smoked ribs turned out horrible - what did I do wrong?

July 05, 2022, 05:01 PM

hray

Get you one of theses flip it over and put ribs in it so you don't have to worry about flipping the ribs.
https://smile.amazon.com/Norpr...k%2Caps%2C468&sr=8-6

Did you actually use spare/ st. Louise ribs? Baby back will dry out on you quick, spare ribs are more forgiving. If you don't have an indirect setup for it you need it to do what you want to do. something like this
https://smile.amazon.com/Hongs...TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

You do need to verify that your thermometer on lid is correct. I've been cooking/smoking on my same BGE for 15 years, when I do ribs or pork i light it, put indirect setup in place and put the meat on. but as soon as temp on lid gets near 200 I close both top and bottom air flow so just a crack 1/8" or so and let it ride. The temp will creep up on ya, there are times I may need open a little more. Normally settles at about 225 until I open. Which is 3 hours later. Stay out of it. after your 3 hours open check for meat retraction and pull on a bone. If it needs more time let it go for another hour and check until your happy. The more you go in and out of it the temp will get hotter and hotter. I don't lather my ribs with sauce but when I do takes 20 minutes or so. I have found the 3-4 hours to be the sweet spot for them. To my liking anyway. I like a little tug to get meat off of bones. Hray

July 05, 2022, 05:03 PM

smschulz

What internal (rib) temp when you pulled them?

July 05, 2022, 05:06 PM

tatortodd

quote:
Originally posted by 4x5:
Any tips on what could have gone wrong?

Several ideas:

Did you use pork spare ribs or baby back ribs. The video used pork spare ribs which are fattier and take about an hour longer than baby back.

Inaccurate temperature. Dial thermometers are notoriously inaccurate (+/- 50F) and having the temperature on the dome is another inaccuracy. My temp is from a Smoke Remote BBQ Alarm and it's measuring temperature on the grate (i.e. temp is same as what the meat encounters).

Did you do any doneness tests? Time gets me in the ballpark and then I do the bend/bounce test.

July 05, 2022, 05:24 PM

slabsides45

Taylor Meat Thermometer... stupid simple and cheap:

July 05, 2022, 05:46 PM

Twist

quote:
Originally posted by 4x5:
I smoked three racks of ribs yesterday on my Kamado Joe Classic. I followed John Setzler's rib video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFqzKyiCXIc) to a T, and his turned out great, but mine were awful. The ribs were hard and dry on the bottom, almost burnt, but ok on top. I smoked them at 250 (I closely monitored the temp, and it was pegged at 250 the entire time) for 5.5 hours, and started spritzing them with juice around 3 hours in, then coated the tops with a BBQ sauce glaze around 4 hours until they were done. Pretty much exactly as in the video. The only differences between mine and his - he cooked his on a Big Joe, while I used a Classic, so the ribs were pretty close together, also, I wonder if humidity played a role? I'm guessing he's from somewhere down south, while I'm in a very dry Utah.

Any tips on what could have gone wrong?

I also have a Classic Joe and have cooked more ribs in it than I can even estimate. I’m not a huge fan of pork ribs, but the wife and kids are so it’s happened several times in the 6-7 years I’ve owned the grill.

The 3-2-1 method is the way to go, and 250°is way to hot on that grill. These things are very well insulated, there’s no reason to have the temp that high, at least to begin with.

Next time you do them, try this. Get the Joe going and level it off around 200-210°, make sure the deflectors are under them. Main meat side up, 3 hours, do not flip. At 3 hours, pull and wrap. Some people use foil, others use butcher paper. I use paper because everyone on my side of things like a bit of a bark. Butcher paper will vent some moisture, foil keep it all in and you’ll likely lose bark.

After the ribs are wrapped, put back on the grill meat side down. You don’t need to use an oven with a grill like this. Joe, Egg, other variations. Again, they hold temp very well as long as you maintain the fuel source. Leave the ribs meat side down for 2 hours.

After the 2 hour wrap, flip the ribs to meat side up. Open the foil/paper and kick the heat to 260-270°. Do not add sauce or anything with sugar. Yet, do that with 15-20 minutes left in the cook. Let them go for 40-45 minutes at that temp, remove and rest in an open cooler or an oven for about an hour. If you add sauce, or anything with molasses or an fair amount of sugar, there’s a good chance you’ll caramelize them. That can dry them out or make them seem dried/overcooked.

Give it a shot.

July 05, 2022, 08:05 PM

4x5

quote:
Originally posted by Twist:
quote:
Originally posted by 4x5:
I smoked three racks of ribs yesterday on my Kamado Joe Classic. I followed John Setzler's rib video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFqzKyiCXIc) to a T, and his turned out great, but mine were awful. The ribs were hard and dry on the bottom, almost burnt, but ok on top. I smoked them at 250 (I closely monitored the temp, and it was pegged at 250 the entire time) for 5.5 hours, and started spritzing them with juice around 3 hours in, then coated the tops with a BBQ sauce glaze around 4 hours until they were done. Pretty much exactly as in the video. The only differences between mine and his - he cooked his on a Big Joe, while I used a Classic, so the ribs were pretty close together, also, I wonder if humidity played a role? I'm guessing he's from somewhere down south, while I'm in a very dry Utah.

Any tips on what could have gone wrong?

