3-2-1 for st. louis in bge-over cooked?!

F

ftwthegger

Guest
A little help here please;

I tried the 3-2-1 method as described on this forum with my temp being a solid 240 (according to the button thermometer on my large bge) and yes they were fall off the bone, but in my opinion they were a little dry and over cooked.

My question is that the times for the egg seem to be quicker (foods are done sooner) then normal and wondered if I should modify the system or did I do something wrong?
 
ftwthegger said:
A little help here please;

I tried the 3-2-1 method as described on this forum with my temp being a solid 240 (according to the button thermometer on my large bge) and yes they were fall off the bone, but in my opinion they were a little dry and over cooked.

My question is that the times for the egg seem to be quicker (foods are done sooner) then normal and wondered if I should modify the system or did I do something wrong?
Click to expand...

In my experience the BGE does cook faster, perhaps due to the radiant heat from the dome.

Also, I have always found that 3/2/1 is over done at that temp, no matter what cooker is used.

I decrease foil time and increase the smoke time.
 
You are correct about the overdone thing. 3-2-1 seems like it just turns the ribs into mush, at least on the UDS. I don't usually foil at all. I will foil sometimes, but only for about 20 minutes. It seems to release the meat from the bone just a bit and and not make it mushy and still get meat that will bite through and not completely come off the bone. Spares ususally take about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. This is just our preference, that's all.
 
One thing to know about the 3-2-1 method is that it isn't a science. You will need to adjust your times for your cooker, the size of your ribs, and how done you want them. Is your thermometer accurate?? A lot of time it can be just a thermometer that needs calibrated. Try 3-1-1.
 
I agree on the overdone. Smoked a couple of racks week end before last on the WSM. My new Tel-Tru was a solid 225 to 240 and they were overdone and didn't have much of a smoke ring either using ONO lump and cherry wood.
 
at that temp, which is what i cook at i find about 2 1/2hrs in the smoke, >1hr in the foil, prob 45 minutes, than another hr on the smoker to set the glaze, not fall off the bone, gives a good bite thru
 
I did back ribs on the BGE recently at 250-275 range on the dome thermo and found 2 hours of smoke, 1 hour in foil, and 15 or so mins with sauce to finish and let it carmelize worked out well.... You can see the ribs here: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=77698

Didn't fall off the bone, just a nice bite through that pulled cleanly from the bone leaving nothing behind. Meat was tender and good.... Was somewhat a recipe found in Chris Lilly's Bob Gibson BBQ book....
 
I have found that 3-2-1 is just too much cooking. For me, 2-2-1 is waaay adequate for tender ribs.
 
I have to agree, two hours in the foil has been too much IMHO. I do not like fall off the bone/mushy ribs
 
I just got tired of foiling and just cook them straight through until they pass the bend test.
 
The Egg will cook faster. Try cooking at 225 and decrease total time cooking and time in foil.
 
The one thing the 3-2-1 method NEVER mentions is the weight of the rib. Weigh your ribs, keep good notes and you'll know when/how you adjusted. A full rack, 5lb spares could easily not be done in that time, but a trimmed St. Louis under 3 lbs certainly will be overcooked.
 
3-1-1 for st.louis spares..foiled with brown sugar, honey, and some rub..and texas pepper jelly glaze...good eaten
 
I did ribs on my new UDS with that method definetly overcooked. Will try again this weekend.
 
3-1-1 @ 225 is plenty. I actually have adjusted to about 3 1/4, 3/4, 3/4 or thereabout.

+1 on calibrating your dome thermometer. They can be accurate, but can be 15-25 off just as often. Even know of one guy who told me he found out that his was off by 200:eek:
 
I have recently begun cooking my ribs without the foil and go by the bend test that was previously mentioned and have found that in the Egg it is about 4 1/2-5 1/2hrs @ 230-250 on spares & 4-4 1/2 hrs for baby backs.
 
I have been cooking ribs for 30+ years and had to figure out how to cook them by trial and error. I didn't have a nifty website to learn from, saving years and thousands of dollars.

That being said, One thing you realize when smoking meat is that everything is variable on the different smokers you use, the different meat you cook. The best thing to do is learn your equipment(that could be said about a great many tools,lol).

What works on one smoker might not work the same way on all. Even the number of times you open the 'Lid" makes a difference in the time and temps you cook at.

As said above the amount of meat in the smoker can make a difference in cooking time and techniques. At this point in my smoking career(novice), I "feel" the meat cooking, without even opening or looking at the meat. By temp, if there were spikes in temp(due to outdoor wind speed), or if I were cooking in sub freezing weather(as recently), or 100 degree weather in the summer, all have an effect on the way I smoke meat.

If you are not flexible in your approach you will not produce consistently good meat.I know this flies in the face of most advise given here, that is my experience though. This forum is like the foundation of a building. Its gives you a solid beginning, saving you years of time and money; but the foundation is not the end product. You have to learn that by doing.

Just my two cents worth.
 
I do 3-1 ish-then 1+ till done...... I use 225 grate temp with a digi-q


Depends on the rib, really...

You also have to consider the size of the egg. the XL like mine might cook different than a large.
 
I do 3-1 ish-then 1+ till done...... I use 225 grate temp with a digi-q


Depends on the rib, really...

You also have to consider the size of the egg. the XL like mine might cook different than a large.
 
I use a large BGE and I'm with Wes and Les. I started this year going to no foil for St. Louis trimmed spares and at 250f dome temp, it takes about 4 1/2 hours until they're done.

I used to foil but found it sometimes ended up "fall of the bone" like you mentioned.
 
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