Need help (smoking ribs) please

[Rover >~<>]

Thought I would post a few questions in here because this is only my third time smoking ribs and never pork loin back ribs. it is for a few buddies so i dont want to ruin the meat they paid for. Also they requested the meat to be "falling off the bones" even if that is not considered the proper way to consume ribs by some people

Smoking {PORK LOIN BACK RIBS} on a brinkman vertical propane with water pan

Questions:
hickory or mix of hickory and apple wood chunks ?
what temperature and how long ? i was thinking around 250 degrees untill meat is flexible (passes bend test). probably about 5 hours
I usually prefer not to use foil , but if i must then i must. opinions?
when to apply sauce, or no sauce untill ready to eat ?


thanks to all that reply

[LT72884]

go with a mix of apple and cherry or just hickory. Apple and cherry are my fav though.

250-275 is a good range. Baby backs usually 4-5 hours. Sometimes faster. just depends.
You could, IF YOU FEEL this way, is to foil them with honey and brown sugar after they have smoked for 2 hours. I foil for 45 to 60 min and then back onto the smoker till done. if no foil, spritz every 30-45 min after the first hour of smoke. Spritz with cider vinager mixed with cranberry or apple juice. I use honey mixed with apple juice.

Apple sauce once done and only allow to be on there 10 min or so.

a really good finishing glaze is as follows: This is not mine

3 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup prepared yellow ballpark mustard
3/4 cup cider vinegar Option. 1 teaspoon salt. I just think it makes a great sauce even better.Option. 1 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Ditto.
Option. 3 tablespoons of your favorite rub adds a layer of complexity.
Option. 3 tablespoons of butter will add richness and depth.
Option. Jack Waiboer of Charleston, a champion competition cook and teacher of cue, says that substituting Southern Comfort for half the vinegar is a really nice thing.
Do this
1) Whisk all the ingredients together thoroughly in a cold saucepan. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar and mustard are dissolved completely, about 4 minutes. If it starts to boil, turn it down immediately. Try it first without the hot pepper sauce and butter options.
2) Here's how to use it, in Danny's own words: "The instant the ribs are pulled from the pit, coat them with a generous brushing of warm glaze. If you pull the ribs, chase the dog, talk to your buddy for a couple of minutes, then try and apply the glaze, you've waited too long." You can also serve it as a dipping sauce, warm, at tableside.

[MilitantSquatter]

Originally Posted by Rover >~<>

Thought I would post a few questions in here because this is only my third time smoking ribs and never pork loin back ribs. it is for a few buddies so i dont want to ruin the meat they paid for. Also they requested the meat to be "falling off the bones" even if that is not considered the proper way to consume ribs by some people

Smoking {PORK LOIN BACK RIBS} on a brinkman vertical propane with water pan

Questions:
hickory or mix of hickory and apple wood chunks ?
what temperature and how long ? i was thinking around 250 degrees untill meat is flexible (passes bend test). probably about 5 hours
I usually prefer not to use foil , but if i must then i must. opinions?
when to apply sauce, or no sauce untill ready to eat ?


thanks to all that reply

hickory or mix of hickory and apple wood chunks ?

both would be fine...

what temperature and how long ? i was thinking around 250 degrees untill
meat is flexible (passes bend test). probably about 5 hours

250 will work... bend test is a great guide.

I usually prefer not to use foil , but if i must then i must. opinions?

you don't need to use foil.

when to apply sauce, or no sauce untill ready to eat ?

if you want to sauce, apply during the last 30 minutes or so...

[Rover >~<>]

i always hear 225 degrees when talking about temps but it seems ribs might benefit from slightly higher temps even up to 275 as just stated . My main worry is that they will come out dry and chewy when i really want melt in mouth texture.

[MilitantSquatter]

Originally Posted by Rover >~<>

i always hear 225 degrees when talking about temps but it seems ribs might benefit from slightly higher temps even up to 275 as just stated . My main worry is that they will come out dry and chewy when i really want melt in mouth texture.

there's no magic #... Ask a guy who swears by 225 on the nose, and they won't be able to justify why that temp is best, other than personal opinion and experience. Chances are, that's the temp they first cooked at, or attempted a different temp and didn't manage it right or are just mentally stuck on the perfect #.


If you're friends want "falling of the bone" and you want "melt in your mouth" you might be better off foiling as it will surely get the meat softer & wetter with the braise/steam like effect.

[LT72884]

Originally Posted by Rover >~<>

i always hear 225 degrees when talking about temps but it seems ribs might benefit from slightly higher temps even up to 275 as just stated . My main worry is that they will come out dry and chewy when i really want melt in mouth texture.

thats why you spritz. keeps them moist. 275 is ok for baby backs cuz they are meatier and have some fat to em. kinda like me! haha.

