Smoked ribs today. Come out tough.

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djom1cincy

Fire Starter
Original poster
Apr 10, 2013
31
11
Cincinnati oh
I season this morning and refrigerated for a few hours. Had my smoker at 230 and placed ribs in straight out of the frig. Smoked them for three hours. Pulled and double wrapped in foil with parkay, brown sugar, and honey. Back into the smoker for 1.5 hours. Pulled, BBQ up and into the smoker for 30 minutes. They come out under done and I'm completely disappointed. I have to cut them with a knife. No pulling the bone out. What did I do wrong?
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Hey djom1...you nailed it already...if they were tough, they were undercooked.  So the easy answer is cook 'em longer.  It does take a little practice to get a good idea how to tell when they're done.  Couple of ways to judge the doneness of ribs:  

1)  the pull back:  the meat should shrink back away from the ends of the bones, maybe an inch or more.

2)  the bend test:  If you pick up the rack with a pair of tongs from one end, the rack should bend in the middle to nearly 90*, and the meat will crack or split as they bend.

Hope that helps...

Red
 
FYI they are baby back. The meat didn't shrink up and expose the bone any.
1. Can they go back into the smoker for a while longer or are they as good as done after being out for 45 minutes?

2. Is my method in the correct direction?
 
Ya have some great advise there from Red.... We all learn, my advise is just climb back up on the horse & try er again ! Thumbs Up Good luck !
 
FYI they are baby back. The meat didn't shrink up and expose the bone any.
1. Can they go back into the smoker for a while longer or are they as good as done after being out for 45 minutes?

2. Is my method in the correct direction?
Method was in correct direction, but just as SeenRed said, your timing was off and they were undercooked.   Probably late now, but yes, you could have put them back in even after 45  minutes.

Timings such as 321, 221, 211, etc should only be look at as guidelines as there are any number of variables that can affect how long a cook will take.  
 
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