Ribs question/help

[CodyJ.]

This past weekend my teammate and I did our recipe for the first time since last summer. It's cold up here in CT. We built a new smoker so we are learning how it cooks. Top rack has temp gauges dans right to left they are exactly the same. It's a well built reverse smoker. Top to bottom rack is a 20 degree difference. 20 hotter on the top. So we decided to cook at 250 on the top so the bottom is 230. We like to keep our ribs up top so they can drop all over the pork butts and brisket. So that's what we did.
Cooked at 250 for 2 hours using apple and pecan. We took out and wrapped for an hour. Removed the foil and the meat pulled back like 1/2" already. Wtf!!? I was planning on putting them back in for another hour. I had some bones falling out but not too many. Over all is say they were slightly over cooked on the firebox side and slightly under cooked on the opposite side. But the gauges read the same temp!
Help me out here guys and gals.
How long at 250 using foil at some point to get competition quality ribs?

[Offthehook]

I would start hooking up different thermometers to get an accurate reading on the pit. Start with temp, put the bigger ribs where it runs hot. Its hard to say on how long to wrap but I go by feel.

[CodyJ.]

Smoker and team

[Bludawg]

Sound to me like you have a hot spot drop the nose of the trailer to even out the temps end to end. I don't foil of do the petty food contest thing so I can't help ya with the meat.

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Originally Posted by Bludawg

Sound to me like you have a hot spot drop the nose of the trailer to even out the temps end to end. I don't foil of do the petty food contest thing so I can't help ya with the meat.

Yep, diffidently not cooking at 250* or 3-1-1 would have gotten him pretty close.

It will depend on size, brand of ribs, hard to give exact times when foiling, because of all the variables. Keep good notes and practice a few more times when it's not close to 300*.

[Mister Bob]

Sounds like you cooked quite a bit hotter than 250. 2 - 1 1/2 - 1/2 at 275 works for my comp ribs. Use an accurate oven thermometer to check. Something like the Thermoworks Chef Alarm.

[pjtexas1]

Sounds like your cooking at 300. That's the temp I cook at. any longer than 15 minutes in foil is too long. Mine rarely take 4 hours, loin backs take 3 hours or less. I use a vertical and the ones on the lower rack cook even faster.

[PekingPorker]

Make sure the nose (side opposite firebox) is just slightly elevated to get the airflow correct with a reverse flow. When using my stick burner I cook ribs on the top rack at 275. 2.5 hours to start, then 1/2 hour foil, 1 hour out of foil.

[martyleach]

I cook about 260 for 2 hours then foil for no more than 30-40 minutes. Done.

[smokestack willie]

I don't have a reverse flow but and I ain't buying the nose up nose down thingy, sorry fellas. Haha, gotta come up with something different than that. Obviously it's hotter in spots or gauges are off, but nose up? Nose down? lol

[El Ropo]

I don't have a reverse flow cooker either, but from reading quite a bit about them here, I'd believe the nose up nose down tip. They also are pretty sensitive to how and where the exhaust is mounted in the cooking chamber. Too low in the chamber, the flow gets messed up.

I second the oven thermometer at grate level suggestion to see exactly what the cooking temps are running. A biscuit test might be in order too.

[Bludawg]

Originally Posted by smokestack willie

I don't have a reverse flow but and I ain't buying the nose up nose down thingy, sorry fellas. Haha, gotta come up with something different than that. Obviously it's hotter in spots or gauges are off, but nose up? Nose down? lol

Call Mr Ben Lang up and ask him I bet you'll get edgimincated right quick where you at Bandit?

[smokestack willie]

I did some lookin around and all I saw was level or nose down just because of grease drain. I'm not gonna call Ben Lang, lol. Like I said I don't have one and as long as it has an exhaust I don't/ didn't think nose up or down mattered. lol

Who's Bandit?

[columbia1]

Originally Posted by smokestack willie

I don't have a reverse flow but and I ain't buying the nose up nose down thingy, sorry fellas. Haha, gotta come up with something different than that. Obviously it's hotter in spots or gauges are off, but nose up? Nose down? lol

On my RF, a 1" change in the tongue height can change my temps by 25 degrees front(nose) to back(firebox). I always carry a 3' level and set the pit up level, then adjust after a hour to equalize the temps. Also on a RF, it depends on how much meat you have on, if you are really loaded the nose will cook hotter as the air flow gets slowed down and cooled passing thru the meat, having the ability to easily fine tune temps front to back is one of the reasons I enjoy cooking on a RF. I also will adjust the sideways level with a jack as that will further eliminate hot/cool spots. Front to back on the racks, if not when you put a slab of ribs on one end will cook slightly faster then the other end.

[Seefyre]

I like working with the facts, check the calibration of your gauges first. Stick them in a pot of boiling water and see how close to 212 degrees you are. Once you are armed with what is going on in your cooker the only other variables are the animal you are cooking, and cook times (weather too).