# Rib problem- Tough exterior



## kramer (May 21, 2008)

My ribs always seem tender on the inside but tough on the outside any help please.  I normally do a 3-2-1.  Thanks!!!


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## walking dude (May 21, 2008)

do you spritz?
when i do ribs, i do the 2-2-1 method.....maybe you mite give that atry


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## walking dude (May 21, 2008)

also kramer.......drop by roll call and introduce yourself.......tell us abit about you, your type of smoker.........how long you been smoking, etc.

also sign up for Jeff's FREE 5-day ecourse

and DON"T forget q-view

once again, welcome


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## kramer (May 21, 2008)

I start spraying them after the first or second hour on the smoker with apple juice.


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## brianj517 (May 21, 2008)

Perhaps you already know this, but since I don't see it mentioned specifically...Did you remove the membrane from the inside curved surface of the ribs? This very important step, if overlooked, will pretty much always result in tough chewy ribs.

Cheers,
Brian


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## kramer (May 21, 2008)

Yes I do take the membrane off.  Should I start spraying them earlier in the smoke and more often?


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## brianj517 (May 21, 2008)

Definitely wait until at least an hour into the smoke before spritzing to let the rub (bark) set a bit. Any earlier and you'll risk rinsing off the good stuff.

OK. so you're removing the membrane...that's good. My next advice is to let the racks come to room temp before placing in the smoker. Placing cold meat straight from the fridge onto smoker just "shocks" the meat and the results are often tough. This applies to direct grilling, as well.

Next... make sure your smoker is maintaining consistent temps of no more than 225* to 230*. Ribs cooked at higher temps cook to quickly and also become tough. These guys really benefit from the low & slow.

Lastly, if all else fails, try buying your ribs from a different source. Some retailers have been known to sell meats from older/larger animals for increased volume but often substandard quality.

Good luck on your next attempt, don't give up, your results will get better, guaranteed!

Cheers,
Brian


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## capt dan (May 21, 2008)

Exactly, I couldn't have said it better


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## richoso1 (May 21, 2008)

I have experienced the same thing at times. Lately I use the 2-3-1 method. And I never let the temp go beyond 225, watr pan is always full. Hope this helps.


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## ron50 (May 22, 2008)

I agree the meat may be the culprit. We are talking spares not back backs right?

I cook ribs at 250 and never have had a tough rack. Anywhere between 225 and 250 and you should be fine. 

The 3-2-1 times are guidelines. Although ribs can't really be cooked to temperature like most other meats, you can learn to tell when they are done by their appearance; how the meat pulls back from the bone and how they bend when you lift them from the grate.


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## ronp (May 22, 2008)

I  always use the finger touch, if your finger goes between the bone easily ther'e done. Then lick finger.


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## kramer (May 22, 2008)

Yes I'm talking spares not baby backs. I do buy from different places.
I have so many bbq/smoking books and I'm getting frustrated.
How often do you guys spritz once every 30 mins or 60 mins.  Are fresh ribs normally better then the ones that come in the cryovac packaging?
I have a smoke hollow smoker and keep the water pan filled so there should be plenty of moisture in there.  I put an extra thermometer in the vent at the level of the ribs to watch the temp.  It seems like I'm doing everything right??????


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## placebo (May 22, 2008)

When you put them in the foil do you give them a good spritzing before sealing up the foil? Also is your smoke thin and blue?


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## roscoe dog (May 22, 2008)

What I do with ribs is to cook them pretty much all the way then take them off and let cool just a tad. Wrap them tight in plastic wrap and then seal them in a foil pack and put back on the grill (indirect) for about another hour. They will come out fall off the bone tender. The plastic wrap will not melt. A friend that is a chef showed me this trick.


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## kramer (May 22, 2008)

Yes I usually pour apple juice into the foil and have tried putting the ribs face down and face up just to try different things. Like I said the ribs are very tender and moist on the inside just not on the outside. I just don't like the tougher exterior.
I also struggle with not enough smoke flavor but I know too much is BAD that happened one time!!!
Boy this experimenting is getting expensive!!!!


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## placebo (May 22, 2008)

Well maybe its time to take a break and do some pulled pork. Its much less expensive and considerably more forgiving. Maybe stepping away from ribs for a cook or two will give your brain a chance to sort through what could be causing the tough exterior. Whenever mine are a little tough on the outside I just smother it with Louisianna hot sauce!


