# At what temp do u put BBQ sauce on ribs?



## motolife313

I have been putting sauce on a 190 or so then it seems to drop 10 degrees and take about hour to come back up. I thought I started a thread on this but could find my started threads. Kinda annoying how the temp loweres even when I warm up the BBQ sauce. Maybe I need to get it warmer?


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## old sarge

When I had my old offset up and running (may it's new owner respect it) I sauced ribs at the 3 1/2 to 4 hour mark.  Lightly so that it would 'burn in, and re-sauce every 20 -30 or so minutes till done. I cooked ribs 5 to 6 hours depending upon how well I could manage the temperature.


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## chef jimmyj

Some guys use IT with ribs but it is only a guideline. They are Done when they reach the tenderness you want, probe tender with a bite or fall off the bone. 190 is shy if probe tender so a good point to sauce, but put the thermometer away! Evaporative cooling is lowering the measured IT, making you crazy, but the ribs are still cooking and getting more tender. What the thermometer says is  now meaningless. The ribs are done when they are where you like them...JJ


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## SmokinAl

I sauce mine at the end & put them on a hot grill for a couple of minutes to caramelize the sauce & put a crust on the ribs. It also burns the membrane off.
Al


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## Rings Я Us

I take them in the house when they are done and sauce them. I put them under the broiler 2 minutes.


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## petehalsted

OK, I will be that guy. I sauce my Ribs when hell freezes over, so fairly cold LOL.

But to give this post some redeeming quality. I recently did some experimenting with Pork Steaks, trying to finish them off short of like burnt ends, and found exactly what you found, once sauced between the time it takes you to sauce, the cooling of the sauce itself (unless its boiling its probably cooler than the meat), and the evaporation effect, you IT is not going to recover for a long time. 

I haven't done it yet, but for my next attempt at porksteaks ala burnt ends, I plan to pretty much take them to their final IT before the sauce stage. Yes they will continue to "cook and render" but I don't think I have to worry about overcooking as the sauce seems to "set" the cooking and I am trying to go for that right before fall of the bone tenderness anyway.

So all that rambling and I am with AL, although I don't sauce ribs, anything I do sauce, like the chicken breast I did the other night, I sauce and more to the grill to set the sauce and get some crispy caramelized spots.


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## gmc2003

I tend to foil my ribs and apply the sauce when I take them out of the foil. 

Chris


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## gary s

A lot of good advice above  Give em a try see what works best for you. 
And I agree with Chef watching the temp makes you crazy

Gary


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## old sarge

When I said I sauce at the 3 1/2 hour mark that is when I notice the meat is starting to pull back from the bone. Doing it lightly several times gives a good sticky coating rather than a dripping mess. Just my preference. Those who wanted more sauce could always add more when eating. As for the IT I never checked. Pull back and a tooth pick sliding easily between bone and meat was my check. But it all comes down to personal preference.


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## noboundaries

The temp drop is absolutely normal.  Warming the sauce definitely helps, but the water in the sauce has to evaporate to get that sticky, gooey thickness we "saucers" love.  A LOT of water has to evaporate for the sauce to get thick.  To evaporate, it needs constant heat.  Even if the sauce is boiling hot in the saucepan, it will start cooling the instant you transport it from the saucepan to the meat, especially if you use a brush.  Remember, heat flows from hot to cold, and it flows significantly faster between denser materials.  The colder sauce will suck heat out of the meat faster than it will suck heat out of the hot air.  It does so until equilibrium is reached. 

Personally, when I sauce my ribs, I dump hot sauce on the meat straight from the saucepan, spread it quickly with a brush, and close the lid. The meat temp still drops about 5F so I do it MUCH closer to the end of the smoke when the meat probes almost as tender as I like it.  30 minutes before the end of the smoke is common wisdom.  I'm usually closer to an hour these days.


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## bbqbrett

"I tend to foil my ribs and apply the sauce when I take them out of the foil."

Chris

That is how I do it and it works well for me.


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## Bearcarver

I would have to say at room Temperature, because the Ribs are at the table already and don't need any sauce, unless somebody wants some. Serve it on the side.


Bear


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## SonnyE

LOL!
Everybody does theirs the way they like it.
My short ribs get a good start, 7 minutes to a turn-over. My grill (pipe burner) is typically running ~250. But 350 towards the finish line. (Pit temperature.) Top down. Burners on low.
I do the bones first, then turn the half racks to the meat side down. 14 minutes in, the meat side comes up and gets a light painting of my doctored Sweet Baby Rays.
From there on, every turn-over gets a light coat. It bakes on in the heat and develops a finger licking dark glaze. The meat is roasting and sucking up the flavors in the heat. It varies total time wise by the amount of racks being done. The maximum of my grill is 6 racks at one time, and that's a tight load.
But half a rack, or a whole 6, same way. About 1 to one and a half hours.
Then the rack(s) get cut into ribs on the grill, sides sauced, and loaded into a warmed glass baking dish, or a roasting pan, and served. Load your plate, and gnaw. :)


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## myownidaho

I’ve switched to the IT method for ribs. I sauce at 195 and pull them when they come back up to 190. More sauce with service if people want.


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## gary s

Hey Guys ---   It's not rocket Science  DON'T WORRY ABOUT TEMPS !!!
Just sauce em, Don't sauce em   It doesn't matter  The only thing that matters is if you want them sauced put it on.
Not to early but anytime right before or at the finish.

Gary


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## ristau5741

Sauce is usually at room temp when I apply it to the ribs, but rarely do apply it. The ribs just don't need any sauce, they are just that good.


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