Babyback ribs

[jeffshoaf]

Looks like my local grocery chain has switched suppliers of babybacks and the new ones are some of the meatiest ribs I've ever had. They were on sale this week, so I fixed a small rack for myself and another for my mother Groundhog Day eve.

 

I over-spiced the last batch of babybacks I cooked, so went simple with this round: Just salt and pepper with a couple of chunks of apple wood and a handful of hicory chips. 4 hours at 240 or so - nice and tender, but not "fall of the bone". I had intended on letting them go another hour, but my stomach was growling...

 

[nolan8v]

Looks yummy!

 

I see what looks like an indirect method, without a drip pan?

 

Am I correct?

 

I'm still trying to learn the various methods.

[DennisLinkletter]

A lil trick I use to test rib done-ness is to pick them up from the end with my tong tips about 40% the way across the bones.. I then gently bounce the ribs.. as the meat breaks down they flex more.  I wait for the meat to just begin to tear or get little tears.  At this point the meat still has to be bitten and chewed.  If it breaks it's gone too far (for me)   I want to see where I've bitten.. I don't want the whole rib to fall off the bone like babyfood..  Becareful with your placement of the probe tip.. you want it away from the inverted waterfall of hot air streaming up from the outside edges of the heat deflector or drip pan.   Another trick is to run a strip of tinfoil from the front to the rear of the lower grill. This gives you two half-moon openings on the far left and right hand side where the handles are.  This gives you a huge shielded/indirect area...

[rwalters]

Your ribs look excellent!!  I just did some ribs this past weekend.  I usually go without foiling, but I have also cooked enough ribs to know when they could benefit from a little foil time.  These were cooked at 225 for 3.5 hours, placed in foil for 45 minutes, taken out of foil cooked for another 45 minutes to allow the glaze to set.  They were very good!!

 

[nolan8v]

@rwalters,

 

Did you cook these direct or indirect?

[jeffshoaf]

Looks yummy!

 

I see what looks like an indirect method, without a drip pan?

 

Am I correct?

 

I'm still trying to learn the various methods.

Looks yummy!

 

I see what looks like an indirect method, without a drip pan?

 

Am I correct?

 

I'm still trying to learn the various methods.

Yep - indirect, no drop pan. I typically only use a drip pan if I'm expecting a lot of drippage.

[rwalters]

@rwalters,

 

Did you cook these direct or indirect?

indirect

[DennisLinkletter]

Yep - indirect, no drop pan. I typically only use a drip pan if I'm expecting a lot of drippage.

 

And how often do you not expect a lot of "drippage" when cookin' pork?  LOL

[jeffshoaf]

And how often do you not expect a lot of "drippage" when cookin' pork?  LOL

 

I guess we need to define "a lot"! 

 

A butt will cover the bottom of the drip pan to a substantial fraction of an inch - I'd consider that "a lot", but a couple of small racks of babybacks will just leave a couple of puddles on the diffuser - not what I'd call "a lot".

[dstr8]

Baby back rack and a 350*F roast over oak & hickory lump in the KK for a couple hours today put grins on our faces at dinnertime tonight!   A side of spiced up navy beans and a fresh pineapple, cabbage & candied pecan slaw brought it all home.

 

[dstr8]

Its a Baby Back weekend...what can I say?  

 

I rubbed the two remaining racks yesterday...and smoked them over pecan for about 2-1/2 hours.  Crazy deliciosos.  

 

 

 

 

[5698k]

Babybacks it is...<br />

<br />

<br />

Robert

[nolan8v]

Now I'm really hungry for ribs.