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## 13spicerub (May 22, 2008)

when you go to foil them, put some apple juice in the foil.  this will braise the ribs, they should be nice and tender when you pull them out.


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## walking dude (May 22, 2008)

maybe too much sugar in your rub?.......i know i have had butts with barq so hard, took a jackhammer to break it

also........too MUCH smoke flavor?.........i have NEVER had that problem.....i love smoke flavor, but that is me.........some don't like a heavy smoke flavor......but i also use apple wood for my smoke flavoring on ribs........maybe you used a wood that was too bitter, when it got heavy, like mesquite will do

like i said earlier........maybe back off to a 2-2-1 smoke...........i do that now

i also cook mine at 250........spray after one hour with aj and spiced rum then spray when i foil, i don't wrap in saran wrap, just str8 foil........2 hours in foil, then one hour to firm up.........jeff's rub..........this is in a ecb gourmet.........i suspect myself, too tuff a barq from the rub......maybe cut back on the sugar abit...........just a thought

hth


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## bbq bubba (May 22, 2008)

If all else fails, try this method........





By imn88fan


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## fatback joe (May 22, 2008)

I just threw up in my mouth...........a lot.


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## walking dude (May 22, 2008)

oh my god............just a SIN..........SIN i tell ya...........SIN..........d88de just shakes his head


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## placebo (May 22, 2008)

Thats just plain sacrilege there Bubba.


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## fatback joe (May 22, 2008)

You finish them in the oven right?


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## jbchoice1 (May 22, 2008)

fresh is always best, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the cryovac version.  add butter and apple juice to the foil and put it back on.  it will essentially steam it.  I also have a steamer (it's suppose to be a bun steamer, and it is) but I use it for all sorts of stuff.  you can re add moisture that a way too.  my .02


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## bbq bubba (May 22, 2008)

Of course not you silly goose........Microwave!!


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## jbchoice1 (May 22, 2008)

Originally Posted by *bbq bubba* 


 
_If all else fails, try this method........





By imn88fan_

_wtf???  no, don't do that.  that belongs in the boiling meat forums._


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## walking dude (May 22, 2008)

no.........the foodnetwork forum............BWHAHAHAHA


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

Gasp! Gag! Spit! Sputter! Spill my drink! Knock over the ashtray!  That's what I do to corn on the cob!


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## walking dude (May 22, 2008)

gag spit sputter........you do that to you CORN ON THE COB......you should be shot for even doing THAT...........you SMOKE your coc...........


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## kramer (May 22, 2008)

You might have something with too much sugar because I have been using a recipe from Dr BBQ which does use alot of sugar.  Then when you are ready to foil you pour your apple juice in but then put honey and brown sugar on both side of the ribs....


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## seboke (May 22, 2008)

You got me there, couldn't think of another vegetable quickly.  BUT, if I have the little ears already shucked, they get the hot water.  If I can get fresh in the husk, they get a good soak, then foiled, then direct on coals.  Never thought about smokin ears, sounds great, might just hafta five it a shot this weekend...   Tips?


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## 1894 (May 22, 2008)

So that now this thread has gotten back on track , Help me out as well , too much sugar makes a tough exterior ? Too much carmelization ? Is this a general rule for most meats ?


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## ron50 (May 22, 2008)

Sounds like the toughness is jsut the bark on the ribs from the normal caramelization of the sugar in the rub. if you foil them you will have a tender exterior, or drop the sugar way down. Try turbinado sugar instead of brown or white, it tends to caramelize less.

Personally, I love the bark and the chewy texture it gives to the exterior.

And don't get to overanalyzing, spritz 30 or 60 minutes won't make much difference. You are not actually adding moisture. the meat isn't going to absorb it, it just prevents moisture loss and adds a nice flavor.


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## kramer (May 23, 2008)

I already do foil and get the tough exterior...


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## placebo (May 23, 2008)

Do you use brown sugar or turbinado sugar? As Ron suggested I use turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar. Worth a try anyways.


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## kramer (May 23, 2008)

I use honey and brown sugar only during the foiling stage. I use turbinado in the dry rub.  I use one of Dr BBQ 's recipes.


