# rib color



## bigsmoken (Nov 13, 2013)

So here is my question...I smoked some ribs today and the flavor was right on the only thing that I'm starting to have a problem with is the color. Between my rub, the cherry smoke and the spritz I'm using I'm getting a beautiful red in color ribs...then I wrap them and they turn doo doo brown and if I let them dry out a bit the bark then turns black...I'd love to keep that nice red look to them is there anything I can do to keep that if I foil or do I need to just keep it unfoiled?


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## bagbeard (Nov 13, 2013)

my rub also gives a nice red colour.  i like my ribs with some chew so prefer to cook no foil, but my family likes them more tender so i foil.  When foiling the ribs darken to a not as nice brown colour.  if you like the red try 5 hours no foil. i do foil for 15 min after removing from cooker though.

thats my thoughts


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## bigsmoken (Nov 13, 2013)

are your ribs way more chewy than if you were to foil? I like tender and juicy.


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## jarjarchef (Nov 13, 2013)

What is in your rub? Some spices and herbs will get darker when cooked and or wet...

What is in the foil with the ribs? Same reason....

Do you bush a bit of glaze on after foiling?


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## bagbeard (Nov 13, 2013)

for my wife and kids ive altered the 3 2 1 to 3 hours smoke 2 hours foil with apple juice and 1 hour back in foil with bbq sauce.  nice and juicy and saucy. not how i like them however.  i prefer dry rub 3 2 1 no sauce.

everyone likes there ribs a little different

awesome!!, my boston butt just hit 201, time to pull it.


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## bigsmoken (Nov 13, 2013)

lets see I have a lot in my rub, mushroom powder, coffee, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, onion, garlic. I actually add paprika to the meat directly to add more red as the rub is naturally more brown. I spritz with a cherry rum and use cherry bbq mixed with some pork finishing sauce when I foil. I was thinking of straining out my cherry bbq sauce to finish it with as it has a rich red color to it. And I also foil with bacon to give it some more fat to cook with. nothing that I have put on it has burned at all during the cook its just when I foil and it gets steamed. there goes my bark and my color. I think next time I def have to keep it unfoiled I'm just worried that it wont hold on to any of the juice.


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## jarjarchef (Nov 14, 2013)

bigsmoken said:


> So here is my question...I smoked some ribs today and the flavor was right on the only thing that I'm starting to have a problem with is the color. Between my rub, the cherry smoke and the spritz I'm using I'm getting a beautiful red in color ribs...then I wrap them and they turn doo doo brown and if I let them dry out a bit the bark then turns black...I'd love to keep that nice red look to them is there anything I can do to keep that if I foil or do I need to just keep it unfoiled?





bigsmoken said:


> lets see I have a lot in my rub, mushroom powder, coffee, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, onion, garlic. I actually add paprika to the meat directly to add more red as the rub is naturally more brown. I spritz with a cherry rum and use cherry bbq mixed with some pork finishing sauce when I foil. I was thinking of straining out my cherry bbq sauce to finish it with as it has a rich red color to it. And I also foil with bacon to give it some more fat to cook with. nothing that I have put on it has burned at all during the cook its just when I foil and it gets steamed. there goes my bark and my color. I think next time I def have to keep it unfoiled I'm just worried that it wont hold on to any of the juice.


It is a tricky situation. Here is why. When you foil your ribs or any meat you are then braising in the their own juices and other added liquids. Your rubs will pick up those liquids and then get darker. Once this has happened it is very difficult to go back. There are ingredients in your rub that will make it almost impossible to go back to redish color (coffee, mushroom powder, chili powder and paprika). Without making changes to the flavors you have there is very little that can be done, other then maybe a non wrap method as mention in an earlier post.

Now if you are interested in changing a few things here is a thought. Rub take the mushroom, coffee and paprika powder out. Still do a light rub of the paprika on the ribs. When you foil do not add the BBQ sauce. Make a hybrid sauce with the cherry BBQ as the base, then add a little coffee and mushroom to it. You can also add some tomato past and rum to adjust the consistency of the sauce. You will want it to be thinner then a bottle BBQ sauce so you can brush it on the ribs for the final 30-45 min to set it. Basically glazing the ribs.

Hope this helps.

These are some ribs I did last weekend. Different rub and flavors then yours, but I did the glaze and method I described.













2013-11-09_17-03-52_991.jpg



__ jarjarchef
__ Nov 12, 2013


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## bigsmoken (Nov 14, 2013)

I never thought about adding those ingredients in a different manner. I'm gonna try that glazing method and see what comes of it


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