3-2-1 method for smoked ribs

[Drunk Tank]

DT, for this type of cook, how do you know when or how often to try the bend test?

I go by look/feel, but have been bit in the ass sometimes when I miss judged. If you have a thermapen or other instant read thermometer, you can go by the temp of the rib meat. 190-195 is usually a good reference temp for ribs being done.

[smokymountainrain]

I smoked some baby backs today. Turned out really well! I used John Henry's Cherry Chipotle rub and smoked the ribs at 240ish. No foil, no 3-2-1. Just smoked them until they passed the bend test. I glazed them with a mix of Sweet Baby Rays, rub, and about 2 TBS of wild sage honey I got from the farmers market. The taste was awesome, somewhat of a sweet-heat to them. You could definately taste all the different flavors, the rub, honey, etc... Everyone raved about them! One of the best few racks of ribs I have done. Not fall off the bone, but would pull clean from the bone with just a little pull. Total cook time was a little over 5 hours.

DT, for this type of cook, how do you know when or how often to try the bend test?

[kccougar]

Ha no I meant the racks that hold the racks. The metal rib racks.

Oh, those racks. BBQ Pit Stop in Lehi.

[TripletDaddy]

They were Costco ribs.

Ha no I meant the racks that hold the racks. The metal rib racks.

[mtnbiker]

One more thing, there is nothing sacred about the 1.5-2.0-0.75 sequence outlined in the OP, other than it is a system that works consistently well with pellet smokers. I have noticed that some of the comp teams use a very similar sequence, but some of them start out with a 2 hour first stage (sometimes at a higher temp) followed by a shorter foil stage. I am sure we could find other combinations that work OK. If anyone has a different sequence that works great, let me know and I can add it to the OP.

As I've mentioned before, my Traeger seems to cook a little cooler than everyone else's here. I have to use the full 3-2-1 method. Lately I've smoked (looks like it's about 135* on my smoker) for an hour or so, then upping to 225* (that's the control setting, not necessarily the actual temp) for the rest of the 3-hour cook. I foil with apple juice (the juice just provides extra moisture to steam the ribs - they're not swimming in it) at 275* for 2 hours, then baste with bbq sauce and cook unfoiled for 1 hour at 225*. We like the result. Cooking at the shorter times that JL mentions leaves the meat chewy and it doesn't come off the bone at all.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Please YO. No evil speaking of the bbq anointed.

[kccougar]

Where did you get your racks?

They were Costco ribs.

[YOhio]

comp teams will never lead you astray.

The competition circuit would remove them before they could.

[TripletDaddy]

Saying that the comp teams do it is the CS BBQ mafia's way of saying the brethren have spoken.

comp teams will never lead you astray.

[TripletDaddy]

I've cooked 9 racks of ribs at one time on my Lil Tex using a rib stand. Didn't seem to effect the end result though saucing them for the last stage was a little more tricky.

Where did you get your racks?

[YOhio]

Saying that the comp teams do it is the CS BBQ mafia's way of saying the brethren have spoken.

[Green Monstah]

I tried the Trigg method two weeks ago and was pleased with the result. I'm going to try DT's method since my ribs have been a tad dry the last few go rounds.

As an aside, the spare ribs at Salt Lick were incredible yesterday. They claim to cook them hit and fast with plenty of basting to keep moist.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I don't think foil alone ruins it, but soaking for a couple of hours in apple juice does. Dilutes and washes it away. This isn't my idea--I've read a few places to be careful with it, which is why I tried shortening the foil time. I like it better, but to each his own.

You are in luck! You can always cut back on the apple juice. However, even then you will get liquid in the foil from the meat. But that isn't going to wash away any rub because by then your rub should be mostly absorbed into the eat. You can also add some more rub before or after you glaze them. That is a fairly common technique and they call it "finishing rub".

And DDD is right: virtually all of the top comp teams foil their ribs. And most of them are using the Johnny Trig method (brown sugar, honey, & butter in the foil).

[kccougar]

Yes, I cooked them the same amount of time. For the initial stage I was gone to church so I put them on at the same time. I ended up coming home for a minute to change temps and get an ice bag for my wife, who sprained her wrist just before church, and wish I'd have held off the beef until then. Having split the beef into smaller bits, they were much smaller and thinner than the pork ribs.



Yup. Used pretty much every bit of it. Last time I cooked up ribs, I did 5 and filled it then, too. I guess I could get the vertical rib rack to save space. How much does that really help, though? Does it change the way the meat cooks at all?

I've cooked 9 racks of ribs at one time on my Lil Tex using a rib stand. Didn't seem to effect the end result though saucing them for the last stage was a little more tricky.

[kccougar]

Interesting. I bought a big bottle of that rub a year ago and nobody liked it so I threw it away.

My wife came home with some pre-rubbed ribs from Costco. I wasn't a fan though these were also the racks I was also cooking on the grill.