Second attempt at Ribs :-( pics attached.

[DavidJ]

LoL.... I must be getting better cause they weren't any worse than last time. Here's the notes that I took during the day.

• 10:00 - Rubbed With Rib Stars Rub from Smoke & Fire, covered with cellophane and put in fridge
• 12:15 - Started coals, rubbed the ribs with a layer of John Henry Cherry Chipolte
• 1:00 - UDS finally stabilized with minimal smoke and temp at about 250
• Note: One air intake is open at the bottom, ball valve is being adjusted, and vent is fully open.
• Between 2:00 & 3:00 the temperature was fluctuating between 230 & 250. Possibly due to wind, the sun beginning to hit the UDS, or simply natural fluctuations.
• 4:00 - Pulled off UDS and foiled. Sample tastes great! Put some honey, butter & brown sugar on, along with a 1/2 cup of cherry cider.
• Note: Between 4:00 - 5:00 had to adjust the temp as it went between 330 - 370.
• 5:15 - Temp is 330. Pulled out of the UDS and did the toothpick test, inserts cleanly... Pulled on a bone and it came out... oh-oh... Time to pull, re-wrap in foil and put in cooler.
• 5:55 - Time to cut some rubs!!

Conclusion:

The ribs were edible, but not what I would call good, much less great.... There was a little bit of a smoke ring in places, some smoke flavor was present, the crust was too soft in some places, there was too much fat throughout the meat.

Time to go get some ice-cream

Things that need attention:

Learn better fire control. (UDS is difficult)
Hotter fire to melt the fat?
Should I have trimmed the ribs before cooking?
Wrapping in foil not necessary?
Definitely way to much liquid when wrapping
Should have put back on the UDS after un-foiling to help set the bark?

Pictures:
UDS - This is an older pic. I now make sure the top vent is opposite the ball valve, or at least 90 degrees to it depending on which vent is open on the bottom.
Firebox right after dropping coals in it
Ribs after 3 Hours
Ribs after 5 Hours
Finished Product

Critique is welcome and needed!

Thanks,
David...

 

[fatcliff77]

Just my 2 cents:
1 hr in the foil at those higher temps tends to overcook them
re-foiling when done will keep them cooking and soften your bark

I have taken the advice of our Brethren and quit using "voodoo", (foil, butter,honey,etc), and am learning to cookem straight up, at 275 degrees.

From your pics, i'd still eat them!!

 

[El Ropo]

They could of been pulled off a bit sooner. But I'd eat 'em too.

The thing that caught my eye is the small inner diameter of your intake piping. Also that temp spike during the foil stage would really power through the cook. What exactly is causing such a large spike in temps is what has me puzzled.

 

[Boshizzle]

I'd be all over those! :hungry:

 

[Shadowdog500]

Ribs should be easy!

I see tons of different advise here on high vs low temp, foil vs no foil, fluid in pan vs no fluid, etc. They must all work or people here wouldn't be recommending them. But to a newbie I bet it can seem confusing.

I was origionally taught low and slow on untrimmed spare ribs with a plain vanilla memphis rub, beer/water mix in the pan, and apple or cherry smoke. After roughly 5 to 6 hours at roughly 225 the ribs would be done. This method takes time but it is very forgiving, and there seems to be a wide window where you can pull them off and have good ribs. This is the way I show people because by some magic it always seems to give fairly good results even for a newbie, and after you do this a few times (probably just to build confidence) it is time to experiment with all these different variations.


I bet you got the temp spike from having the lid off for a while to foil.


I'm sure others here will give different opinions but you just got my 2cents.

BTW, your ribs looked good!

Chris

 

[boondocksmokers]

I cut mine up st. louis style. Trim the excess fat and you will be fine. Put the left over trimmings on the pit for a snack.

 

[caliking]

Those look pretty good to me, so don't beat yourself up over them.

The high temp later i the cook definitely cooks them faster. Were the high temps happening because the lid was left open during foiling etc? When I used to foil I would turn the intake down to lower the temp, trying to keep the temp from spiking too much when I opened the lid. I don't use foil anymore because I'm much lazier now!

 

[Ole Man Dan]

They are right pretty ribs. :clap:
Maybe it's that I'm more a shade tree BBQ guy, but I like the taste W/O wrapping.

On my UDS I have (4) 3/4" pipes at 90° angles. My pipes are each 3" and I have a ball valve on one for adjustment. Most times I run with one open, and the ball valve cracked partway.
I like to do my ribs 275° to 300°.
The wetter atmosphere in a UDS keeps the moisture in the meat better than in my Off Set.
(I have to use a water pan in the Off Set)

It sounds to me like you are doing a lot of things right...
It just takes time to play around with different temps, and ideas.
Keep up the good work.

 

[BobM]

Nice! :thumb:

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks all for the encouraging words, I appreciate the comments and advice!

