Dry Babybacks

[jcam222]

So I did 5 racks of babys and 4 spare the day before yesterday. For the babys did 2-2-1 and smoker ran between 225 and 250. Wrapped as I usually do with some parkay and more rub. The nice fat end of a rack last night was nice and juicy. Today much of the babys are dry, some spots are juicy and other very dry. Thoughts? Of all the things I smoke ribs frustrate me the most lol.

 

[smokerjim]

to me baby backs most of the time seem dry to me, that's why I just stick with the spare ribs they are more forgiving. when I do my ribs I just smoke at 220 until done, 5-6 hours, I don't wrap.(but that's my preference)

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Whatever pork ribs I smoke, I generally do not wrap. I just smoke til toothpick tender, meaning ya can slide a toothpick in between the bones with no resistance. They are bite off the bone tender.

 

[jcam222]

For those of you not wrapping do you spritz a lot or just let them roll?

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

For those of you not wrapping do you spritz a lot or just let them roll?

Just let em roll!

 

[fivetricks]

Let em roll...

Did some bbs today. UDS, 275 ish avg temp 5.5 hours, no wrap, no prep. Open, oil, rub, smoker, eat.

 

[chopsaw]

I do mostly spares , but the last BB's I did were enhanced , and they were so dry I tossed them .

 

[jcam222]

I just put 10 racks in the freezer so I am determined the next ones will be better. These are odd, some parts juicy and others dry. I mentioned my smoker temp probably averaged 225-230. I rarely cook anything that low but had a full load making temp harder to get up. Wondering if I’d got better results at my normwL 250 to 275 as well.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

For those of you not wrapping do you spritz a lot or just let them roll?

Hey bud, don't overthink this stuff... Fire that bad boy up, toss on your ribs (prepped however you choose) and go to toothpick/probe tender for bite off the bone ribs. As long as ya have some TBS... ENJOY the process, kick back with a beer or beverage of your choice, this is why we all have this hobby is for enjoyment! Wrap or no wrap, RELAX and enjoy!

 

[civilsmoker]

Like some of the others have said, I like to keep BB simple....nothing but salt and a high sugar content dry rub then 3.5 - 4 hours and a 20 to 30 min glaze time...so 4 to 4.5 hours @ 225-250......when they start to pull or break when lifted in the middle they are ready.... around a IT 195 to 198.

Example: at IT 196 after 3.75 hours (yes I use a probe and cook to temp). See how the crust is starting to break, also see the meat pulling away from the bones.....this means it ready to glaze.

Both sides are glazed and you can see they are not dry! Cooking too long will cause BB to go dry......also notice they stay together to cut with a sharp knife....ie they are tender but not pulled pork tender....finished IT 198

They pull clean from the bone with a little effort with just a little around the thick parts that don’t.

When cooking at a controlled temp to an ideal IT temp BB become simple and very consistent, I have been doing them this way for about 15 years and haven’t seen a reason to make the cook complicated to dress them up.....

 

[smokerjim]

For those of you not wrapping do you spritz a lot or just let them roll?

I just rub them the night before and let them roll

 

[smokerjim]

That's what I do now. Funny how the simpler you make it the less change there is to screw it up.

yeah as the others said just keep things simple, just grab a drink sit back and let the smoker do the work.

 

[minden man]

I used to overthink my smoker too... Now I rub the ribs the night before and let them get to room temperature while I am preheating the smoker. Once the water comes to a boil and the chunks are smoking, I load the ribs and turn down the heat and walk away. I crack the door open just long enough to check the water level every hour or so. After three hours or so I check the ribs for done-ness.