BBQ Rib help/experts wanted/needed

[RollingHome]

Folks, I love BBQ baby back ribs. The kind I get in Longhorn, Outback, Texas Roadhouse and other restaurants. They come on a plate smothered in BBQ sauce, I slip the fork under the bone/s, lift the bone out and enjoy mostly meat with little fat. I have been trying to dulpicate this at home without success for a couple of years now. What am I doing wrong ? If you know the secret/s please share it with me. I promise you'll get the credit of your shared secret. Feel free to PM me with any help too. I believe that someone on this forum knows way more than me and is willing to help out.

Today I just smoked pork baby back ribs and beef short ribs in my Orion cooker. They were tasty but the meat had to be chewed from the bone and the fat was "too much". We certainly could NOT lift the bone out, them suckers were stuck but good. The bones were also larger than the restaurant version and the bones were not seperate - they were connected by a breast plate or sternum - if that's the right word ???

I did a search on this forum without success. I've tried internet "killer rib recipes", and they nearly lived up to their name. In advance, thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[RCF]

Personally, I put a good amount of dry rub on 'em (I like "Grub Rub" personally) a few hours before, even the night before. Let 'em sit out long enough to warm to room temp prior to putting on the grill. Then I grill 'em directly over the fire just long enough on each side to brown 'em. Then I move 'em to the smoke box. I should have mentioned I use a dual sided grill with a fire box low to one side (where the fire goes). Smoke 'em (either burning wood or soak wood chunks in water and put on coals if using charcoal) for about an hour to an hour and a half. Then wrap 'em up pretty tight in foil with about half a beer in with 'em for moisture. Continue cooking on the grill (or oven) at about 230-250F for about an hour and a half to two hours. Then I remove 'em and put 'em back over the fire and baste with my favorite sauce (my personal favorite is Stubb's Original, kinda tangy and spicy, for a store bought sauce).

Be sure not too overcook 'em or they'll be dry. Otherwise they should be tender and juicy, falling off the bone.

 

[Invizatu]

Tom... For what it's worth

I buy spare ribs from Sams Club
Sprinkle a home made rub on them
Put them above direct coals for about 5 minutes each side
Coat with bbq sauce and wrap them in foil and cook them for about 2 hours (indirect heat / coals off to the sides, none below them)
Unwrap them and brush on a glaze (bbq sauce and honey) cook them unwrapped (indirect heat, but hot) for about 5 minutes
Re-apply glaze and cook another 5 minutes or so until the glaze bubbles
Take off the grill and let them set long enough for the glaze to harden

I use a big Weber and all the cooking is with the lid on except the first five minutes of browning.

They always turn out great!

Good Luck!

 

[dbbls59]

I use a dry rub and it is set for 1 hour. Place in the smoker and use wood chips for the first 2 hours. Keep the temp at 225 degrees and use a digital thermometer. The ones on the door of the smoker are not very accurate. Cook for 6 hours and the last 15 minutes I put on a sauce. I prefer KC masterpiece but there are other good ones. Use what you prefer. The ribs are done when you can twist the bone and it will come loose. Haven't done any for a while, I think I will just have to cook some up.

 

[Manzan]

I use a dry rub, smoke for three hours at 225° and two hours at 275°. This allows the fat to render out. Then I wrap in a couple of layers of foil and put in a small cooler wrapped in an old flannel sheet. Leave it there about an hour or until we are ready to eat. Almost fall off the bone and still have a some texture rather than mush. Usually have BBQ sauce on the table for those who want it. This is for baby back ribs. I have a propane smoker that I have been using for five or six years with excellent results. My wood chips of choice are Pecan but will use Nectarine if going for a more oriental flavor. Vary the rub also. Love Cabernet Barrel chips if doing Bison ribs.

 

[pegmikef]

Ok, here's one that is going to seem really strange, but it was good enough to sell a hundred cases of ribs for 2 bucks for a 2 rib rack to Germans at a DYA sponsored fest in Augsburg, Germany.

1. Par boil the ribs in water with whole onions, salt and pepper until they are almost done (not falling off the bone).
2. Fix up a sprayer of vinegar and water about half and half
3. On a very hot charcoal fire, singe both sides of each rack of ribs while spraying liberally with the vinegar water (add flavo and keeps the flames down).
4. Once the ribs are singed and sealed, dip the entire rack into a container of barbecue sause (instead of trying to brush the sauce on)
5. Return the ribs to the hot fire and cook each side just long enough for the sauce to set up, but not to turn black
6. Serve

Note: If the ribs are parboiled in advance of cooking them on the fire, then they should be stored in a very cold place such as a freezer until they have cooled down so they don't continue to cook in their own heat. We parboiled ours the night before we served them

 

[SmokeyBare]

The Orion should do the task fine... this Cooker/Smoker works a bit different than other True Smokers. It cooks as much Convection or Radiant heat as it does with the Smoke from the wood chips.

First is preparation to the Ribs... you might already be doing this... Peal off the skin type membrane on the back side of the Rack of Ribs. Best done by sticking a butter knife between the bone and membrane... prying up to loosen then using a paper towel to grasp & pull off. Cut off the flap of meat also ( I toss those on one of the Orion's Racks).