I also have a Classic Joe and have cooked more ribs in it than I can even estimate. I’m not a huge fan of pork ribs, but the wife and kids are so it’s happened several times in the 6-7 years I’ve owned the grill.

The 3-2-1 method is the way to go, and 250°is way to hot on that grill. These things are very well insulated, there’s no reason to have the temp that high, at least to begin with.

Next time you do them, try this. Get the Joe going and level it off around 200-210°, make sure the deflectors are under them. Main meat side up, 3 hours, do not flip. At 3 hours, pull and wrap. Some people use foil, others use butcher paper. I use paper because everyone on my side of things like a bit of a bark. Butcher paper will vent some moisture, foil keep it all in and you’ll likely lose bark.

After the ribs are wrapped, put back on the grill meat side down. You don’t need to use an oven with a grill like this. Joe, Egg, other variations. Again, they hold temp very well as long as you maintain the fuel source. Leave the ribs meat side down for 2 hours.

After the 2 hour wrap, flip the ribs to meat side up. Open the foil/paper and kick the heat to 260-270°. Do not add sauce or anything with sugar. Yet, do that with 15-20 minutes left in the cook. Let them go for 40-45 minutes at that temp, remove and rest in an open cooler or an oven for about an hour. If you add sauce, or anything with molasses or an fair amount of sugar, there’s a good chance you’ll caramelize them. That can dry them out or make them seem dried/overcooked.

Give it a shot.

Thanks for the detailed write-up. I'll have to give that a shot.

July 05, 2022, 08:26 PM

Mars_Attacks

First things first, did you have the indirect heat plate in?

You can't smoke directly over coals.

July 05, 2022, 09:30 PM

TBH

I also have a KJ classic. I smoked Costco ribs on Saturday and yesterday. Check out “smoking dad BBQ on YouTube. I think he is great, and learned a lot. He believes smoking at a little higher temp renders the fat better. He also recommends setting up a double heat deflector as a single can heat up too much over time. Burn the bottom.
Don’t give up, BBQ is a passion, and I believe we all have a flop from time to time. For me brisket is difficult to perfect. Flopped several.
Yesterday I ran my Joe between 270 and 300. Ribs meat side down for an hour, bones down for an hour, and wrapped with honey, butter, a little sweet baby rays, seasoning for about 45 minutes. Then unwrapped for another 15-20 minutes.
This method works the best for me.
Remember dome temp and grate temp are not the same, and it’s easy to calibrate the Joe temperature gauge.

July 05, 2022, 10:53 PM

PR64

I smoked ribs yesterday and used the 3-2-1 method.

For me I now go 3 hours @ 180.

Then 2 hours wrapped in foil with brown sugar butter and apple juice @ 220.

Then the last 30-60 minutes back down to 180 with bbq sauce and spritzing with more apple juice . I have found that about 30-40 minutes at the end works better for juicer ribs.

I have a pellet smoker with digital temp control.

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July 06, 2022, 02:43 PM

xantom

In my experience grate temp vs what most built in temp gauges read can be wildly different. Everyone has a bad cook from time to time, consider it a lesson learned.

July 06, 2022, 03:54 PM

mark60

You can and should periodically take your thermometer out of the dome and test it in a pot of boiling water. They're adjustable and it's possible yours is off a bit.

July 06, 2022, 06:03 PM

sig229-SAS

quote:
Originally posted by NOCkid:
Are you sure that your thermometer is accurate?

Exactly what I was going to say, grill thermometers can be way off, I would calibrate the one on the grill or get a stand alone model that you can trust.

July 06, 2022, 07:30 PM

sigmoid

To make great ribs,
You gotta make a lot of shitty ribs first.
Keep at it

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigmoid,

July 06, 2022, 08:31 PM

TBH

quote:
Originally posted by sigmoid:
To make great ribs,
You gotta make a lot of shitty ribs first.

I was going to suggest smoking one rack at a time until you perfect them the way you like them.
Don’t forget to try beef short ribs sometime. Might be my favorite

July 06, 2022, 08:37 PM

sigarmsp226

3-2-1 method at 200F is the way to go…..Perfect ribs every time…..

July 07, 2022, 08:06 AM

Jeff Yarchin

I smoke ribs at 250 for 3 hours, sauce and wrap in foil for another two hours. Works every time.

July 07, 2022, 08:45 AM

Georgeair

You've had a lot of good suggestions along with a lot of questions that could help lead you to better results. Many you've not answered that could lead you there more quickly. Biggest mistake many make is starting with baby backs, which in most cases have a window of perfection measured in minutes. Tricky.

I'll add to call for an internal probe to monitor temp of meat. Without that you are blind, and if inexperienced won't be able to judge doneness well. Time is a guide, not the answer.

I'll also recommend instead of wrapping in foil consider Kraft or peach paper if you want to have better bark as opposed to a braised finish you get in foil.

I've seen no discussion of heat source, so unclear if you are using wood, lump charcoal, Match Light or what. This makes a big difference as well. I had a mentor emphasize to me to think of wood as an ingredient rather than just a heat source. Started blending in lump with wood in long cooks on large offset after that with good results and do the same on BGE for smaller cooks.

Lastly this, at volume:

quote:
Originally posted by sigmoid:
To make great ribs,
You gotta make a lot of shitty ribs first.
Keep at it