If you want really tender, cook at 195. takes for frakin ever but they are oh so tender. 225-275 is a great range. Foil does help make them tender, its like a steam bath BUT you risk the chance of makin em mushy and to tender. So if you do foil. go lightly(not the medical product) or you will have rib soup!

Here is a link to a fellow brethren who did some awesome ribs on the kettle
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=108103

good luck

[Rover >~<>]

Originally Posted by LT72884

Here is a link to a fellow brethren who did some awesome ribs on the kettle
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=108103

WOW those look great. i was determined not to use foil today but after seeing that i think i changed my mind

[jestridge]

I do my hot and fast but if it your first time you might want to go around 250

[Rover >~<>]

Great now i have another problem...

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed with all the different rub recipes.
Im looking for a solid rib rub recipe, but dont have the money to keep experimenting, and i prefer to stay away from buying a rub. Something about buying a premixed bottle of spices seems like cheating.

I have been using Memphis Dust from amazingribs.com, but im thinking that it is too sugary and too much paprika.

I'm doing a few racks for some buddies today, but can't find a rub to settle on. I can find lots of rubs, but cant make a decision..........you would think this would be one of the easier decisions in life.

[JS-TX]

Since they want fall of the bone, I think foil may be in order here. You could risk drying them out that last hour or so to get them super tender.

[Lake Dogs]

A good excuse (any excuse is a good one, isn't it?) to go to Bass Pro Shops would be to get a little Plowboy's Yardbird to put on those ribs. It's a FANTASTIC rib rub. Then apply your sauce in the last 10 minutes. Oh, we foil babybacks right at 1.5 hours. 250 degrees, usually 4 hours total, but the bend test is the way to go. Spritz them in the foil right before you close it up. We use apple juice and worchestershire....

[Rover >~<>]

Originally Posted by Lake Dogs

A good excuse (any excuse is a good one, isn't it?) to go to Bass Pro Shops would be to get a little Plowboy's Yardbird to put on those ribs. It's a FANTASTIC rib rub. Then apply your sauce in the last 10 minutes. Oh, we foil babybacks right at 1.5 hours. 250 degrees, usually 4 hours total, but the bend test is the way to go. Spritz them in the foil right before you close it up. We use apple juice and worchestershire....

Funny you mentioned yardbird beacause its been driving me crazy wanting to try the stuff. I have been doing a lot of research about rubs, and this stuff has such a huge following. It might change my mind about buying a rub instead of making one.... I sure would like to have a copycat recipe of the yardbird, but that would not be fair to a fellow bretheren if the recipe leaked.

[Lake Dogs]

My competition rub (which was developed before he began marketing Yardbird) happens to taste very similar as it ends up. I will say this, to begin, it's much easier and much less expensive to just buy the Yardbird and see if it's something you like. If it's not, then you haven't wasted much money. If it is and you'll use it infrequently, you've saved a bunch of money. If you love it and want to use a ton of it, just write him. He may sell it to you by the pound. Our rub has probably 25 different ingredients+- and is a very expensive experiment...

I did this technique that I described above this past Memorial weekend for a group of friends. Oh, I also let them marinade overnight in a watered down mixture apple juice and worchestershire (with a gallon of water). Anyway, at the time when we broke the ribs open from the foil I sauced them and let the sauce bake on for 5+- minutes. Everyone started eating the pulled pork we had there while the sauce "set". I took the ribs out, set them on the counter, went to the bathroom to take care of business, came back and got a beer, only to find that 4 HUGE racks of babybacks were GONE. Apparently it started with 1 person pulling a few ribs, then the next, then they looked at one another saying "HOLY COW", and then the snarfing set-in. 4 racks of ribs, 8 people (mostly women by the way), 10 minutes, GONE. Later I got lots of comments from the folks who snarfed up the ribs saying "I remember from your last competition how wonderful the pork was, but DAMN those ribs are something else!". <blush>

Still wish they'd have saved a 1/2 rack for me....


*** Dont forget to remove the membrane ***

[LoneStarMojo]

Originally Posted by jestridge

I do my hot and fast but if it your first time you might want to go around 250

Ditto on the hot and fast.....I usually keep my temp for ribs at 275-300. No foil for me now but I used to do the 321 ribs. I like mine barky so no foil these days.
Spritz is good.....apple juice is great. I find that baby backs cook a little faster. When cooking a combo of StLouis and BabyBacks I usually have to pull the BB's first. And I don't sauce but I put out sauce for those who want it. You have a crew who wants fall off the bone so foil sounds good. The bend test is reliable but if these guys want fall off the bone you mite go just past bend to "about to break".

[Rover >~<>]

I just placed an order for the yardbird... i couldnt stand it any longer...now i have to wait for shipping.

I think im going to try this method today:
Rub ribs in a rub containing little or no sugar. 250-275 degrees mix of hickory and apple wood chunks, smoke 1 hour then spritz, smoke another hour then foil meat down with brown sugar and honey, smoke 1.5 hour then lightly sauce and back on with no foil untill done.