckon ya ain't never done much dang cookin, mate lol! :

Quit usin 'Under th Rock" fer a Safety Net, an git out there, an fire them cookers up!

Hoistin a Bopper (22 fl. oz / .650618 L) of Guinness Extry Stout in yer general direction, an takin me a generous tug, in yer honour... D:

Cheers!

[Troutman]

Hey dude don't feel bad. I've ruined $150 briskets before by getting so bloody drunk I fell asleep and let it turn into a meteorite. Used it as a door stop. A few little ole ribs ruined ain't no thing.....

[bardsleyque]

must be a big rock ,with plenty of room for all of us (gurus)!

[wrgilb]

I think you'll see a lot more of these meatier BB's in the stores nowadays. Our Costco gets $1.99/lb. for whole boneless pork loin and $3.29 for BB's. So leaving more loin meat on the ribs nets them an additional $1.30/lb. for that extra loin meat.

[Jfrosty27]

Yup. A simple case of economics. Need to be a smart shopper these days.......

[scottranda]

How long have I been a Pit member???? Still learning from all the responses!!!!

[Stuey1515]

Absolutely agree, the older I get the more I seem to have to learn haha

[N227GB]

Extra meaty BBs are a favorite here and they do well in the convective humidity of my PBC. I look for pull back on the bones when they're ready. No bend test because that's a good way to renew membership in the PBC Meat Drop Club. 🍖

(Posted from my phone)