Ribs & ET-732 Food probe location question ?

I don't use a probe for ribs. I know when the ribs are done when a toothpick slides in between the bones like buttah, or when the rack bends almost to breaking when picked up from the end, or when you have good pull back on the bones, or after 4 hours at 275 (with foil) or about 5 hours without, but I never check temperature.

I never probe for temperature on ribs. I use the bend test after I see about 1/2" of pullback.

I suspect that very few use temperature.

Ribs are going to be hard to probe because they are so non-uniform. For me, the bend test is the best bet. Pick them up from one end. If they are stiff, then they are undone. When they bend (again), then they are getting there. I like them when they bend about like this:



so the meat is just "cracking" at the top of the bend. There is no "right" or "wrong" doneness (except in comps). Some will like it less done, just a little bend, and others will like it breaking or completely fall-apart.

I don't stick one in the ribs either. All the aforementioned signs are better ways to tell. My ribs are done after being cooked 3-3.5 hours at 250 on my hood thermometer, which reads a little -- 25-40d -- cooler than the cooking surface.

Can you leave a probe on the grill, to double-check cooking chamber temp, or does contact with the metal create a higher temp than the air temp?

I usually lay a probe from my wireless thermometer on top of a rack, with the temp hanging off the high end. After a while, this is a better gauge than the thermometer in the hood.

The 732 works fine with just the chamber probe attached. Ditto's on the above for checking when the ribs are done.

As others have said, you don't need to probe ribs, bend test is all you need. For that matter, with large smokes like brisket, I do the butter probe test as well. Try it out next time you do one, my bet is if you do both, over time your poke test will show you when it's done.

I'd just say the same as all these other farkers^^^^^ babbling and otherwise. I think you got all the info you need here.