Burnt Ribs

[This Charring Man]

I've cooked plenty ribs at 300* on the BGE. I never wrap and they come out fine. I have a hard time believing the ribs in the OP were burned at 275* for 5 hrs.

 

[Dcgunman]

Malcom Reed does a rib video with Heath Riles where they cook at 275 for about 2.5 hours, but again, they are stressing color & feel, and the ABOUT is really ABOUT. It is my go to for ribs now, but it is can be anywhere from a 2-2-0.5 to a 2.5-2-0.5 in timing. Just depends on ambient outdoor temp & how the ol' girl is holding grate temp the day I am cooking.

Also wholeheartedly agree with every other reply on this thread about getting a good aftermarket temperature rig. I have been running a FireBoard for 2 years now, and it has been worth every penny I paid for it & then some. There are other options out there as well that people really like. Do your research & your homework & find one you like in a price point you are comfortable with.

Agree. Do your research and homework and also ask here and on other forums. But in the end it’s you, your recipe and your grill. I wouldn’t follow one recipe or advice. Everyone is different. It’s going to an experiment and it may not come out great the first attempt. Don’t give up.

 

[Dcgunman]

Recipe calls for 3 hours at 225 not 275 then an additional 2 wrapped at 225, I have used this recipe many times never fails, however you do need to calibrate your temp on your Traeger before you trust it..

Not sure which MC recipe you saw but the one I used he said 250. But he also said 275 towards the foil wrap. And he did mention you can use 225, 250 or 275. Of course the higher the temp the short the cook time for the first 3 hrs. And it may not take 3 hours. You have to feel and look to see if that smoke color is ready to take out and wrap. So every time might be different. It ain’t automatic every time. My baby backs overall came out better than my St. Louis ribs. But the St Louis ribs (which tasted better than the baby backs) were a little more over cooked. My temp for the baby back was at 250 while the St Louis ribs grilled at 275. Almost same amount of time for both. Experimenting.

 

[Slimpicker]

But you are also cooking at 4.5 hours as opposed to 6 hours for 3-2-1 so not really a fair comparison.

Exactly,

I disagree with that statement: the highest you should even attempt is low 200s
I do 270 uncovered, bone down for 2.5 hrs, double wrap in foil tightly, and back on for 2 hrs meat side down. Have never had an issue, bones pulling away nicely at the finish. I'm on a 2021 Ironwood if that makes any difference, but doubt it. I've cooked ribs this way several times this year, and guests are always asking to take extra home.

The OP followed the 3-2-1 to a T... that's not the same as 2.5-2....

I've never burnt ribs in my life and I've been cooking on stick burners at sometimes 300° spikes for decades...
The air movement in a Traeger is different and the OP is trying to LEARN, she should LEARN at a lower temp for now till she knows how to tweak it for herself.

 

[Slimpicker]

I've cooked plenty ribs at 300* on the BGE. I never wrap and they come out fine. I have a hard time believing the ribs in the OP were burned at 275* for 5 hrs.

REMEMBER she doesn't really KNOW what temp her grill was at using ONLY the Traeger probe

 

[This Charring Man]

REMEMBER she doesn't really KNOW what temp her grill was at using ONLY the Traeger probe

I get that and agree, every cook should have a reliable, portable probe therm. for reference. However, unless it was over say 400* no way it was burnt in that time. Especially being wrapped in foil.

I keep saying it, but my Traeger pit and probe temps are pretty damn close to my ThermoWorks units. I recently checked all of them and my Klein IR against the sous vide and they all were < 1* difference.

 

[Dcgunman]

I get that and agree, every cook should have a reliable, portable probe therm. for reference. However, unless it was over say over 400* no way it was burnt in that time. Especially being wrapped in foil.

I keep saying it, but my Traeger pit and probe temps are pretty damn close to my ThermoWorks units. I recently checked all of them and my Klein IR against the sous vide and they all were < 1* difference.

Your a lucky Man.

 

[Slimpicker]

I get that and agree, every cook should have a reliable, portable probe therm. for reference. However, unless it was over say over 400* no way it was burnt in that time. Especially being wrapped in foil.

Well, I don't plan to call anyone a liar so if they got burned, then the only reasonable suggestion of any common sense would be to lower your temp and try again.

 

[This Charring Man]

Your a lucky Man.

For clarity's sake, I only tested my ThermoWorks therms. and the Klein against the SV. My point was they they are obviously spot on and I rarely get any temps from the Traeger probes off by more than 5* compared to the TWs. I can live with that.

Yeah, based on what I see here, I did get lucky.

 

[Corkyjon]

When I wrapped ribs they became soggy. My friend managed a barbecue restaurant and advised me not to wrap them. I just smoke them until they're ready and they have a nice chew, not fall off the bone soggy. You might want a good internal air temperature thermometer to verify your temperature too.

 

[Tommy]

Hey, I feel your pain! I follow a couple simple rules Almost every cook. 1. Pork doesn’t fall off the bone until 205. 2. I always use a smoker tube. 3. I never start ribs at a higher temp than 205. 4. I only crank my heat up after 165. It it takes 8 hour, it takes 8 hour.. and 5. I never use the 321 method.

 

[Dan-H]

I use 3 to 4 h smoke

When I wrapped ribs they became soggy. My friend managed a barbecue restaurant and advised me not to wrap them. I just smoke them until they're ready and they have a nice chew, not fall off the bone soggy. You might want a good internal air temperature thermometer to verify your temperature too.

I've done wrapped, not wrapped but never ended up with soggy ribs with wrapped. Maybe too much liquid? or too hot? or too long?

I'd say my setup is 3-4 / 1.5 / 1

The last few I've done have started with a slower temp smoke. temps range 190 to 220 depending on the outside temp and if there is a breeze. I keep them on over three hours, closer to 4 hours.

I wrap each rack in foil adding about one ounce of apple juice. I wrap meat-side down for 90 mins at 225, which ranges from 220 to 240 F depending again on how warm it is, how much breeze etc. If I see temps on the high side I'll pull them off a little less than 90 mins.

I bring each wrapped rack inside, unwrap saving the juices. This takes about 10 to 15 mins which gives the ribs a little "rest".

I cut each rack in half for finish cooking, and some half sections come off sooner and some stay on a bit longer.

Never had a soggy rib done like this.