rib question ...

Love2"Q"

New member
i always make baby back ribs ...
my family just does not care for spares .. so any way ...
the last two times i made ribs i did it the exact same way as
always .. 225ish for 2 hours .. then 2 hours in foil ..
then maybe an hour out of foil to finish ..
but they were smoked to the bone ..
they were cooked through .. but they were pink all the
way to the bone .. and my wife was not into it ..
i am having an over smoke issue .. they had a smidgen of
bitterness to them .. i used apple and royal oak
lump for fuel ...
so what are your ways for ribs .. i want to tweak it a bit ..
i read in a weber cook book the 2 hours at 300 indirect is all
it takes ..
any help is greatly appreciated ..
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Babybacks are so tender anyway, I typically just grill them direct over medium coals.

But you can easily defeat over smoking by not adding wood. You’re using lump which will naturally smoke and produce a smoke ring. Lump will give you that “thin blue smoke” you’ve heard of. Adding whole wood to that gives you the heavy “white smoke”.

If using lump, only add a little wood during the first hour, then no more. Your lump will take care of the rest. You could even try smoking with just the lump and don’t add any other wood. The thin blue smoke from the lump alone should make some nice babybacks.

Either that, or switch to briquettes, and use smoke the first 2 hours (2 small additions is all) and no more.

The bitterness is creosote build up. This happens when there is too much white smoke rolling around in the chamber and it can’t escape quickly enough. It also happens when the meat is cold and the white smoke is heavy….like in the first 30 minutes of smoking. Most will leave the meat out on the counter to come to room temp, and slowly add wood as you smoke. As long as the smoke isn’t too heavy, and it can escape via the top vent, it won’t condensate into creosote on the meat.
 

Love2"Q"

New member
keltin .. i only add wood for the first hour ..
and even then its one or two chunks ...
dont think creasote is an issue .. i have delt with that
before .. i think i am going to try indirect this weekend ..
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Have you tried using just the lump? Just lump over a few hours might give you what you're looking for with no need of extra added wood? I mean, lump is just burning and smoldering wood, so it has the smoke there already. Might be worth a shot?
 

Love2"Q"

New member
Have you tried using just the lump? Just lump over a few hours might give you what you're looking for with no need of extra added wood? I mean, lump is just burning and smoldering wood, so it has the smoke there already. Might be worth a shot?
thats what i have been thinking ...
it also could be temp spikes and dips .. this only happend
this winter ..
i am going to play around a bit this weekend ..
thanks for the outside observation ..
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
thats what i have been thinking ...
it also could be temp spikes and dips .. this only happend
this winter ..
i am going to play around a bit this weekend ..
thanks for the outside observation ..

Let us know how it turns out!!! I love data and feedback from these tests! :thumb:
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
it also depends on the type of wood you are using...

i find that when i cook spares or babybacks for my taste, if i use mesquite or hickory, i get that really smokey flavor..

all my ribs now get Q'd with cherry followed by apple and maple. the smoke flavor is not so strong but still there.

are you using store bought wood chunks or non commercial wood? if using non-commercial wood, the wood may still be green and not seasoned enough.

p020hd0.jpg
 

High Cheese

Saucier
I always smoke indirect using either all apple, oak or lump. If I use lump, I flavor with 3-4 chunks of mesquite or hickory after the first hour. Temp spikes like you said can cause a bitter taste, you really have to pay attention during winter. Keep the exhaust fully open and regulate the heat with only the intake. I never wrap my ribs with foil, but I mop them about every 30 minutes. I use he tong test to check for doneness.
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
I always smoke indirect using either all apple, oak or lump. If I use lump, I flavor with 3-4 chunks of mesquite or hickory after the first hour. Temp spikes like you said can cause a bitter taste, you really have to pay attention during winter. Keep the exhaust fully open and regulate the heat with only the intake. I never wrap my ribs with foil, but I mop them about every 30 minutes. I use he tong test to check for doneness.
:agree:

also if your wood is catching fire and not smoldering, that dreaded white smoke appears and sometimes you dont even see it.

on my big pit smoker, there is hardly any smoke coming from the stacks, but the end result still tastes smokey.

i only wrap my ribs if somebody wants fall off the bone meat...
 

Love2"Q"

New member
ok .. tried cooking them indirect at about 300 or so ..
threw a couple chunks of apple on during the first hour ..
took about two and a half hours and they were done ..
and they were fantastic .. not the smoke ring i was looking
for but they were super tasty .. and the wife was happy:mrgreen::mrgreen:

so everyone was happy ...
slathered some in honey for the boy ..
BBQ sauce for the wifey ..
and rasberry chipotle for me ..
outstanding ..
 

