Foiling ribs.

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fatty patty

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jul 26, 2014
33
12
Wisconsin
Anybody else notice that when you foil ribs they heave a "mealy" texture? I'm surprised so many pros foil their ribs.
 
I don't foil spares.  I do foil BBs.  Never noticed a mealy texture with the BBs on the smoker but I only do BBs maybe 10% of the time.  Mealy to me means they are overcooked and on the dry side.

I also don't pile on the rub on my spares (or BBs) like I see them do on TV.  Makes the ribs taste dusty to me.  I lightly sprinkle my rib rubs.  Maybe adding all that brown sugar and butter to the foil makes a difference to heavily rubbed ribs but it just doesn't appeal to my tastebuds to even give it a try. 

Back when I cooked spares and BBs on my gas grill I'd occasionally get the "mealy," over done texture from foiling.  Thankfully those days are behind me.     
 
Exactly. Foiling ribs gives them a horrible texture. I lost all respect for Myron Nixon watching him foil ribs. If you want fall off the bone mush then use a goddamn oven.
 
Anybody else notice that when you foil ribs they heave a "mealy" texture? I'm surprised so many pros foil their ribs.
What if anything do you put on the ribs and in the foil? I use my own Rub and Foiling Juice and my ribs are perfection. Tender but not fall off the bone and a great taste...JJ
 
I'm too lazy to open the smoker and futz with the meat any more. Once you get a feel for the time it takes to complete a certain product just leave it be and let it ride. If you are the type that likes to micromanage the smoker then have at it...As for me foiling, mopping, spritzing, turning, poking and prodding does nothing but prolong the process.
 
Why take a rack off the smoker to rape in in foil when the ribs I smoke are better. You can put butter, brown sugar or what have you on the ribs without foiling. I have smoked ribs both ways and I like no foil the best. You have a greater chance of overcooking(to long in foil) your ribs than I do. Four hours on my Memphis Pro at 225* vs 6 hours for you with foil.
 
I'm too lazy to open the smoker and futz with the meat any more. Once you get a feel for the time it takes to complete a certain product just leave it be and let it ride. If you are the type that likes to micromanage the smoker then have at it...As for me foiling, mopping, spritzing, turning, poking and prodding does nothing but prolong the process.

Same here. I try to only open once at the projected halfway point to insert my meat therm and then let it go until I get to the desired temp.
 
I never used a therm on ribs.  What temp do you cook to?

Sorry, I was referring to the dudes post in general. I don't use a therm in ribs! I do the bend test. After a few smokes you'll know when they are close to being done and you can judge how much longer you need to go...
 
 
I never foil any of the meat I smoke.  I plan for my smokes and don't need the crutch.  I bet you NEVER see great BBQ joints opening their smokers and wrapping things in foil.

Scott
I agree with PardonMan. There is a lot of references made to how this or that competition cook does his thing, but he's not counting on 10's if not 100's of people showing up at his restaurant every day to buy his ribs. All he cares about is what a judge thinks after a single bite. Maybe there are some great BBQ joints that foil their ribs, but I don't know of any. I'm sure I've never eaten at one that does.

Could be what's wrong with my ribs. I've been struggling with them all my smoking life, and foiling hasn't helped me at all. I know I'm not good at it, because there are two BBQ restaurants within 10 miles of me and I can't even come close to theirs (texture or flavor). It's sad when you own an offset smoker and ECB, and have to go to a local restaurant for ribs. I'm working on them, they aren't repulsive, just not great.
 
FattyPatty, if your ribs are mealy you're just overcooking them to your taste. Others love the texture of fall off the bone ribs. I hate fall off the bone ribs, but a short time in foil gives me the texture I like that can't be duplicated without foiling. That's my taste. I wouldn't try to keep you from cooking ribs the way you like them, so maybe others deserve the same consideration. To say your way is right and all others' are wrong is just limiting yourself to one way of looking at things.
 
There are those for and those against foiling. I struggled with ribs like Grillmonkey my first 3 or 4 tries at smoking them. Always tough and flavor was not what I wanted as in a "rib joints" ribs. I did the 3-2-1 method and have been hooked on foiling since! While I agree that you are disturbing the course of the cook time by opening the smoker and wrapping but it has not posed a problem in so much that I ruin the flavor or texture. I'm not confident enough in myself to rely on the bend test but I do consider them done when the meat pulls back and exposes the end of the bones. I also wonder if the smoker is too hot after foiling and are you putting some juice, beer or other liquid in the foil? Is the mushy texture a result of too much rub prior to going on the smoker? I did that once and the results were similar to what you explained, but then I wasn't foiling at that time and still in the learning stage of smoking ribs to my satisfaction.
 
Gonna put some ribs on the smoker today without foiling.  haven't tried that on my new rig yet.
 
I thint we should all help out Grillmon key perfect his ribs. GM, just need a little info on how you smoke your ribs so we can get yours equal to or better than the restaurants.
I agree!  We made a trip to Memphis a while back and hit a few places like Germantown Commissary and Central BBQ and my wife and I both agreed my ribs were as good as what they were serving, granted I am not serving hundreds of people per day.

That said, we can get you there Grillmonkey.  Are you making your own rubs and sauces?
 
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