Tough ribs/perfect ribs. Same temp. Ideas?
 

Yesterday I cooked 3 racks of ribs. The temp ranges between 210-230 the entire time taken by digital internal thermometers.
2.5 hours smoked. Then wrapped one at at time. One for 45min. One for 1hr. One for 1:15. Then finished up for 1.5 hours. The one that was wrapped the least had the beat flavor and perfect tenderness. The other two had off flavors and had jerky like top layer. What's up with that?

One thing I can think of was that I wrapped those two tight and the perfect one a little more loose on accident. Could this really be the difference in texture and flavor? The perfect one was only wrapped for 45 min. But was looser wrapped.

Insight please...thanks for the help!

Additional note. They all had brown sugar. Same everything

"The one that was wrapped the least had the beat flavor and perfect tenderness." I think you answered your own question.

I'm no expert, but after cooking ribs over the last several years wrapping them at some point, then this last year not wrapping at all, I don't think wrapping ever did me any good. I don't wrap anymore. At the temps you mention I don't hardly think you would have to worry about drying them out, and the wrapping in tightly sealed foil may not have helped the outcome.

Do this next time, cook several and don't wrap one or two of them and compare, I'm seeing alot of folks trying this and so far most of the time they seem to prefer the unwrapped one they produced.

My 2 cents.

My thought is the tighter wrapped one burnt the sugar because the foil transfered the heat more, the looser one let the moisture do its thing.

Now my two cents says loose the foil cut back on sugary rubs and cook around 250-275deg until it passes the bend test (lift rack from one end if it bends 90deg it's done) or toothpick test (toothpick goes in real easy) you should find you like them a lot and if you want sweet brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce about 15 minutes before they are done. :thumb:

No two critters are the same

BBQ RULES FOR SUCCESS

YOU CAN NOT COOK GREAT BBQ ON A CONSISTENT BASIS BY COOKING TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OR BY TIME ( XXX MIN PER LB) YOU MUST COOK BY FEEL! For Brisket it must pass the poke test(probe like soft butter in the thickest part of the Flat) Ribs pass the Bend Test, Pork Butts when the bone wiggles loose. These are the only reliable methods to ensure that your cook will be a success. There Are exceptions to these rules; Poultry which must achieve and internal temp of 170 deg in the thickest part of the thigh and 165 in the breast or
Roasts( Prime rib, Pork loin.....) that need to be cooked to less than well.
http://i968.photobucket.com/albums/a...1/bendtest.jpg

Ahhhh Men! :pray:

I see that. And I hear ya. But the jerky texture on the top of two of the racks...I don't get it

Try cooking them at a higher temp. I know it goes against everything AB says and many other so called food experts, but cooking at higher temps makes for a more moist and tender product. You just have to adjust your prep to work with higher cooking temps, like low or no sugar in your rubs, etc.

Wisdom!

Cody this isn't directed towards you.... People make BBQ way way way way too complicated. :frusty:

I cooked 4 sets of spares today. Three of them were done at the same time. The fourth took another 20 minutes. Listen to the Dawg...

could have been plenty of things, weight/fat content/position in the bit/ etc. check them by feel, if they aren't ready leave them in. I always cook multiple in comp for that reason. You can do the same thing to both and have totally different results, they have a mind of their own.

The sugar burnt.

Sugar burns at 300-350. I cooked at 230 max