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Ribs: to foil or not to foil?

Do you foil your ribs while cooking them?

  • No, no foil for me please.

    Votes: 62 30.5%

  • Yes I do a 3-2-1-method.

    Votes: 75 36.9%

  • Yes but I have my own timing method. Please comment as to which timing method used and why?

    Votes: 66 32.5%
  • Total voters
    203
M

MountainMan

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I see varying responses to my searches on cooking ribs.
It appears that there is a trend to foil ribs these days while original folks did not.
 
Wow, I with the 100% group!!! Ok, so I'm the only one that voted so far...

I do use the 3-2-1 method for my spares, and closer to a 2-2-1 for my BB's.
 
I don't foil all the time, but when I do it would only be about 30-45 mins for BBs, maybe an 60-75 mins for spares.
 
Depends, want them "baby back baby back baby back" fall off the bone, then I foil. For a bit tougher chew I don't and pull a bit sooner. Scott
 
I always use foil on my off set smoker. But leave top open covering them the last couple of hours. Seem like mine get too smokey if i go the full length of 6 hours under smoke. Also easier to clean up.
 
No foil for me, but it's a cooking method (if you like to steam your ribs) that lots of people use with some success. I always suggest that you start cooking ribs without the foil method to see how they cook and then if you want experiment with foiling. I like to be able to see and feel my ribs while they cook and not guess what's going on in the foil.
 
I use foil about 75% of the time. I think of it as one step in the process. I don't follow a pre-set time, like 3-2-1 or 3-1-1. I watch the color and the doneness in the first 3, 4 or 5 hours to figure out when they are ready for the foil step. After 45 minutes in the foil, I'll check them and size up the tenderness. A lot of times, they rest in the foil and don't go back to the pit for firming up. If they do go back on, rarely do I change to a direct set-up, I just re-season and cook bone side down for 15 or 20 minutes.
 
MountainMan said:
I see varying responses to my searches on cooking ribs.
It appears that there is a trend to foil ribs these days while original folks did not.
Click to expand...

The original guys didn't use charcoal, rub, sauce, steel grids, thermometers or plates either. As all of these things became available good cooks learned how to use them.

I foil spares for about an hour in the process somewhere but I don't really time them. Baby backs don't really need it for me.
 
Hi DrBBQ MY son got me your book for Christmas Road Trip very nice reading.
 
I foil when I hold, but for on the smoker. I really like my food smoked so no foil for cooking for me.
 
depends on what they look like - usually do cooler them so they get foiled then
 
i used to foil, but i don't any more...

*foiled again, batman!* :biggrin:
 
Slamdunkpro said:
Foil in my offset - No foil in my Spicewine.
Click to expand...

This play right into a theory of mine. Thanks for being a straight man, SlamDunk... :-D

The only time I use foil during the cooking time is when I am doing butts or briskets at high temp. Then I foil when the bark is the color that I want. for ribs I find that the texture is better for me without foil.

So what's the great theory? It seems to me that there are more benefits to foiling in a horizontal cooker. Why? In a horizontal the airflow is across the top of the meat and this can lead to drying of the meat. This would give you a nice bark, but it can also draw moisture out of the meat. In a vertical cooker (WSM, Egg, Spicewine, my Good One, etc.) the airflow is around the meat, not across, so the drying effect isn't as great. I don't own a horizontal cooker but have cook on them a few times at bashes and competitions, but I really haven't done any empirical research to validate my theory.

So... what does that all mean? It sounds logical to me, but it would be difficult to prove it since there are other variables involved. What do you'se guys think? Does this theory make sense or should I just be wrapped in foil and tossed in a cooler? :-D
 
I foil spares. I use more of a 2-1-.5 method cooking at 325-350 for spares. I have done some side-by-side comparisons of spares foiled and not foiled and I prefer the foiled ones.

I don't foil BB's. I did side-by-side on them and found I prefer non-foiled BB's.
 
I foil spares. Never cook baby backs. Not worth the cost to me.

General timing in the UDS is 3-.75-.5 but it's more feel than anything else.
 
Ron L's theory makes sense to me. I have a vertical cooker, the Bandera.

Several years ago, I became intrigued by discussions here on the foil method. I tried it. My guests looooooved those oh-so-tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs. I was their hero. The trouble is, I didn't like them. Haven't foiled since.
 
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