I make my own Rib Rub... lots of recipes on the Internet if you search them out. I a good sprinkling of Rib Rub on both sides... wrap in plastic wrap and over night in the fridge. Room temp before cooking helps for sure. As you mentioned yours had thicker bones, allow a longer cooking time than the book recommends since the Rack of Ribs will probably be thicker than what you get from a Restaurant. Remember if you want them "Fall off the Bone" tender your going to need to get the temp of the ribs near to 180 or so... to break down the Collagen that holds the meat to the rib bones. Much like when doing pulled pork on the Orion. I'm sure the restaurants are using the more expensive cut, those Baby Back Ribs.

Once you feel they have cooked long enough in the Orion, pull them out and double wrap in tin foil & let them rest... I try to rest them 45 minutes. Doing this allows them to sort of steam in the foil.

Then you can fire up your regular gas or charcoal grill ... cut the Rack up if thats what you want to do or leave it whole. Coat the Ribs well with sauce and grill them so the sauce gets into the meat & starts to caramelize on the Rib Rack... a little char to me is a good added taste.

Hope the next time they come out more to your wishes !

Marv

 

[vakthund]

They were tasty but the meat had to be chewed from the bone and the fat was "too much". We certainly could NOT lift the bone out, them suckers were stuck but good.

Sounds like you like your flavor but the texture is wrong. As has been pointed out, in order to achieve the "fall off the bone" texture you need to cook them low and slow for 2 - 4 hours. This allows the fat to render off and the collagen to convert into gelatin. This effect happens at about 210 degrees and takes a while. Easiest is to braised the ribs in the oven - this is an easily controlled environment but the best flavor is achieved on the smoker. I smoke mine at 220 degrees for 4 hours before adding sauce and finishing them on the grill. I prefer that the meat is attached to the bone but that the bone is easy to pull off.
I use Smithfield ribs from Costco and they are fine for catering gigs. For BBQ events or competitions you need to up the quality a little.

 

[RollingHome]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. One thing came through loud & clear, I am way too short on cooking time, be it grilling par boiling or other. Obviously I underestimated the amount of attention and time I need to give to get... So I'm going to make some changes... "IF" I have the time... (ha, ha or LOL) ! One final question is, what cut are those restaurants I mentioned using ? How come their rib bones are not connected by a breast Plate and the finger size bones lift right out unattached ? Again, Thank you

 

[Miller0758]

Fall of the bone ribs ... the easy way - prepare baby back ribs with the membrane removed seasoned with S&P, paprika, garlic powder and whatever else you may like. Use a broiler pan or any pan with a rack. Add about 1 inch of apple juice to the bottom of the pan; place the seasoned ribs on the rack (meat side up); cover tightly with HD foil. Place pan in a 300 degree oven for about 2 1/2 hours and leave alone. After time is up, remove from oven and look at the ribs ... meat should be receded from bone about an inch. You now have a choice ... let cool, package and freeze or brush on your favorite sauce and place on a grill over indirect heat just to cook the sauce in for a little bit (the ribs are fully cooked). These ribs are so tender it will be hard to even pick them up ... enjoy

 

[SmokeyBare]

There are probably many good links to the different cuts of meat out of a Pig, but here is one that has quite a bit of good information.

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html

Marv

 

[Jimmy]

The secret is the foil, season as you wish. slow cook 2 hours uncovered, Tightly wrap in foil, cook 11/2 hours, unwrap and cook 1 hour or less. Be careful when you lift them from your cooker, the bones will fall out.

 

[RollingHome]

Thanks to you folks, we just had a wonderful diner with ribs as the main dish. WOW ! Following your directions, hints and secrets we FINALLY had at home what we have been looking for, THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH <v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked="f" filled="f" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" oreferrelative="t" o:spt="75" coordsize="21600,21600"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><vath o:connecttype="rect" gradientshapeok="t" o:extrusionok="f"></vath><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape style="WIDTH: 12pt; HEIGHT: 12pt; VISIBILITY: visible; mso-wrap-style: square" id=Picture_x0020_1 alt="//heartlandowners.org/images/smilies/tongue.png" type="#_x0000_t75" o:spid="_x0000_i1026"><v:imagedata o:title="tongue" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Thomas\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png"></v:imagedata></v:shape>. Although I believed my recipes had a "remove the membrane" statement - they did not. That in my opinion is a critical step. It even seemed like the ribs (fresh (never frozen) St. Louis Cut or SLC) had more meat on them, I doubt it. The bones lifted out with a fork and what was left was meat... lots of it ! Patti did most of the work and I was the "cook’s assistant". She made our own BBQ sauce with an extra kick of heat, via chipotle flakes. We finished them off on the grill which thickened the BBQ sauce and made it stick better. We were talking about serving these to guest and figured we'd cook them the day before, put them in the frig, then sauce and grill them to heat them up. Now we want to try each recipe you folks sent one at a time to see the variances. Man are we happy <v:shape style="WIDTH: 12pt; HEIGHT: 12pt; VISIBILITY: visible; mso-wrap-style: square" id=Picture_x0020_2 alt="//heartlandowners.org/images/smilies/smile.png" type="#_x0000_t75" o:spid="_x0000_i1025"><v:imagedata o:title="smile" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\Thomas\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"></v:imagedata></v:shape>