First Ribs On The Kettle

[hansonb4]

So today was the first time I've tried slow cooking ribs on the 22" kettle.I watched Ry and thought "sure, I can do this." I live in TX and today it was mid-80s, so nothing really unusual.

I filled a Weber basket with charcoal, then dumped it into the chimney, lit it, then went on to other things. I came back 20-25 minutes later and it was almost all gone. Okay, I thought, I'll fill an entire chimney and light it, then dump it into the basket. I did and it overflowed the basket. I put the excess into the chimney, set the chimney on the patio and closed  the lid. The thermo Pro on the grate (pointing opposite the coals) would not drop below 300!  You'll see in the photos. After waiting 90 minutes, I couldn't wait anymore and I put the ribs on.

For the first 2 hours, I was over 300. It finally bottomed at 275 or so. I ended up wrapping them in foil and to my dismay, I found I only needed about 7-8 briquettes to keep it between 225-250. Is that normal? Maybe normal for North Texas heat and dry air?

Anyway, I unwrapped them, sauced them and they turned out pretty good. They didn't fall off the bone, actually they needed a tug, but there was nice, clean separation from the bone. Anyway, I was pretty happy with the first attempt. Please, comments are welcome.



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[HoosierKettle]

They look fantastic. You could add water in the drip pan to act as a heat sink. Or you could try the snake method for easier temp management. A consistent 225 is hard for me. I'm usually cooking in the 250-300 range.


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[hansonb4]

@HoosierKettle - Thanks. Yeah, I was trying to follow the 3-2-1 method, however after 3 hours on the grill at about 300, I was afraid they'd be too dry. I wrapped them with about an eighth of a cup of water poured in the foil for a little less than an hour, then sauced them for 40 minutes or so. They were good, slight pull, clean bone, but not very moist. It just seems odd that I need so few briquettes to get to 225-250. Ry used a whole basket and I can see in the video I watched that he is up north, grilling on a cool rainy fall day. But still....

[michaelmilitello]

Looks grate!   Nice work.   Don't fret over the temps.   You did fine.  You can cook good bbq at 300 or 225.    +1 on snake method.  Good, consistent heat.   


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[bamakettles]

Sounds very similar to my first attempts using the Weber charcoal baskets some years ago.  My bbq quality improved greatly when I began using the Slow N Sear minion method with water.  I don't use a chimney for this, just fill the sns with charcoal and add a couple chunks of fruit wood of choice.  Fill the reservoir with hot water, put a tumbleweed on one side and light.  Once the tumbleweed has burned out and the first coal or two are lit close the lid and lower vents to about 1/4 open, top vent open.  Watch the temps come up slowly and adjust vents accordingly to achieve 230F - 275F.  It's normal for them to swing back and forth a bit, so try not to obsess over a constant temp.  This method worked for me until I got my WSM which does most of my low and slow now unless I'm on vacation cooking at the beach.  There's a lot of people who swear by the snake method which I've never needed to try.  I'm not big on coals against the side of the kettle for porcelain protection reasons.  Stick with it; it's fun to learn as you go and improve.  Thanks for sharing your cook!

-g

[JEBIV]

I think you did well for the first time, good learning experience and you still ate good ribs, mostly be sure and have fun don't turn it into a fretful chore +2 on the snake method

[hansonb4]

Oh I did. Several beers and pool time.

I think you did well for the first time, good learning experience and you still ate good ribs, mostly be sure and have fun don't turn it into a fretful chore +2 on the snake method

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[Foster Dahlet]

They look great.  Good work.  IMO 321 on a kettle is not necessary.  4 -5 hrs is a good range to expect when doing ribs.  Some employ the hot and fast method, which also yields good results.  Play around and see what works best for you.  As for fall off the bone, I prefer a tug.  Fall off the bone is overcooked to me.  As my brother is fond of saying, anyone can overcook a rib.

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[ed9925]

For the first 2 hours, I was over 300. It finally bottomed at 275 or so. I ended up wrapping them in foil and to my dismay, I found I only needed about 7-8 briquettes to keep it between 225-250. Is that normal? Maybe normal for North Texas heat and dry air?

7-8 coals might be a bit too few in most cases, but a small amount is definitely the way to go if you want low temps. I have the OnlyFire baskets which are larger than the Webers and for long slow cooks I fill one with unlit coals, then remove 12-15 and start them in a chimney. Return them to the void left in the basket and adjust to get the range you are looking for. For ribs I don't worry about a little fluctuation in temp and have no trouble keeping it between 230-250 with this method. You can tighten that range by really being on top of the adjustments and sometimes I do if I feel like it, but really not necessary. Open the kettle and shake the basket to remove the ash a couple of times to keep air flowing well around the coals.

[hansonb4]

@ed9925 Thank you for the tip. I will give that a try.

[Bearded]

No shame in those ribs for a first run. I recently did my first ones too. Also love Ry's videos.

As others have said, a water pan can help diffuse some of the heat lowering temps all while keeping humidity up in the kettle for the meat.

Nice job!

[Hoprock]

Looks good. I will just add that after 4-5 hours I will usually wrap them in foil and put them in the oven at about 175F for a couple of hours. The fat renders out around 170F and this keeps them moist while also making them extra tender. I usually take advantage of the extra time to clean up, cook other items over high heat, or just have a few extra beers!

[hansonb4]

Emphasis on "extra," because that denotes that there were others... You are my hero.

Looks good. I will just add that after 4-5 hours I will usually wrap them in foil and put them in the oven at about 175F for a couple of hours. The fat renders out around 170F and this keeps them moist while also making them extra tender. I usually take advantage of the extra time to clean up, cook other items over high heat, or just have a few extra beers!

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[elninohese]

For baby Backs I usually set at 300 --315 for 3 hours--int temp is usually 203....perfect for me, tender not fall off the bone--but a little tug and they come off.  Not sure why people do 4-5 hours.....plain dry rub--no spritz--no wrap...yum

[bbqking01]

Everyone has a preferred way to do kettle ribs, until I got my SmokeFire, I did ribs on the kettle a lot. I always brine my baby backs overnight in sugar/salt water. Then rub them with the stuff I use just for ribs. Let them sit in the rub at least 4 hours(prefer overnight) then indirect, water/foil pan in the middle approx 20-25 briquettes on  left and right side of water pan. Light it, once turning grey add Apple/cherry, and sometimes hickory. Bottom and top vents wide open I also use a rib rack. I don't wrap them at all. Usually 5-6 hours adding about 5 or so briquettes every hour after 3. Always come off tender and moist. Like stated previously, don't sweat it. It's fun to learn. Your ribs look great too! You did well.


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