Dry Ribs?

[NHSmoker]

I did a bunch of food on my small gator pit over the weekend at a weekend long party/ camping trip. I cooked up a bunch of back ribs that I was pretty disappointed in. (Most folks who ate them only had good things to say, but we all know when our product is not as good as it should be.) They were very dry and while they came off the bone nice, I was not pleased. There could be a number of reasons in my mind:

1. I didn' use Texas BBQ rub. Could be the #1 cause. Ran out of Texas BBQ Rub, didn't realize untill it was too late to order. Made my own and obviously didn't get the results I was looking for.

2. Had a very full pit. Can this have an effect??

3. Could be operator error...like I said it was somewhat of a party so there were numberous adult beverages consumed. Maybe I just cooked them too long. The way I usually check for doneness is picking them up and looking for the meat to kind of "tear". This never really occured. Can you miss this "tearing" window??


Needless to say I'm ordering fresh supplies of Texas BBQ Rub.

j

[MI smoke]

I do a lot of bb ribs. The last case I bought from Sam's club has been the same way as yours (dry). At first I thought that I wasn't cooking them long enough, but now I thinkin that it has something to do with the ribs.

1. I know its not the cook :D
2. Gator pit
3. Texas bbq rub
4. empty to half full pit (I know it has little to do with it-might take a
little longer with a full pit to get done).
5. cooked them the same way I always have.

I'm going to finish the case of ribs this weekend, then off to sam's for another case.

If I was bettin money maybee ya didn't cook them long enough.

[Zeeman]

That's just how BB's are, dry. A bunch leaner then spares. With your pit being full of them that should have helped with the moisture. Unless cooked way to long of course. I find the fuller my pit is, the moister the it all stays. The correct rub will also retain moisture.
I did some spares Saturday under some briskets that was falling off da bone at 6 hours and was as moist as I ever cooked. Course it was 90% humidity and 98*, not sure if that would have any effect.
z

[Texana]

I did a bunch of food on my small gator pit over the weekend at a weekend long party/ camping trip. I cooked up a bunch of back ribs that I was pretty disappointed in. (Most folks who ate them only had good things to say, but we all know when our product is not as good as it should be.) They were very dry and while they came off the bone nice, I was not pleased. There could be a number of reasons in my mind:

1. I didn' use Texas BBQ rub. Could be the #1 cause. Ran out of Texas BBQ Rub, didn't realize untill it was too late to order. Made my own and obviously didn't get the results I was looking for.

2. Had a very full pit. Can this have an effect??

3. Could be operator error...like I said it was somewhat of a party so there were numberous adult beverages consumed. Maybe I just cooked them too long. The way I usually check for doneness is picking them up and looking for the meat to kind of "tear". This never really occured. Can you miss this "tearing" window??


Needless to say I'm ordering fresh supplies of Texas BBQ Rub.

j


:shock: I found the problem :shock:

No Texas Pepper Jelly ...

Glad I could help. Now go order some afore you ruin the next batch !!!!

[CHILMONTY]

NHS did you wrap your ribs? My last several BB's came from Sams and turned out tender and juicy, but I always wrap for bout 1.5 to 2 hours then uncover and sauce for the last hour.

[NHSmoker]

NHS did you wrap your ribs? My last several BB's came from Sams and turned out tender and juicy, but I always wrap for bout 1.5 to 2 hours then uncover and sauce for the last hour.

Well, thanks all for the advice. I did not wrap, nor do I typically do so, though I have on occassion.

As for not using Texas Pepper Jelly, that certainly may be the case:crazy:
Though that's no excuse for not ordering any.

[ezgoin]

I haven't got babybacks from Sam's in a while, because the brand they're getting here now have been cut to taper almost to a point on one end. I'm not a fan of foiling during the cook, but I had to foil that small end to keep it from burning. I then removed the foil when I got ready to glaze.

The load should not have made a difference other than in cooking time, and depending on the firebox-to-cook chamber orientation you might have to move slabs around for even cooking. Usually, the more I cook the easier it is to maintain moisture. I don't look for pullback from the bone but use the bend in the slab and the toothpick poke test.

One thing you didn't mention was what you did after you removed the ribs from the smoker. Did the ribs have a good rest period? I usually try to wrap and let rest in a cooler or the Caterade for at least one to two hours.

You need to work out a rub you can live with when you commit your biggest sin which was running out of TBR. Order some now and go thy way and sin no more.

[TexLaw]

I also think it's just the back ribs, and that you probably overcooked them. Spares take longer, but you also get a wider window to get them out at the right time. Back ribs are more like the loin they come off of, so you have to be more precise.


TL

[DoubleBarrelSmoker]

I don't favor baby backs because often they are too lean [not enough fat] for me. If they were trimmed too much they could come out dry. TBBRub might be great but using your own rub had nothing to do with it. I use my own and get great results. Maybe the temp was too high?? You implied that you were indulging in beverages. Maybe you didn't follow the temps closely:?

[droller]

I agree with Tex Law--it's best to consider spare ribs and BB's as two different cuts of meat when you are smokin'. At least I think that's what he was saying.

And, I agree with DBS--don't blame the rub, and maybe consider the fact that Ole John Barleycorn can screw things up in a hurry.

[NHSmoker]

Well that's pretty much what I thought, it was a combination of all things, probably more the brewski's than anything. i've used the same ribs before and not had problems with them, but I agree that spares are more moist.

My rub is fair, but not nearly as fantastic as TexasBBQRub.