# Wrapping ribs without liquid



## drunkenmeatfist (Jun 28, 2018)

I have tried several different methods of cooking STL ribs, but I have never wrapped in foil with no liquid. Is there anyone here that does this?


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## BKING! (Jun 28, 2018)

I’ve done several panning and wrapping techniques. If I were to wrap without liquid it would be to
1. Halt bark formation
2. Prevent the meat from getting too dark.
3. Keep the meat from taking on more smoke.
4 slightly speed up cook time.

I’d add a little liquid to either a wrap or covered pan if I wanted to braise (to tenderize the meat). You will harm the bark slightly with braising however.

What you do depends on your goal. I’ve used different methods for smoking meat and each gives you a different end product. I tend to like the end product of smoking naked though. I don’t think my neighbors appreciate it though.


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## bdskelly (Jun 28, 2018)

Lately I just don’t wrap any of my meats.... Pork Butt, Brisket, Ribs.... all go unwrapped. I stopped it after a long discussion with a small smokehouse owner . I think I make a better product with better texture without the wrap. Just my two cents. B


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## drunkenmeatfist (Jun 28, 2018)

BKING! said:


> I’ve done several panning and wrapping techniques. If I were to wrap without liquid it would be to
> 1. Halt bark formation
> 2. Prevent the meat from getting too dark.
> 3. Keep the meat from taking on more smoke.
> ...


Thanks for the insights. I asked because I will be cooking for a small group for Independence Day. My brother will be getting an XL Egg and I have been asked to cook because I have a kamado. I wanted to make two separate styles of ribs, but have them finish at the same time so I was thinking of cooking both racks the same except for leaving one rack dry when it came time to wrap them. I'll probably just do a test run this weekend to see how it turns out.


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## TomKnollRFV (Jun 28, 2018)

I've only ever done the 3-2-1 Method. I can tell you that my friend who does -alot- of ribs. <Part of a local biker group, and helps with charity events etc> has never in his life done it. If you don't plan to wrap with fluid, I'd just skip foiling them period.


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## KrisUpInSmoke (Jun 29, 2018)

I just did 3 racks of baby backs, 
2 with same seasoning, one wrapped and one unwrapped, 
and one unwrapped with a different seasoning. 
In a blind taste, all 4 tasters picked the one that had been wrapped. 

It was wrapped with NO liquid. So, the existing liquid must not only stay in but "braise" the wrapped meat.


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## mike243 (Jun 29, 2018)

I wrapped some with no liquid for fathers day for 30 minutes at end and put into a bag,unwrapped at sons home and they were falling off the bone at that point about 1 hr after I took them off good but hard to cut properly


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## crazymoon (Jun 29, 2018)

DMF, I do StL ribs quite often w/out adding liquid. There is plenty of liquid in the foil from the meat itself when they are unwrapped.


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## mark-ct (Jun 30, 2018)

To all of the “un-wrappers” do you guys mist the ribs while smoking? A few years ago before I bought a pellet smoker I tried a test where I wrapped one rack and left the other unwrapped. I don’t remember if I sprayed the unwrapped ones but everyone including myself liked the wrapped ones. Of coarse the unwrapped ones had great bark but were dry. I believe the wrapped ones had any liquid in them. 
     After looking at a few smoker sites it seems that most people wrap with butter/sugar/honey for a couple hours which is how I’ve been doing them ever since. I’d also like to try wrapping them without liquid and and this time unwrapped with misting.


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## KrisUpInSmoke (Jun 30, 2018)

I've got an electric smoker, so I don't mist. The MES holds in the moisture pretty well, and opening them too often lengthens cooking time by letting heat out.

Misting seems to be something that works well and is more for smokers that can come back to temp quickly.


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## WaterRat (Jun 30, 2018)

mark-ct said:


> To all of the “un-wrappers” do you guys mist the ribs while smoking? A few years ago before I bought a pellet smoker I tried a test where I wrapped one rack and left the other unwrapped. I don’t remember if I sprayed the unwrapped ones but everyone including myself liked the wrapped ones. Of coarse the unwrapped ones had great bark but were dry. I believe the wrapped ones had any liquid in them.
> After looking at a few smoker sites it seems that most people wrap with butter/sugar/honey for a couple hours which is how I’ve been doing them ever since. I’d also like to try wrapping them without liquid and and this time unwrapped with misting.



I haven't wrapped ribs yet (still a newb smoker so many thing I haven't done) but yes, I mop, starting at 2hrs then every 45min or when they look "dry" on top. I usually don't sauce or glaze either. Dry bark yes but the meat is juicy. I'm running a pellet smoker. Pretty sure I'm doing multiple racks Wednesday so there's going to be a couple different styles, I think the kids will want the sweet saucy fall off the bone style.

By your profile pic I assume you're a Sikorski guy?


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## noboundaries (Jun 30, 2018)

I only do spare ribs, both St Louis cut and untrimmed. I'm not a fan of baby backs, so I don't smoke 'em.

I used to wrap, spritz, mop, etc. No longer. Now I spray with oil, LIGHTLY rub, spray with oil again, throw them on the smoker, then go do something else for 4.5-8 hours, depending on smoker temp. I've smoked them at 225F up to 275F. The only difference was they took less time with the higher temps. And they don't all finish at the same time. I usually do at least two untrimmed, or 3 SLC on one level in my WSM. If they are the same weight and thickness, they pretty much finish together. But with untrimmed, there can be a pound or more difference. The heavier one takes longer.

Al uses internal temp on the ribs to get them to where he like them. I've done it, and it works, but I've found I get my desired result with practice and probing for tenderness. There's just a bit of resistance. Since I probe with my instant read, I'll check the temp too. It is usually 198-202F.

An undercooked spare rib will be tough, dry, and stick to the bone. An overcooked rib will be mushy and fall-off-the-bone, regardless if you wrap or not. I don't care about bark on ribs, but I do like that a clean bite, slight tug, and crispy outside when I'm making them for me alone. My wife and kids want them sauced and FOTB, so that's what I fix most of the time.

95% of the general population (out west anyway) considers juicy, fall-off-the-bone ribs a sign of a genius pit master. When I'm making ribs for a large group, I'll leave them in the smoker up to an hour longer than when I consider them done. "Oh my God, these are so tender and juicy! What's your secret?" I tell them, "Practice, practice, practice," but I'm thinking "I smoke the %$(@ out of them."


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## mark-ct (Jul 1, 2018)

Noboundries you hit on the three key words, practice, practice, practice. Since buying the pellet smoker I’m doing a lot more smoking but for me it’s not just ribs anymore. So I don’t get the practice of fine tuning how I smoke my ribs. I’ve been wrapping with liquid but with the holiday coming up I’ll get to try them with no liquid and another with no wrapping. Thanks for the tips.


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## mark-ct (Jul 1, 2018)

WaterRat said:


> I haven't wrapped ribs yet (still a newb smoker so many thing I haven't done) but yes, I mop, starting at 2hrs then every 45min or when they look "dry" on top. I usually don't sauce or glaze either. Dry bark yes but the meat is juicy. I'm running a pellet smoker. Pretty sure I'm doing multiple racks Wednesday so there's going to be a couple different styles, I think the kids will want the sweet saucy fall off the bone style.
> 
> By your profile pic I assume you're a Sikorski guy?



Good eyes, neighbor. 

Sweet and saucy is how my family likes them too. The kind that gets all over your fingers. I finally have a holiday off from work so I want to make the most of my smoking time.


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