I was trying for the 3-2-1 method, which obviously didn't work. I was also trying to stay in the 230-240 degree range, which except for the spikes, I feel I was able to maintain.

I seem to notice that the targeted temps for ribs seems to have a wider range than for pork (butts) is that correct? For ribs, the temperature range (even in the responses to this post) range from 225 - 275. but for butts it seems that 220-230 is the preferred temp range, with an internal temp of just over 200 for pulled pork, and just under 200 for sliced/chunks (as well as the bone pull test....)

So I think my next batch of ribs will be with no foil or other Voodo (as fatcliff77 calls it :wink: ) with a temp of 275ish, and since I'll be at a higher temp, I should probably add a water pan.

El Ropo, the intakes are 3/4 ID. There are four of them spaced evenly around the base, and you're only seeing two of the four. If I run with more than two of them open, temps are easily headed between 275-300, which is more than I want for butts, but maybe it's ok for ribs?

Shadowdog... You're exactly right, with so many posts and variations of cooking, I probably tried to combine to many variables. Next time I'll take a more "basic" approach.

Caliking... I didn't think the lid was off for more than 30 - 45 seconds, but perhaps I mis-judged the time. I was trying to be quick with pics and pulling the ribs off.

Ole Man Dan... We both have the same sized pipes, and run with one open and the ball valve partially open, but you definitely are smoking at a higher temp than the 230-240 range I was trying to stay at.

Thanks again!

David...

 

[Shadowdog500]

David,

If you add water to the pan and run the smoker at 275, you may go through a lot of fuel just boiling off the liquid in the pan. I've only done hot and fast ribs a couple times now, and I did it with a dry pan. I use liquids when doing low and slow. Apple juice/water mix or a beer/water mix works best for me.

Chris

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks Chris, I'll remember that!

 

[jestridge]

Looks good too me , did you think theytasted ok

 

[Big Bears BBQ]

The pics look good ......

 

[DavidJ]

Yeah, they did taste good, just not great. My SO said they're real goodbut what does she know.... She's in love I think I'm more disappointed in the fact that more fat didn't render out, and that I didn't do a good job on cutting them, and that the presentation was a disaster. Maybe next time I'll do more with a mop and less with the rub.

Regardless of how well I feel I did with these ribs, I love the journey!

David

 

[MS2SB]

If you think they were too fatty you should trim down to St. Louis style.

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[jestridge]

Hey all that presentation and what people tell you a bunch of crap, if they taste good and both of you enjoyed them what the heh. we watch too many of those cooking shows

 

[chagovatoloco]

My 1st uds ribs where way over done.

 

[Ringburner]

They look okay to me.... I'm working night shift tonight and I'm just eating a microwave tv dinner. I'd walk over white hot broken glass to get to those ribs right now!!

Sent from my GT-I9100

 

[ccarter]

Ribs should be easy!

I see tons of different advise here on high vs low temp, foil vs no foil, fluid in pan vs no fluid, etc. They must all work or people here wouldn't be recommending them. But to a newbie I bet it can seem confusing.

I was origionally taught low and slow on untrimmed spare ribs with a plain vanilla memphis rub, beer/water mix in the pan, and apple or cherry smoke. After roughly 5 to 6 hours at roughly 225 the ribs would be done. This method takes time but it is very forgiving, and there seems to be a wide window where you can pull them off and have good ribs. This is the way I show people because by some magic it always seems to give fairly good results even for a newbie, and after you do this a few times (probably just to build confidence) it is time to experiment with all these different variations.


I bet you got the temp spike from having the lid off for a while to foil.


I'm sure others here will give different opinions but you just got my 2cents.

BTW, your ribs looked good!

Chris

I tend to agree.

I learned to smoke primarily through Gary Wiviott's book Low and Slow. Keeping your first cooks simple is key. The only thing cooked above about 240* in that book is the chicken, and that's simply to get crispy skin. Using a lower temp will take longer, but - as Chris mentioned - it broadens the window for pulling. Not using foil increases the cook time as well, but again it keeps things simple, and will help your bark formation. I've always heard foiling referred to as the "Texas Crutch." Not that it is a method for the weak, but that it is used as a sort of short-cut. It's nearly a necessiety in competitions due to time contraints and the flavor that can be added in the foiling process, but it'd be best to learn to cook them without the foil first, then start adding to the process. Cooking at higher temps, and foiling is for competitions.

My suggestions:
Trim some fat for a leaner result. I've come to realize that external fat just isn't going to render all that well when smoking.
Forget the foil for a while.
Keep the temp down. I've come to enjoy smoking around 240*, but I learned at 225*. It's a good place to start.
Even though you're using a UDS, there's still a TON of useful information in Low and Slow, I'd get it, and adapt it to your setup. It's worth the time.

But at the end of the day... those are still some pretty good looking ribs!