tough ribs!

[AndyHull]

Hi all,

I got my weber onetouch premium from partriges and used it last night to do some ribs.
Im still having trouble controlling the temp and could only get it down to 300f for most of the cook.

By the end (4.5 hours) of the cook the ribs had only just begun to pull back on the bones and the ribs were pretty tough.

Do you think th ribs were tough because of the higher cooking temp or due to them marinading for around 18 hours?

Or something else?

Thanks

Andy

[MrJaba]

Ribs will be tough from overcooking, certainly 4.5 hours at 300f will do that.. depending on the size of the rib, and whether there was enough moisture in the kettle or fat on the pork.

Most people do a 3-2-1 or a 2-2-1.. I do a 2-2 and then about 1/2 hour of glazing, and this will be at about 225-250, but these are big meaty ribs with a water pan in, and foiling for the second stint of cooking.

Once you've got the temp down, try it again, and you can do the toothpick test on them as you go along to make sure you're not going to overcook them.

Good luck, you'll get it, and once you do the effort will be worth it

[Eddie]

I can only agree to what Mr Jaba has said. But if your pit is too hot, why not take some charcoal out and put it into a metal bucket.

But just to make you feel better, this is what my 10 year old boy made recently and they were really nice.

Regards

Eddie

[Swindon_Ed]

a few questions to ask first.

1, What were you marinating them in? Did it contain anyhting like lemon juice, or lots of salt?

2, which thermometer were you getting the 300f read from? if it's the one in the lid this could easily be 50f+ out meaning your cooking times will be out. (even if you were cooking at 300f, i've cooked ribs at 275f for years and doubt the extra 25f will make too much of a difference.)

3, are you foiling the ribs half way through the cook?

4, were these babyback ribs or spare ribs you were cooking?

[keith157]

I can only agree to what Mr Jaba has said. But if your pit is too hot, why not take some charcoal out and put it into a metal bucket.

But just to make you feel better, this is what my 10 year old boy made recently and they were really nice.

Regards

Eddie

So who is competing this year? Dad or Junior (mind you what an awesome team you'll be when he's mastered brisket )

If you are both at MiM we'll happliy sample your wares after the judging is done....

[FlashGordon]

Hi - im sure someone will correct me if i am wrong - but if you use a rub with salt and sugar in, you can actually start to cure the meat, i tend to not marinade for more than a few hours as i always found the end result to have a different taste and texture.

[keith157]

No you're not wrong, that's the way to turn pork into bacon