Bull Pork ribs

[clw2613]

Thinking back to my charcoal grill days, I often cooked pork ribs using charcoal and oak. There was little ability to control temperature so the grill got very hot.

I always took them off of the grill when the meat had pulled back, exposing the ends of the bones. They were always "falling off the bone tender".

Since acquiring the RT700 over a year ago I have not yet achieved that result using the 3 2 1 method.

Next time I think that at the wrap stage, I will bump the temperature up to 275 or 300 for the final 3 hours and see what happens.

Comments?

 

[breadman624]

I get good results at 3-3-1

 

[Uncle Bob]

There are pork ribs and then there are pork ribs, spareribs (full or St.Louis trim) and back ribs. The prescriptive is 3-2-1 for spares, and an hour shorter for back ribs, 2-2-1 or 3-1-1 or whatever. I frequently see people who don't either say or know the difference between the two complain that their babies fall apart too much or are too dry when they did 3-2-1. Yes, I'm a bit peevish about correct identification because it makes giving useful advice harder when guessing is necessary. Same goes for pork loin versus tenderloin...........different cuts, different methods. With the rant out of the way, a recipe/procedure is a guide not an absolute, cooking is still a skill, art, whatever.

Your charcoal experience is a good example, you relied on your experience and not some nebulous "formula". Probably the biggest difference between the charcoal cooker and the RT is temperature stability. Your charcoal cooker probably varied more in temp while the RT is comparatively rock steady. I don't particularly care for the routine recommendation of 225 as a working temp. I tend more toward 250-275 on my cooker and sometimes a bit higher if experience has taught me that improves the outcome for what I like as results. The charcoal temps will swing into those higher ranges which might be what gave you a shorter cook or worked in with your eyeballing for doneness process. One of the pitfalls (albeit minor) of a pellet cooker is the expectation that the chef doesn't have to be so actively involved in the cooking. Folks enjoy the comfort promised by "set it and forget it", but it's still a process that requires some skill development. In your case, you've got the skill based on the charcoal years, you just need to adapt to your new cooker. In this case, it sounds like you need to use more temp, or more time, or some variation on those. And then there's the difference in how the ribs were trimmed, how much meat, how much moisture..................................

 

[ifican]

Think you may be over thinking it, why not go back to your tried and true way of cooking ribs. Then once you validate that start pulling back temp, experimenting and figuring out if you want to change anything. Just because you now have a way to cook ribs at 225 doesnt mean you have to cook ribs at 225.

 

[cookingjnj]

Sorry, can't help much. I have not wrapped ribs in years.

 

[jfrosty27]

Forget the 3-2-1 thing. I gave that up a couple years ago. Like all bbq, it’s done when it’s done. I just toss the ribs on at 250 and let ‘er rip. I start testing for tenderness/doneness at 5 hours. Sometimes they’re done. Sometimes not. I have had them take more than 7 hours a couple times.

 

[Blues1]

Forget the 3-2-1 thing. I gave that up a couple years ago. Like all bbq, it’s done when it’s done. I just toss the ribs on at 250 and let ‘er rip. I start testing for tenderness/doneness at 5 hours. Sometimes they’re done. Sometimes not. I have had them take more than 7 hours a couple times.

Agreed.

 

[mooncusser2k]

Agreed. Put em on and let them do their thing. I've never wrapped, rarely sauced, and sometimes don't even bother to apply a rub - just plain naked ribs. So good...

 

[clw2613]

Finally got the spare ribs (St. Louis Style) figured out.

Put the rack of ribs on at 224cfor 3 hours, then wrapped and upped the temp. to 275. When I unwrapped a bit ago, the meat was pulling back from the end of the bone like they used to do on the charcoal grill and falling off the bone tender. Now cooking just a bit longer after putting sauce on, will pull them off shortly and enjoy for dinner.

Too bad all of those recipes didn't work for me as a newbie pellet griller but at least on this one thing I now have an idea what to do differently.

 

[Fhughes]

I actually did baby backs today as it was requested by my daughter. Through the process of experimentation my 4yr old told me that the wrapped ribs were the best. So I do a 2-2-1 on my baby backs