3-2-1 method for smoked ribs

[Shaka]

I'm no turkey expert, but apparently the dark meat needs to be cooked to about 20 degrees hotter than the white meat.

Now you tell me!

I actually knew this and thought I had both the white and the dark in the swet spot. That's what I get for thinking.

[CJF]

Now you tell me!

I actually knew this and thought I had both the white and the dark in the swet spot. That's what I get for thinking.

Turkey is tricky. You might have cooked everything to the correct temp and still got sick if the bird was cooked too low. Also, this is why I use disposable gloves and disposable cutting boards for all meat. I never let the meet touch anything that won't be thrown away except the smoker. I'm sorry you got sick. Don't give up though. You'll get plenty of enjoyment out of your smoker

[Green Monstah]

I know I'm late to the game, but I view the 3-2-1 method (though I use 2-2-1 @ 225; I found if I went the full 3 hours the more lean parts of the ribs dried out a bit) as the "game improvement iron" of smoking ribs. It establishes a floor where the ribs won't be horrible, but it also means that you're not going to his a 3-iron 250 yards, no matter how dead center you strike the ball.

As a sidenote, I don't sauce the ribs until the last 20 minutes. After I take the ribs out of the foil (and apply DT's "bend test...which really is the best way to know if your ribs are done), I like to re-establish the crust, which becomes saturated and moist while in the foil, and then I sauce. I'm not sure it matters either way, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I'm tempted to try DT's approach however; it will save considerable time, but I'm afraid that if I accidentally spike the temperature at 300 (I don't have a fancy newfangled traegar), it could ruin the ribs.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Tried a new twist tonight. I did one of the rib racks using apricot-flavored bbq sauce:



The result:



I think the Salt Lick sauce is still my favorite, but it was very good. A fun change of pace.

[FN Phat]

OK, we have some family in town this week and they requested ribs so I gave this method another shot, but tried to tweak things from what I did last time. Here is how I did the three stages:

Stage 1) Tossed on some rub and smoked with mesquite pellets for 1.5 hrs at 180 deg (last time I did 2.5 hours at 225).

Stage 2) Added apple juice and wrapped in foil. Cooked for 2.0 hrs at 275 deg. I was a little nervous at the end of this stage because I thought they might not be done enough, but I decided to forge ahead and see what happens.

Stage 3) Removed foil, slathered on bbq sauce and cooked at 225 deg for 45 minutes.

After the third stage I took them in the house and covered them with a large lid and let them sit 15 minutes prior to serving.

I tried my hand with the above sequence with great success. I went with my own rub of cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper and onion powder and then coated in Corky's Memphis Style BBQ sauce. We made baked beans, slaw and creamed corn (big ups to DDD) that was so good that it almost stole the dinner from the ribs!

Will post pics when I get a chance to upload them.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Woohoo! Can't wait to see pics.

[FN Phat]

The rub on the ribs and ready for the smoker:






The ribs after 1.5 hours at 180, foiled with a bit of apple juice at 275 for 2.5 hours and a generous amount of Corky's BBQ sauce and ready to finish at 225 for the last 45 minutes:





*Sorry for the crappy cell phone pics. Pics from the wife's camera to come...

[Drunk Tank]

Looks great! Nice job!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FN Phat]

Just off of the smoker and resting for 15 minutes...that turned into 25 minutes as I tried to get my dad and sister's boyfriend to the table




Food plated




My boy turns 2 in a week and a half and is starting off on the right path to happiness!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Wow! That looks great, FN. Way to go.

Your boy is adorable. Looks like he enjoyed the meal.

[Shaka]

Geez, I just got done stuffing my face and you're making me hungry again! That looks awesome!

[FN Phat]

Wow! That looks great, FN. Way to go.

Your boy is adorable. Looks like he enjoyed the meal.

Thank you. I appreciate all the tips. My sisters bf from Manhattan said "now I know what all the fuss is about with this southern BBQ". It was a big hit and I have to give big props to.the CUF community for that.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My wife's close friend had surgery a few days ago so my wife asked me to do some ribs for her family for dinner yesterday. I bought three racks of baby backs and two racks of spare ribs at Costco. I had to use my rack but I got everything to fit:



I did the 1.5-2-.75 method for the baby backs but I put the spare ribs in 1.5 hours early (i.e., 3-2-.75). The baby backs came out perfect, but the spare ribs were not done. They were cooked, but were still tough. I threw them in the oven for a couple of hours and then they were tender, but it messed up our dinner timing. Fortunately, the baby backs went to the other family. They used to live in Texas so they were thrilled.

I am not sure what would work best for spare ribs. 3-3-1? If anyone figures it out, please post results here. I prefer baby backs, but spare ribs are cheaper so it pays to do them under certain circumstances.

[calicoug]

Initially I was slated to go to Vegas for Thanksgiving but decided I needed to be productive working on my house. I had invitations to TG dinner but decided to go it alone this year and become one with the Traeger. This is the reason no one else got sick.

I used the thermometer and the white meat came out fine. I'm pretty sure it was the dark meat that did me in. The turkey had a very nice flavor although I think the AB brine combined with the smoking may have been a little overwhelming on the flavor side.

If I get sick again I may just give you the darn thing. Keep cheering for my demise!

The dark meat has to cook to a higher temperature to be done. When cooking on the smoker or grill, ice the breast for about 45 minutes before putting the bird on the heat. That way, the breast finishes cooking at about the same time as the dark meat without overheating and drying out. Works like a charm.

[calicoug]

I know I'm late to the game, but I view the 3-2-1 method (though I use 2-2-1 @ 225; I found if I went the full 3 hours the more lean parts of the ribs dried out a bit) as the "game improvement iron" of smoking ribs. It establishes a floor where the ribs won't be horrible, but it also means that you're not going to his a 3-iron 250 yards, no matter how dead center you strike the ball.

As a sidenote, I don't sauce the ribs until the last 20 minutes. After I take the ribs out of the foil (and apply DT's "bend test...which really is the best way to know if your ribs are done), I like to re-establish the crust, which becomes saturated and moist while in the foil, and then I sauce. I'm not sure it matters either way, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I'm tempted to try DT's approach however; it will save considerable time, but I'm afraid that if I accidentally spike the temperature at 300 (I don't have a fancy newfangled traegar), it could ruin the ribs.

3-2-1 is good for spares or St. Louis style cut. It is too long for baby back ribs.