Can a rub make ribs mushy?

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Hello

I made three racks of ribs from the same cryopack. I tried three different rubs to see which I would like best. While the flavor was fine on all, one rack was distinctly more mushy than the others. I wrapped them all in the normal 3-2-1 method. The other racks had good texture. I'm wondering if it's how tightly they were wrapped or if it's because the recipe for rub used on the mushy wrap has you blend the mix into a fine powder so the salt maybe penetrated more and over tenderized the meat.

Thoughts?

Thanks
Sam

 

[RubLover]

When did you put your rub on? There are some claims that rubbing early (say overnight) can cause the ribs to begin to break down (become hammy) - of course this depends on the salt content of the rub...

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

I tried supporting this guy http://www.thewolfepit.com/2009/10/wolfe-rub-bbq-seasoning-recipes.html?m=1 and was trying out his regular rub. I don't want to give out the recipe without his permission but you blend the rub so the salt gets powdery fine. It wasn't in the rub for anything over say an hour.

 

[yakdung]

^I have the same recipe's by Larry, and never had an issue. If it is powdery fine, you pulsed it too long in a food processor.

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Could be the case. It's definitely finer than most of my ribs. Regardless I'm still pretty curious if that that fine of a consistency could have could've it. I'm not blaming the rub. I'm specifically wondering if fine salt can over tenderize meat. Would be good to know.

 

[yakdung]

The recipe I have, calls for salt not fine in texture. One of the reasons for pulsing the recipe in a food processor, is to make all ingredients approximately the same size.

 

[Joe Black]

I would have to say that a fine powdery salt would penetrate the meat very quickly and could make it mushy. Other than that, wrapping would exaggerate the process.

 

[SmittyJonz]

It's the wrapping.

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

The recipe I have, calls for salt not fine in texture. One of the reasons for pulsing the recipe in a food processor, is to make all ingredients approximately the same size.

Yes but if I recall correctly all the ingredients including the salt are pulsed so even the salt crystals become smaller.

I would have to say that a fine powdery salt would penetrate the meat very quickly and could make it mushy. Other than that, wrapping would exaggerate the process.

That was my suspicion.

It's the wrapping.

But why not the other racks? You think this one was just tighter?

 

[yakdung]

I have nothing else to add. Wolfe Bold get some :thumb:

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

I have nothing else to add. Wolfe Bold get some :thumb:

I never tried that one but now I will

 

[m-fine]

I don't wrap ribs because they can get mushy. I am not sure why the other two racks would be OK, but if the salt amounts were similar and the ruin was on for an hour, I don't think that is the explanation. Finer salt will dissolve a little faster, but once it disolves the ions are the same size. Unless the meat was pretty dry, I can't see the finer crystals doing anything different than 5-10 minutes of extra time.

 

[SmittyJonz]

No too pigs are the same but wrapping for 2 hrs in foil can make them mushy or make 1/3 mushy. What temps?
3-2-1 is for full spares at 225* - smaller racks or higher temps you need to adjust like 2-1-1 or 2.5-.5-1 or such. I usually don't wrap and run St Louis spares at 275* for 4 hrs but ribs get Dark so last couple cooks I wrapped for last hour in butcher paper and color was Nice and no mushy.

 

[pjtexas1]

were they all in the same part of the cooker at the same temp? i have a vertical that will cook a rack way faster on the lower rack vs the top rack. some also just cook faster or slower. were they all about the same weight?

 

[Bludawg]

Where the racks enhanced? Every time I see enhanced pork it feels like mush in the Chryo pack and it only gets worse once it's cooked.

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

They were Costco ribs and I'm pretty positive they are not enhanced. Of course there was some variation from rack to rack and I cooked them in my UDS which certainly has some hot spots but what really made me think it's the rub is that these were the thickest rack. I would have thought the smaller ones would have gotten musher from wrapping. Then again since it was the thickest rack it's possible that after the wrapping the others were thin enough to dry out a bit to lessen the mushiness where this one was thicker and needed more time. I don't know. I'm making this all up.

 

[pvcollie]

I seriously doubt it was the rub. If this was the thicker rack, then the most likely case is when they came out of the foil, the other two racks had time to tighten back up because they were thinner but, this rack, being thicker, did not. Or, the most likely explanation, every piece of meat is different. This rack just cooked different than the other two.

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

Ok so sounds like you concur with my latter theory. I am kind of over wrapping on the UDS. I don't feel like I get a lot out of doing it. They cook fast enough on there. It only seems to be an opportunity to maybe get some butter and brown sugar on there but nothing more. I might be able to just achieve that with a mop.

 

[KevinJ]

It's the wrapping.

Ditch the foil, I did wrap a rack last weekend in BP because I was in a hurry and needed to get them done, 2hrs at 300 nice color and bark, wrapped in BP for a little over an hour.

 

[MeatyOakerSmoker]

I have plenty of butcher paper so I can surely do that