Ribs - Juice or No Juice?

[Davescprktl]

I do 3-2-1 and I just use BBQ sauce.  Works great.

[Davescprktl]

You can wrap if you'd like....it's kind of a lot of work in a way......it might be an idea to just try them flat out, rubbed w/ a little smoke so you get the hang of fire management, then start adding in extra processes like foiling, mopping, etc.

Here's Father's Day ribs a couple years ago.....

Bean pan ready:



Charcoal set, basically:



Just rotate the grate around a couple times while it's cooking, you'll either be over unburnt coals or ones that have burned & are dying out, so there's little risk of charring......





I put a therm right next to them, at Meat Level (<< Technical Term)so any time you open there's a quick check available......just watch for the pig juice to bubble up & melt the rub.....you can spritz w/ apple juice / cider vinegar combo to add a bit of surface moisture, won't hurt....




I go 260~275, 225 may tend to take so long that they dry out.....look for a good bend late in the game....







Juicy stuff.....

Great stuff as always!  Love your pics and techniques!

[1buckie]

Thanks for the tip guys. I know this may be blasphemy but I'm not a huge fan of the dry almost jerky exterior bark. If I wrap the ribs will that prevent that?

A jerky like exterior may mean you are cooking at too high of heat. Yes the wrap will help with that. Another move is to put some apple juice with a splash of vinegar in a spray bottle - that will also help keep the exterior a bit softer.

I don't use any more than a spritz or two of juice if wrapping spares, (which I probably wouldn't do if cooking on a kettle or wsm.) I do use a good bit more when I wrap loinbacks, but that's on an offset smoker, where there's a lot more smoke and air movement. I don't recommend wrapping em if using a wsm or kettle, especially at first. I'd see what the bark is like without foiling first, and then go from there. Good luck with it and have fun.


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......just watch for the pig juice to bubble up & melt the rub.....you can spritz w/ apple juice / cider vinegar combo to add a bit of surface moisture, won't hurt....



50/50 combo of cider vin & apple juice....those were hit twice, fairly lightly, once at the middle of the cook & once near the end........

Like Austin says, sometimes high heat dries things out.....cooking too, too low has also have that effect....there is such a thing as "warming stuff to death"....225, low & slow sounds cool, but if the therm you're watching is a little off, it could be the stuff will never really get done  (i.e.: 215f is just above where water boils....not very hot)......on something like ribs, I shoot for about 260~275....a few drops & spikes around that centering won't likely hurt anything...........

[MikeRocksTheRed]

@BBQFiend -  With my wrap method you will not get a tough bark, but like @austin87 said, if you smoke them correctly unwrapped it shouldn't be tough like jerky.  I think you should do two racks, one using the wrap method and one without so you can try both methods out at the same time and see which one you prefer.  Again, the reason I like my wrapping method is that I know they are going to be awesome at the end without having to test.  The unwrapped method requires a few lift tests towards the end, and until you can lift the rack with tongs and they bend enough to almost tear apart but don't, they are done.  You might get lucky on your first test, or you might have to test every 20 minutes 2,3,4 times until they are done.

As far as corn goes, everyone here has a different opinion about it.  I like to trim some of the husks and remove some of them if there are a lot and they are thick, then trim the stalk end (so they can absorb water) and soak the corn in water for an hour.  I then cook them directly in the husks over direct (medium) heat rotating every 10-15 minutes for a total cook time of about 30-40 minutes.  I think cooking them in the husks is the best way for making the shucking portion of corn on the cob the easiest.  In my opinion once cooked the husks and silks come off really easy and you can make your guests do it!  LOL

Cooler corn -  If you need to make a ton of corn for a party or function, shuck all of the corn and put it in a cooler.  Add enough boiling water to the cooler to cover the corn then shut the cooler.  The corn will be ready to eat in about a half hour and will stay warm without overcooking for several hours if not longer!

[kettlecook]

Thanks for the tip guys. I know this may be blasphemy but I'm not a huge fan of the dry almost jerky exterior bark. If I wrap the ribs will that prevent that?

A jerky like exterior may mean you are cooking at too high of heat. Yes the wrap will help with that. Another move is to put some apple juice with a splash of vinegar in a spray bottle - that will also help keep the exterior a bit softer.

I don't use any more than a spritz or two of juice if wrapping spares, (which I probably wouldn't do if cooking on a kettle or wsm.) I do use a good bit more when I wrap loinbacks, but that's on an offset smoker, where there's a lot more smoke and air movement. I don't recommend wrapping em if using a wsm or kettle, especially at first. I'd see what the bark is like without foiling first, and then go from there. Good luck with it and have fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

......just watch for the pig juice to bubble up & melt the rub.....you can spritz w/ apple juice / cider vinegar combo to add a bit of surface moisture, won't hurt....



50/50 combo of cider vin & apple juice....those were hit twice, fairly lightly, once at the middle of the cook & once near the end........

Like Austin says, sometimes high heat dries things out.....cooking too, too low has also have that effect....there is such a thing as "warming stuff to death"....225, low & slow sounds cool, but if the therm you're watching is a little off, it could be the stuff will never really get done  (i.e.: 215f is just above where water boils....not very hot)......on something like ribs, I shoot for about 260~275....a few drops & spikes around that centering won't likely hurt anything...........

Great advice and pics! Just listen to this guy and y'all will be alright.


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