Rib Technique Question??????

[John Bowen]

Several weeks ago on a BBQ Pitmaster episode – the one with Pellet Envy – they did ribs and brisket point.

The question I had was how they finished them. Rod Gray seemed to do roughly 3 (or so) hours then wrapped the ribs for roughly 2 hours but where I get confused is how he finished them – it seems like they just poured off the collected juice from the wrap. I was not clear on how he sauced them – it seemed like he just let them rest. The other competitive team seemed to do the same thing and the result was almost a “wet rib” – they did not set the sauce like I have seen before.

Are they just cooking the ribs until tender and then letting them rest a period covered in sauce????

[GMDGeek]

Basically they use a 3 - 2 - 1 method. 3 hours of smoke, 2 hours wrapped on the pit, then 1 hour wrapped in a warmer box or ice chest. They will remove the ribs from the pit, pour off the juices, and then sauce their ribs. Typically lightly sauce the back of the rib, flip it over, sauce the meat side, sprinkle lightly with their rub, then re-wrap them in foil, and then put in a warmer box for an hour or so. Keeps the ribs from over cooking. The residual heat while in the warmer box tightens up the sauce and finishes off the ribs. Its a technique I've come to use often.

Hope that helps.

[John Bowen]

It does and thank you for the info. So they do not set put the rib back on the smoker after the wrap phase - they put it in a warmer box - say at 150 degrees???

Does it make a softer bark?????

[JS-TX]

Not sure if there is any right or wrong way to do ribs, it's all about the end result IMO.

[whiteboycustom]

never heard of the 1 hour wrapped in a warming box......i used that last hour unwrapped

in my cabinet smoker i let them go unwrapped the entire time

[John Bowen]

I liked the way the sauce looked on their ribs – it did not look as set as when I let them go about 20 or so minutes on my smoker.

Do they sauce again before they turn in????

[GMDGeek]

Again its all about personal preference and how one cooks. No wrong or right way. Me, I've come to use the 3-2-1 method as I have the most consistent results with it.

As for chest temp, I'm not 100% sure, as I've never probed it. I wrap my ribs in two layers of heavy foil, then wrap all of them in bath towels, then put them in the ice chest.

[tduffy]

No way I could leave my ribs in foil for 2 hours. They would turn to mush. 1 to 1.25 hours is all I ever keep them in foil. If i went any longer the ribs would fall apart.

[Bludawg]

No way I would use Foil 275 4 hrs Done!

[jimstocks53]

My 3-2 (never got to 1) resulted in pulled pork this weekend. 225 on a primo XL with good temp control. Pork spares - foiled after 3 hours with some butter, honey and beer - two hours later they were definitely falling off the bone. Next day just pulled all the meat off (which was incredibly delicious) and made sandwiches.

[Motley Q]

While GMD is watchin his ribs do something in a cooler.....

The rest of us are eating.

[GMDGeek]

Originally Posted by Motley Q

While GMD is watchin his ribs do something in a cooler.....

The rest of us are eating.

You have your ways, I have mine. I've tried the straight up rib smoke with no wrap, I've tried a 2x2, and other techniques. I use the 3-2-1, simple as that with no complaints. Mine are bite on the bone and not fall off or mushy.

So as I said before - to each their own on their techniques and methods. I will do what I know works for me and a method proven by several others to be effective. IE Pellet Envy.

[jketron]

In my rookie experience at 275 anything over 3 hrs and they are mush.

[John Bowen]

I think some of us are getting away from the point – my question was about a process I saw on TV used by two very successful competitor BBQ teams. GMD was nice enough to explain it to me.
I just wanted to know the benfits and affects of that process.

[jacksedona]

i just smoke my ribs for six hours in the wsm and they always come out great nothing famct just pour bbq sauce after they come of the smoker


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