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## placebo (May 23, 2008)

For what the rub? I would suggest omitting the honey and brown sugar before foinling and stick with a good dousing of apple juice. If your not using Jeff's rub maybe give that a try. Lots of folks here love it including myself. Havn't had a bad rib smoke yet and that is the only rub I have used for ribs.


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## user24 (May 31, 2008)

What if everything is done by the book, yet the result is still a tough exterior much like beef jerky? Perhaps that is simply called proper barbecue. I believe when barbecue affictionados talk about "tender" they strictly refer to the inner portion of the meat. No smoking method in the world can actually produce a tender exterior, like what you can get with braising in a slow cooker, alder foil pouch, or oven. 

I've smoked chicken, salmon, and beef ribs to doneness using 210 degrees gas smoker. Without exception, every piece of meat developed a tough exterior that was impossible to chew. Unfortunately all the smoke flavor was contained in that tough exterior and had to be discarded. Smoke penetration into the edible portions of meat was zero to none; smoke flavor was zero to none. No it was not due to "sugar"--I did not use any.

When bbq masters talk about smoking ribs completely dry for 24 hours, they are somewhat deceiving because although it can be done, only the most gullible would believe that it would actually result in anything digestible by normal human teeth. There is an amount of deliberate misinformation put out; this is to guard their "secrets" and keep competition at bay.

With that said, affictionados actually like to eat tough pieces of meat. They call them "burnt ends". And they despise genuinely tender ribs cooked with, for example, a slow cooker. What I call tender, they call "mushy".

They like to see grill marks on steak, while I don't believe in letting the juices drip down through a grill but prefer a skillet. These are polar opposite mentalities.

In smoking, foil wrapping methods and procedures are merely varying levels of compromise between smoke flavor, tenderness, and outer drying. There will always be a tough exterior, just how tough is the question.

I've finally grasped the concept that smoking produces tough meat on the outside, and that is how these people like their meat. I cannot understand how they can accept such a tough exterior, which is why I originally thought it to be a "problem" when it is actually normal.


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## bbq bubba (May 31, 2008)

Not sure of your experience, sounds like very little cooking on an actual smoker but stick around and well show you how to make proper "tender" BBQ....


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## smokebuzz (May 31, 2008)

I think if you aplly rub(with suger) too early, you get more of a hard bark, rub dissolves and pentrates meat , and makes a thicker barq, some see this as desireable.


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## I_Love_BBQ (May 21, 2019)

I just saw this forum and I had the same issue and this is what I discovered.  I have a Lang 36 and while I was leaning fire management, I found that if I ran the smoker above 250 for even just an hour or had hot spikes and was not paying close enough attention, I would get the tough, dry "skin" on the top of the meat side of the ribs.  

This happened numerous times until I kept the smoker under 250.  I now work hard on keeping the smoker between 230 and 245.  I have not had the tough, dry "skin" issue since.  

Some friends took me to a local BBQ joint a couple of months ago and their ribs had the same issue.  My friends were ranting and raving over the ribs until I pointed out the tough skin.  They supposedly have a new favorite BBQ joint. 

Hope that helps.


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## schlotz (May 21, 2019)

For years, I've done ribs per the recipe in the sig below and have never had a tough outer layer, and this is without wrapping. Something must be missing in what has been described.  Have we verified grate temps with a calibrated thermometer? I do agree that too much sugar could be a contributing factor.


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## I_Love_BBQ (May 24, 2019)

When I had the issue, I thought I was burning the outside layer of the meat.  When I cooked with a lower temperature, bingo, problem solved.  I went Keto 5 years ago and have not used sugar in my rub since so in my case, it had nothing to do with the ingredients of my rub.  Hope that helps.


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## Big Tastey (May 27, 2019)

kramer said:


> My ribs always seem tender on the inside but tough on the outside any help please.  I normally do a 3-2-1.  Thanks!!!


I had the exact problem yesterday with my spare ribs! I smoked for 3hrs @225 and then wrapped in peach paper in oven for 2hrs @225 then unwrapped and sauced for about 20 mins in oven. The smoke layer was the texture of jerky. It was all tasty and the ribs were tender but the initial bite down and chew of the smoke layer was "chewy". I think some of the guys are getting confused about what you're saying but I completely understand. I don't think it's the meat I was using Smithfield's Extra Tender, and I don't think any amount of apple juice and foil would have changed the end results. I'm just as confused as you, it's the first time I've had this happen.


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