Help with my Ribs(Please)

[gbennett21]

So ive been smoking meat for a couple years on my chargriller pro withside fire box.Pork butts great,Beef havent got it figured out yet (Not enough experience with it. But for the life of me i cant get these ribs right.I tryed 3-2-1 method.I tryed no wrapping in foil tryed less wood.Menion method were i add chucks every so often.The problem is my ribs never turn a brownish color in the middle. Thay can fall off the bone,I can cook them as long as 7or 8hrs on the smoker but thay never turn brown of look done in the middle unless i throw them in the oven for 30 min. If i leave on smoker longer thay dry out. I have two pit probes i installed and i check regularly also i use two digital thermos so thats 4 probes watching just the grill temp.Digital seems to show hotter temps then probes i installed but i check them all the time and thay all read good using boiling water.Any ideas heres some pic.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Your pic, I can't see. What temp ya cookin at? Also the ribs will have a reddish look to them toward the middle if your cooking with a stick burner. Smoke ring! Depending if your doing back ribs (deeper smoke ring) in the middle... cause back ribs are a thinner rib, vs a beef short rib which can be thick. My last short ribs were 2 1/2" thick approximately... So smoke ring was still there, just not down near the middle! I have some pics I will post up for you for reference if it would help!

 

[gbennett21]

Im cooking around 250 275.It doesn't matter if its baby backs or spare ribs. Ive tryed useing all logs and ive tryed using minon method with all charcoal then add wood. I tryed diff temps.The only thing that seems to make a diff is if i put them in the oven then i can get them to turn alittle brown in the middle also my smoke ring is real dark red. All the time I do know what a smoke ring is like i said ive been smokeing at least 5yrs on this thing chicken pork butts some chuck roast and brisket turns out pretty good just my ribs i have a problem with.Also many different rubs over the years.No luck

 

[gbennett21]

After oven notice the middle turning brown and thay tast done.ive checked my ribs I.T. temp and before i put in the oven and there around 190°.

 

[ndhall]

Not sure what you mean by ribs being done. If its tenderness you are looking for you can try the bend test or probing the meat between the bones for tender. Temperature is just an indicator. If done means cooked past a certain degree to become safe , then dont worry because pork is definitely past that point at 190 degrees. But as said already that pink could just be an awesome smoke ring.

 

[phatbac]

ok lets get a few things straight.
first of all, the picture you showed are pork spare ribs looks like whole because of the rib tips i can see going horizontal in them.
these are beef (back) ribs...

Brisketribs6

• phatbac
• Apr 30, 2018

second if you smoke ribs with wood its going to be pink in the middle. that's okay! its smoke ring a chemical reaction to the smoke etc. google it if you want to the science behind it.

you want some white and some pink for your pork no brown if you get the middle brown you have cooked it to death and then some. pork is safe to eat at 145 degree IT but ribs really aren't tender till around 195 IT. FOB at 200-205. I like to cook till i can pick up with a tongs in the middle it bend over 45 degrees without breaking. it breaks its Fall Off Bone and if it don't bend enough then i cook some more.
for pork get it to look something like this....

IMG_20170617_144706.jpg

• phatbac
• Jun 19, 2017

if you have other questions bout smoking ribs please feel free to ask ...we love to help!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[tropics]

Try taking them up to a higher temp.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/perfect-ribs-every-time-this-really-works.240916/
I have done it Al's way it works,lately I have been spinning mine
Richie

 

[gbennett21]

Thanks guys for the info.I know there doneand i know about a smoke ring.Ive been smoking for a few years and this just been killing me.I dont want ribs that fall off bone but i think me and the family like them over done is the only thing i can think of.In my second pic. The rib turns brown in the middle after being in the oven up to 1hr more on 350.Im not sure if the oven cooks inside out and the smoker cooks the outside then the middle.Ive tryed less wood.Today i thought about it.If other meat pork butts and brisket i use time as idea of when there done.1.5hr /2 hr per pound but i test with a probe.then what if i quit thinking ribs are done to my liking just because i cooked them 7hrs for spares and 6hrs for baby backs.and start probing the ribs to see what temp i like and cook them to that.Im thinking a 6lb set of ribs may take longer then 5lb set of ribs.Kind of like pork butts. Let the meat tell you when its done.Is that possible. Thay let say doing 3/2/1 on a heavier set of ribs then another would thay both be the same or would on be done more.sorry guys just food for thought. Also if i start cooking ribs to a temp.Do anyone know a termo that has a skinny probe for ribs.

 

[petehalsted]

The link above referencing Al's way is all about cooking ribs based on IT, give it a read. Also Aaron gave you IT for "done" 195 = Little pull to them, 200-205 = FOTB

As for probes for checking temps we need to kinds

To monitor the meat while in the cooker. I use Thermoworks Smoke and DOT, they have a "Needle" probe available for them that is perfect for doing ribs.

Instantread Hand held for double checking temps in multiple place before pulling. I use Thermoworks ThermoPop, it has a pretty slender probe, reads in just 3-4 seconds and is pretty reasonable. If the Quartermaster wasn't checking my purchases I would have a Thermoworks MK4, they read in 2-3 seconds. Doesn't sound like a lot but when checking something like a chicken, you can insert to the bone, slowly pull back and see the thermal gradients at each spot, makes it very easy to find the coolest spot. Meat is only as done as its coolest spot.

As for your original question. I think brown pork rib is going to equal dry pork rib. When I smoke my ribs in my electric smoker (no smoke ring) smoker, they are more whitish with some pink, these are definitely done, as you can see in the photo they were cooked to FOTB stage.

What is your family objection to the Pink? Is it just the looks or do they think they task uncooked or ?

 

[banderson7474]

Im guessing you and your family hate pork loin at IT of 145 too right? Im not sure why u want rib meat to be brown.

 

[gbennett21]

Its more of the texter of the meat then color the color is what i noticed.there more like ribs when you grill them at higher heat.Just like with chicken We tend to cook them to around 180° 185°. I think the reason behind it is because thats what the family is used to and now im cooking to these temps that are safe but the meat is not what were used to.To us it seems under done but ive read enough to know when meats are safe.