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BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
looks like some awesome eats there:applause::a1:

ok .. tried cooking them indirect at about 300 or so ..
threw a couple chunks of apple on during the first hour ..
took about two and a half hours and they were done ..
and they were fantastic .. not the smoke ring i was looking
for but they were super tasty .. and the wife was happy:mrgreen::mrgreen:

so everyone was happy ...
slathered some in honey for the boy ..
BBQ sauce for the wifey ..
and rasberry chipotle for me ..
outstanding ..
 

chowhound

New member
Ditto. Great job/fantastic looking ribs.
I've taken to not wrapping babybacks anymore, they get too "fall off the bone" for me. I can get the same texture either smoking them or grilling indirect, but using the BBQ definitely gives them a smokier taste through and through. Tossing foil pouches of chips on the ducane just isn't the same, but a lot easier in winter.
 

Love2"Q"

New member
thanks all .. think my original problem was two things ..
over cooking .. and to long in foil ..
these had the texture that i was looking for ..
thanks a bunch for everyones help ..
and if you see a bottle of rasberry chipotle at your
store .. grab some .. it is great on ribs and wings ..
 

chowhound

New member
thanks all .. think my original problem was two things ..
over cooking .. and to long in foil ..
these had the texture that i was looking for ..
thanks a bunch for everyones help ..
and if you see a bottle of rasberry chipotle at your
store .. grab some .. it is great on ribs and wings ..

So are you saying that overcooking led to all pink rib meat, or just that fall off the bone texture?
In post #11 you said, "not the smoke ring i was looking
for but they were super tasty". What kind of smoke ring did you get?
I'm asking because yesterday, my ribs came out pink thru and thru. And the texture was perfect, so I don't think they were overcooked. Real juicy and real pink (lol).
I'm wondering if I used too much smoke, or perhaps not foiling them left them exposed to the smoke longer before it burnt out. I know I made up larger packets of wood chips than I usually use.... I don't know why, but I'm thinking that was it? Since it was just me, I certainly didn't mind them being all pink looking and there wasn't anything wrong with the taste, but now I'm trying to figure out why the difference :huh: This is my first time with them having the all pink look.
 

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Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
That’s just heavy smoke Chow. It’s happened to me several times as well. As long as you liked the taste and weren’t over-powered by it, then no problem. Were you using briquettes are lump coals?
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
they look great chow...

if you dont mind them being that pink and they are not over smokey tasting, then you made some real good eats.. i wouldnt pass up eating your ribs right now.lol

if i am going to foil, when the ribs are ready the meat pulls back from the bone about 1/4". thats the last time they will see smoke. sometimes they have good smoke rings, sometimes they dont but they all taste the same.

when i dont foil like Chowhounds ribs(which made me crave some ribs), they are generally alot more pink because more smoke gets to them. also if you rubbed them and let them marinate, they are going to be alot more pink. think easter ham....lol

another note is that you are cooking them at 300* which in my opinion is a little too high to get a decent smoke ring. cut down the temp about 50 degrees and you will see a noticable bigger smoke ring.
 

chowhound

New member
hmmm, so the pink is from the extra smoke then. I went back and reread a couple times and couldn't put my finger on a definitive answer. Thanks.

It was mostly apple with a little hickory, so not overbearing at all. To me anyway.

Briquettes, Keltin. I get a much more even and longer burn with briquettes. I had six bags of a presumably rated high lump and kissed the empty spot on my porch when it was all gone (lol).

These were cooked at 235, Bam. 2-1/2 hours nothing but the rub and 1-1/2 hours brushed with sauce twice, at the beginning and 30 minutes before I pulled them.
 

GrillinFool

New member
they look great chow...

if you dont mind them being that pink and they are not over smokey tasting, then you made some real good eats.. i wouldnt pass up eating your ribs right now.lol

if i am going to foil, when the ribs are ready the meat pulls back from the bone about 1/4". thats the last time they will see smoke. sometimes they have good smoke rings, sometimes they dont but they all taste the same.

when i dont foil like Chowhounds ribs(which made me crave some ribs), they are generally alot more pink because more smoke gets to them. also if you rubbed them and let them marinate, they are going to be alot more pink. think easter ham....lol

another note is that you are cooking them at 300* which in my opinion is a little too high to get a decent smoke ring. cut down the temp about 50 degrees and you will see a noticable bigger smoke ring.


