Smoking ribs question- marinade?

[ramonesfreak]

Gonna smoke ribs (baby back) Saturday for the first time. A friend smoked some last week and he marinaded them overnight with Italian dressing. They were excellent. The marinade makes sense

What do you guys do...just a rub overnight? Marinade overnight and then rub a few hours before putting them in smoker?

[Jims5543]

I make my own rub and rub them the night before. I never brine or marinate ribs.

What are you using as a smoker? What wood?

I am a BGE user but have been toying with getting a larger smoker with a side box for some larger projects.

I have three 3 pound briskets coming my way early next month from Butch Box. I am looking forward to perfecting my brisket.

Good luck!! Remember low and slow and do not be ashamed to used aluminum foil. I keep my ribs out in the smoke for the 1st hour then wrap them up for the duration. I do not like fall off the bone tender but do like it to be easy to pull off the bone. I am not a fan of mush.

[ramonesfreak]

Don’t have a smoker. Gonna use my Weber kettle with charcoal and apple wood chunks if I can find chunks, otherwise gotta use chips. Gonna use a water tray under the ribs, not on top of grate. Gonna keep heat at about 250 if i can for I’m guessing about 4 hours...I’ll use the wood only for first hour

Are you saying the foil keeps the meat from falling off? What temp and time are using?

[stealthn]

Well, it’s either dry rub or my own bbq sauce, sometimes both. Depends on so many things.

[ramonesfreak]

Yea the more I read the more choices I see I have.....problem is choosing one. If not for the fact that I’m having company over, I would just experiment and not worry so much about it the first time..but I since I do, I wanna get it right even though there is no right way, just different styles


This guy is good....Memphis style...think I’ll try this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WKvjQFa0GUo

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

Don’t have a smoker. Gonna use my Weber kettle with charcoal and apple wood chunks if I can find chunks, otherwise gotta use chips. Gonna use a water tray under the ribs, not on top of grate. Gonna keep heat at about 250 if i can for I’m guessing about 4 hours...I’ll use the wood only for first hour

Are you saying the foil keeps the meat from falling off? What temp and time are using?

The foil keeps the moisture in the ribs. I prefer not to over do it with the time on the smoker, some like falling off the bone, I prefer them to have a little bite to them.

If you are using a Kettle start with the ribs sitting on top of the foil, loosely wrapped then tighten up the wrap after about 1 hour.

Stack the coals over to one side and put the ribs on the other side so they are not getting direct heat.

I have done ribs on my kettle back in the day, if you take some time and patience they will come out fine.

Good write up here.
https://bbq-book.com/smoked-ribs-on-weber-kettle/

[stealthn]

Originally Posted by ramonesfreak

Yea the more I read the more choices I see I have.....problem is choosing one. If not for the fact that I’m having company over, I would just experiment and not worry so much about it the first time..but I since I do, I wanna get it right even though there is no right way, just different styles


This guy is good....Memphis style...think I’ll try this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WKvjQFa0GUo

You know what, try your best, serve lots of booze, beg for for giveness if they suck, or absorb the glory if they are awesome. It’s just cooking anyway....

[vbaron]

Just smoked pork baby back ribs this weekend. I apply my own dry rub the night before and after they smoke for 6-7 hours, I put them on the grill quickly with homemade sauce to finish them. Also smoked a turkey breast, it comes out great!

[tabs]

Originally Posted by vbaron

Just smoked pork baby back ribs this weekend. I apply my own dry rub the night before and after they smoke for 6-7 hours, I put them on the grill quickly with homemade sauce to finish them. Also smoked a turkey breast, it comes out great!

6 to 7 hours...does that include travel time to the store and back?

Usually at 250 on the BGE 2 hours and done...

[Tobra]

soak your wood chips in water, will get more smoke, pan of water in there with the meat, or a couple of cans with water in them will help to keep it moist

I will brine chicken, not beef or pork

[tabs]

Pork today does not have the same fat content as in yester year...fat makes tender and juicy.

Some times you can get them nice and tender without foil and other times they will be dry and chewy. So the upshot is apply the foil for the last hour or so..

Also spritz or baste .with your favorite solution. Juice, water, vinegar etc..

Rub. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Paprika, brown sugar.then get creative cumin, mustard, five spices, chili powder, cayenne, celery pwder, coriander or whatever. It is important to let meld in the refer at least overnight.

Plenty of diy utube videos about Qing.

[Shifter]

Remove the membrane, salt, pepper, onion power and some garlic powder. Coat and let sit overnight. Wrap in foil for the first several hours.

I use this with my weber grill.

https://abcbarbecue.com/product/slow-n-sear-2-0/

Works great.

[ramonesfreak]

Thanks for all the tips. I’m not gonna marinade. Gonna dry rub, mop every hour, foil wrap for the final hour and probably finish with a glaze......depending on what else I read today about techniques.

[KFC911]

I have a Weber smoker (WSM) and kettle....but I am a novice compared to some here . On the kettle, I remove the membrane, indirect heat, moping with NC's own Bone Suckin' Sauce (hot) every 10 minutes or so....'bout an hour.

That's it

...with soaked wood chips of course....

[berettafan]

I do not marinate. Also I don’t put rub on until cooking but may try that overnight thing once to see how it works out.

I do the 3-2-1 method but have been cutting the ‘2’ period back a little as I too don’t want mush but do very much like them tender. The bark nonwrapped gives you is awesome but I have yet to get a sufficient level of tender without wrapping.

The Memphis dry rub is great. I do put a little SBR on mine last half hour. Brown sugar is a key ingredient IMO.

[KFC911]

This thread reminds me of DTW ....

NC's BSS....it really does suck !

[Rickysa]

Just me:

Italian dressing???....ugh

Overnight rub...no need (salt in rubs can pull moisture out)

rub vs. sauce? up to you, competitions like meat on the bone that pulls away with little force using a dry rub; neighbors like fall off the rib meat with a finger lickin' good sauce.

My advice (as mentioned above): 3-2-1 ribs

3 hrs (light salt/pepper -or- with your favorite rub) at 225 (or whatever you read) naked on grill

2 hrs wrapped in foil w/ a liquid bone side up so as not to tear the foil (apple juice my fave) at 250

1 hr back on the grill @225 in foil w/ sauce -or- just naked to form a nice crust

main thing is slow and low and have fun with it.

OHOHOH!!!! Forgot: be sure to pull the "silver skin" off the back of the ribs before you start!

Originally Posted by stealthn

You know what, try your best, serve lots of booze, beg for for giveness if they suck, or absorb the glory if they are awesome. It’s just cooking anyway....

Wise advice. Once I stopped stressing so much, my cooking improved.

[ramonesfreak]

Been reading about 3-2-1. Thanks for these details

Originally Posted by Rickysa

Just me:

Italian dressing???....ugh

Overnight rub...no need (salt in rubs can pull moisture out)

rub vs. sauce? up to you, competitions like meat on the bone that pulls away with little force using a dry rub; neighbors like fall off the rib meat with a finger lickin' good sauce.

My advice (as mentioned above): 3-2-1 ribs

3 hrs (light salt/pepper -or- with your favorite rub) at 225 (or whatever you read) naked on grill

2 hrs wrapped in foil w/ a liquid bone side up so as not to tear the foil (apple juice my fave) at 250

1 hr back on the grill @225 in foil w/ sauce -or- just naked to form a nice crust

main thing is slow and low and have fun with it.

OHOHOH!!!! Forgot: be sure to pull the "silver skin" off the back of the ribs before you start!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

Wise advice. Once I stopped stressing so much, my cooking improved.

"Dude...those ribs just suck" - Nobody