Rib Question.

[JimBobTex]

Cooked some ribs last night and the skin(bark) was very tough. Inside of ribs were fine. They were spares trimmed to St Louie cut and I removed the backside skin. Rubbed em down with Texas BBQ rub of course and put em on the Klose for 5.5 hrs(225-240) using split hickory logs and B&B lump charcoal as a starter. Did the toothpick test. Slid between the bones like a hot knife going through butter. I can't figure this out. Sometimes my ribs are to die for, and other times I get the tough bark(skin) Any suggestions??

[texasbill]

JimBobTex:
Sounds like everything is going according to the plan here. I would suggest one thing for you to try. I have no problem with the temperature you are cooking at if indeed your internal pit temp at the grates are the same temp. Might try to get yourself an oven thermometer and check the inside of the pit. Sounds like they are cooking a little hotter than what your temp gauge is saying. You can solve this by cutting down the trmp to a high of 225 degrees and just cook those spares a bit longer.

Try this out and let me know we will work thru the details. Another thought just hit me, are you first using worchestershire to put on the ribs or are you using say mustard. The mustard will give you more bark on the ribs.

Let me know.

Bill

[JimBobTex]

Thanks Bill! Yeah, I'm using worchestershire to rub em up with. After thinking about this and asking around, I just don't think I'm cooking them long enough. The Temp gauge isn't at grate level in my close so I suspect when it's reading at 225 it's more likely at 210 or less. I've been known to cook spares for 7hrs and they've been killer. This last batch, the meat had pulled away from the bone a good 1/4 inch and it did pass the toothpick test. Another suggestion Kevin over at Home BBQ gave me was to wrap them in foil after I pull them and let them sit for 30-60 minutes. He said this would soften up the bark. Anyway, I'll let you know.

[SlowSmoked]

Hey guys

I've had a few racks go tough on me and discovered they were just dried out - almost like jerky ribs....my solution has been to foil them with some sort of liquid. It could be beer, sauce, water, apple juice etc.... reheat for an hour or so. They tend to rehydrate, offering a fall from the bone experience. My guests rarely know the panic I went through 2 hours before serving. But the taste is phenomenal.