How long do you cook your baby backs?

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Canyon Runner

Assistant Cook
Joined
Mar 30, 2013
Messages
31
I am in a quandary...I followed a baby back pork rib recipe that had me cooking my rubbed ribs at 300 over indirect heat on a gas grill for 1.5-2 hours. I checked on them at the 1.5 hour mark and they were good but overdone/dry. The next time I cooked them the same and checked them at the 1 hour mark, they were already done but better than before. This last time I used spare ribs, and looked at a few recipes that all told me 275 for 2-3 hours. Since they were a bit bigger I thought, "maybe," but I checked them after 1 hour anyway and the meat was already pulling back from the bone. They were possibly a bit underdone as they were a bit tougher than I had hoped but were certainly cooked. I put them on a cookie sheet and wrapped them in foil for 15-20 minutes and then we demolished them, but they were not "perfect."

so, in your experience, how long and at what temp do you cook your porkies? If I left them on longer would they be more tender or would I cook the juices right out of them? Why is it that the suggested times and temperatures appear to be way over kill for me? I just saw a recipe for 275 for 4-6 hours...I think I would only have charcoal if I left them on that long...:confused:

P.S. I am using a Brinkman 4 burner and have my meat on one side and use the 2 burners on the other, holds nicely at 275-280. Nothing special in the rub, no sauce, no mop, no spritz, no smoke and I leave the lid down.

- CR
 
I would cook them for approx 1 to 2 hours indirect or until they have a nice color on them. Foil them and place them back on your grill for around a hour and then poke the ribs between the bones with a tooth pick until it slides in real easy. Remove from foil and placed them back on the grill to firm them up a bit and now would be the time to add BBQ sauce if you wanted it on them.
 
Great advice your getting. 275 is slightly too hot for ribs in my book. 250-260 is the sweet spot. Rib meat pulling back from the end bones is only a sign they were cooked too hot. Properly cooked rib will pull back very little to none. I like meat side down till they try to tear apart without much effort when you tug on next door neighbor bones in the "middle of the rack." Tugging on little end bones dont count cuz they come apart quick and early. Never did get into the toothpick deal but have heard of it. Once they reach the pull a part stage wrap and stick in the insulated box for at least one hour..two or three is best. Cool em down slow and back in the fire for a sweet glaze. Do not flip ribs cept at glazing time then its ok to do it once. Also only one swipe of glaze. I figger 7 hours but I only cook spares. Might go quicker with bbs/loin backs depending on the size of the racks but relying on the clock to tell when they are done is not a good plan.
 
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Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate that. My biggest problem is they are done way before the recipes suggest, so I am thinking oompappy hit it on the head and my thermometer is wrong. Any suggestions on a decent fairly inexpensive thermometer for a recreational user?

- CR
 
Uncle Al,

I wait to see the end bone meat shrink back a bit and then test with my tongs, when I pick them up the outer layer cracks a bit where the ribs bend and then that tells me they are done, not sure where I learned that...then I wrap in foil on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes or so and then eat. The meat has some resistance but pulls off the bones nicely, definitely not where it just falls off of them.

Thanks for the thermometer link, I'll go have a look.

_ CR
 
A person might want to practice the Mississippi palm reading method. Place the palm of your hand on the pit or over the fire if you aint got a top and start counting by Mississippiees. See how long it takes to make you want to move your hand real bad. Consult the chart below realizing there can be a bit over overlapping depending on the desired outcome:

1 Miss..that is real hot and time to grill steaks
2 Miss..that is a good time cook chicken..and pork loins
3 Miss..that is good for ribs and butts
4 Miss..brisket maybe
5 Miss..time to add fuel

See a person do not need any steeken temp gauges.
 
You should really spritz those things man, they will dry out. Since baby backs are a bit smaller than normal bones, it takes alot less to cook them. Your temperature seems abit high for those too. When I smoke my baby backs, I stay between 225 and 250. For my set up it only takes about 3 hours to cook these, and that includes wrapped times.
 

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