Made some ribs earlier today and they were dry

[dorian345]

Once again..sorry for flooding the forum

Earlier today I attempted to smoke a rack of ribs and a pork shoulder at the same time.
I had the ribs at the top rack and the pork shoulder in the middle rack.

I had the ribs probed with a thermometer and the shoulder also with one (still going as i type) I set the smoker to 225° and had them smoking for 4 and a half hours and pulled them out..the temp read 185° which i now learn was too high.. The smoke flavor was amazing but the meat was too dry. That's why judging by the Q quick guide says ribs are 5-6 hours it would be even higher. It was my fault for letting it go until 185° as the book states 145° How can I achieve the 145° degree internal temp even if the time is way sooner than the 5-6 hours. I'm looking for fall off the bone ribs..not mushy fall off..but a nice soft fall off bite that leaves the bone cleanly and juicy inside.. Can I cook the 2 different meats like i did properly or a different way? What did i do wrong?

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[barelfly]

Hmmm. So I’ll start with I have never temp probed ribs, so I can’t speak to that. I haven’t done it mainly because the forum has taught me that 5 hours or so at a 225* temp is about what it takes, and after experience that is what I have found to be consistent. I have also never probed because ribs are so skinny it’s hard to find a decent area to probe to get an accurate reading.

So, on another thread, Old Sarge mentions to look for pull back from the bone, which is a good indicator of doneness. You can also use a toothpick to pull at the meat a bit to see if there is some give.

I don’t know if 145* is a finishing temp for ribs, I would think that is low, but maybe it is. I cook pork chops to less than that but I would think ribs are a bit hotter. So hopefully someone else will comment on that.

But for cooking two meats, yes you can do that. Just takes some planning to get the timing right. And then you can always wrap in foil and hold pork butt or ribs in a cooler while the other finishes. I feel the rest in foil is a key component to getting good bbq. The only draw back is by the time you start ribs, the wood chunk is probably no longer providing smoke, so you may need to add a small chunk of wood.

Hopefully this all makes sense and it helps you out on your next few cooks. But keep on cooking, but remember sometimes your method may be perfect but you may get a wonky cut of meat that just doesn’t cooperate.

[dorian345]

Yea I've seen a few comments in the search about not probing them..I'm not sure because had i let them run the full amount of time they would have been really really dry..and the shorter time i ran it they were still dry.. I hope my next rib batch ( tomorrow) come out better

[Pork Belly]

Don't temp ribs, pick them up and feel them. pull back is a good sign, but fell if the ribs sag or feel loose. Avoid overcooking, check your ribs at four hours.

[es1025]

Babies check at 4 hours like mentioned above. If the thermometer goes thru with little resistance they are done. Make sure you have a water pan.

[Retriever]

Dorian, try this............


+Baby Back or St. Louis Style
+Dry rub of choice
+Wood of choice
+Place ribs on at 275, no need to preheat
+At 1.5 hours, Wrap with heavy duty foil , before wrapping spray a lot of  parkay on them and reapply some rub
+Place back on at 275, check BB at 3 hours  and SLSR at 3.5 hours with toothpick test, if the toothpick goes in easily and pulls out easily they are basically done.  If the toothpick doesn't easily go in and out, put back in and re check in 20-30 minutes. If doing multiple racks, check each rack, they will cook at different rates.
+Add your favorite finishing sauce, any bbq sauce will work while still in the foil, tent the foil, and serve in about 30 minutes

I have tried many different methods, this one seems to work best for me with this smoker.  Like you, my ribs were good, but dry when i went at 225 or 250 uncovered. 

Let me know how they turn out.  Take it easy.

[es1025]

I have done ribs and a butt at the same time. I used a temperature of 240 and did not put the ribs until I wrapped the butt. Then i checked the ribs at the 4 hour mark. If they were a bit stiff another  15 minutes. Make sure you use a water pan.

[Buck1966]

Retriever.  I tried your suggestion for getting around dry ribs and it worked out fantastically. I know the original post was from June but I had to comment. Excellent ribs, on my end, finally. Almost gave up on this smoker.

[Retriever]

Glad they turned out well!  Have still been basically using the method outlined above, tweaking it a touch here and there, but that method is still money on this smoker.