Good advice here. I am also confused as to why sometimes there is a massive smoke ring and others there is none. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. But that's where we get to keep testing theories and enjoying some good Q
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
It seems with my smoker I get about a 1/4" to 3/8" smoke ring every time. It might be I use propane to control the heat so it stays gives a very steady even burn. When I used charcoal and wood I never got a consistent ring and many times none.
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
Ok, technically, the smoke ring is from the smoldering wood and NOT the smoke. It’s more to do with the combustion of the wood. When the wood smolders it produces nitrogen dioxide. When nitrogen dioxide mixes with water in the meat, it will produce nitric acid. The nitric acid sinks through the skin of the meat and causes the pink discoloration.

You can increase the smoke ring by soaking your wood in water so that more water is available to make more nitric acid. Water smokers have a water pan which will steam making more water available. You can mop your meat, and the extra moisture will help.

And if your dry rub has salt or a tenderizer in it, then you are loading the surface of the meat with nitrogen dioxide giving it a great head start. That’s why tenderizers like Morton’s Tender Quick are illegal in most professional cook-offs.

So, it is possible to have A LOT of smoke and very little smoke ring, or have a little smoke and a lot of smoke ring. It all depends on how your wood combusts, and if there is water available to form nitric acid.

That’s why I asked about the lump coal. Since it is basically half-burned wood, using it increases the amount of combustible wood, and if there is water available, then nitric acid will form. You can actually get a good smoke ring from just lump coal if the meat and cooking chamber has enough moisture.

I’ve even gotten smoke rings from just briquettes when using certain tenderizers or mops on various cuts of pork and beef when grilling (not smoking).
 

chowhound

New member
It seems with my smoker I get about a 1/4" to 3/8" smoke ring every time. It might be I use propane to control the heat so it stays gives a very steady even burn. When I used charcoal and wood I never got a consistent ring and many times none.

Joe, you mentioned sometimes none (no ring), and so did Bam. So was the meat white or pink? I consider my ribs in the pic to have no ring.
 

chowhound

New member
Ok, technically, the smoke ring is from the smoldering wood and NOT the smoke. It’s more to do with the combustion of the wood. When the wood smolders it produces nitrogen dioxide. When nitrogen dioxide mixes with water in the meat, it will produce nitric acid. The nitric acid sinks through the skin of the meat and causes the pink discoloration.

You can increase the smoke ring by soaking your wood in water so that more water is available to make more nitric acid. Water smokers have a water pan which will steam making more water available. You can mop your meat, and the extra moisture will help.

And if your dry rub has salt or a tenderizer in it, then you are loading the surface of the meat with nitrogen dioxide giving it a great head start. That’s why tenderizers like Morton’s Tender Quick are illegal in most professional cook-offs.

So, it is possible to have A LOT of smoke and very little smoke ring, or have a little smoke and a lot of smoke ring. It all depends on how your wood combusts, and if there is water available to form nitric acid.

That’s why I asked about the lump coal. Since it is basically half-burned wood, using it increases the amount of combustible wood, and if there is water available, then nitric acid will form. You can actually get a good smoke ring from just lump coal if the meat and cooking chamber has enough moisture.

I’ve even gotten smoke rings from just briquettes when using certain tenderizers or mops on various cuts of pork and beef when grilling (not smoking).

Wasn't there a BBQer who had a vid saying that soaking the wood did absolutely nothing. The guy on the WSM Bullet site maybe? I've always read/heard that there were two trains of thought on this, and know I saw a vid one time of some guy disproving that soaking the wood increased the ring.
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
If you use chunks or chips I do soak the wood about 20 minutes. Now the reason I do this is so it smolders and doesn't ignite. Nothing complicated about that but dry wood burns and damp wood smolders making more smoke.
 

BamsBBQ

Ni pedo
Site Supporter
You can increase the smoke ring by soaking your wood in water so that more water is available to make more nitric acid. Water smokers have a water pan which will steam making more water available. You can mop your meat, and the extra moisture will help.

i agree with most of what you said but this..lol

when you soak your wood you are not getting a clean burn. thus the white smoke or not so thin blue smoke. if you use chunks instead of chips, there will be no need to soak the wood.

the smoke rings also depends on the kind of wood you burning.. try cherry which is my favorite because it always gives me a very nice ring. i get consistent rings when using cherry wood. as well as the ring, cherry wood has an awesome flavor

http://www.barbecuen.com/faqs/woodchip.htm
 
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