Ribs for the family....Ribs for competition

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Smoke Daddy

Knows what a fatty is.
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Do most people still use the 3-2-1 method for spare ribs? Even for just a family and friends event? What about you caterers? Do you wrap when doing family reunions or church picnics?

3 hours naked
2 hours wrapped in foil
1 hour naked
 
I don't use 3-2-1, but a modified version for my shack and even Comps. I do wrap, just adjust timings and pay more attention to the ribs then the timing. More like 2-1-.5 but its flexable

Clint
 
I rub, I smoke, I eat. No wrapping for this kid as I never saw the need. To each his own though.

Edit- I've wrapped ONCE just to speed up a rib cook and thy turned out good. I just don't like any extra steps in the cooking process. As Walter Sobchak would say, once a
Plan gets too complex everything can go wrong...
 
I don't wrap on my PBC - use it for quick backyard style ribs, but do wrap on my wsm for contests.
 
Having never really tried a formula, and always had results I liked, I tried the 3-2-1 in my UDS last weekend. The 3 hours was fine, and the ribs lifted out and wrapped in foil no problem. However, after 2 hours in the foil, when I came to lift them out and glaze to go back on for the last hour, they fell apart in my hand and slipped onto the floor in wet, sloppy pieces! They scrapped up good, and tasted great though! Now, I like soft - I like to be able to pull the bone free with my fingers when they are done, but this was too soft.

So, moral of the story, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am going back to my doing it by eye and feel, which is roughly 2-1-1 with the ribs rubbed, then glazed just for the last hour with Melado.
 
Wrapping ribs is a good thing
But, the 3/2/1 formula can get you into trouble
How hot did you you do the first 3?
Depending on which smoker that time varies
Depending on type / size of ribs that time varies

In competition we check and we check and we check
Wrap unwrap rewrap etc etc
And then what do they look like determines how much time they need (if any) unwrapped to finish . . .. . .

I wrap even at home these days - they just taste better
 
I usually do 2 -1 -.5 otherwise too fall off the bone for me...especially on baby backs, spares not too much further off I have found
 
For an untrimmed slab of belly ribs I go something like 3.5 / 1 / .5

For a rack of belly ribs trimmed to St Louis cut I go closer to 3 / 1/ ?. The variable on the last time is an eyeball thing.

The initial time is only a guide for me. I watch the color like a hawk and test tenderness with a toothpick.

I like wrapping for tenderness and pull back (although I'll spend a minute and chase the bone to encourage pull back), and also for the foil juices which I use for basting, or adding to a table sauce.
 
I tried the 3-2-1 method but don't like it the meat just falling off the bones. I foil my ribs when I finish em off with sauce, when I prefer dry ribs no foil.
 
No wrap for me either... I tried the 3 2 1, and screwed myself, same results as above with falling apart. I go naked, and pull when they look good! Practice...practice...practice! Nothin better than practicing bbq though! lol
 
Okay, so we are talking times and whether to wrap or not - but what temp are y'all running at on ribs? spares…baby backs, etc…I noticed that my times vary with temp AND whether I wrap or not.
 
CambuiAl said:
Having never really tried a formula, and always had results I liked, I tried the 3-2-1 in my UDS last weekend. The 3 hours was fine, and the ribs lifted out and wrapped in foil no problem. However, after 2 hours in the foil, when I came to lift them out and glaze to go back on for the last hour, they fell apart in my hand and slipped onto the floor in wet, sloppy pieces! They scrapped up good, and tasted great though! Now, I like soft - I like to be able to pull the bone free with my fingers when they are done, but this was too soft.

So, moral of the story, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am going back to my doing it by eye and feel, which is roughly 2-1-1 with the ribs rubbed, then glazed just for the last hour with Melado.
Click to expand...

Is 2-1-1 for spares or baby backs? If spares, what temp?
 
Comp and home same thing, wrap every time. The only thing I do at home different is I over cook them to comp standards to get them falling off the bone.
 
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