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Help with Bark on Ribs

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  • #16
    I flip my ribs periodically before foiling... gives them a nice color. Plus, I have cut the foil time way down, depending on the size of the ribs. Sometimes, I don't even bother with the foil... you are right, it is a pain in the arse. When it is glaze time, the ribs are meat side up, and the glaze is applied in the last 30 to 45 minutes... no flipping at this stage.


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    • #17
      Thats what the parquay in the foil is for!
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      • #18
        Originally posted by Capt Dan View Post
        Thats what the parquay in the foil is for!
        Sooo, THAT'S your secret...!!


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        • #19
          Originally posted by Whisky Fish View Post
          I know I gonna get in trouble here with the pure of heart, , ,but I'm runnin just below 300 with a huge water pan, lots of steam and smoke till just before they are done. Then I pull the water pan and let the temps go till the out side of the ribs are sizzling.
          Can't argue with what works. I've thought about letting the temps creep up (sometimes they do so on their own ) the last hour or so while I'm glazing about every 15 minutes.

          Damn, now I'm hungry for some ribs.

          Dave
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          • #20
            I foud that increasing the temp for just a little but helps - 5 minutes should be sufficient. I am using a heavy brown sugar based rub. Keeping at a constant 225 (or so.. using a charcoal smoker) has never developed bark for me. Made a mistake one day after adding charcoal of leaving the vent open too long. Temp got close to 400 very very briefly (almost 2 hours in), caught it, brought the temp down and cooked until the ribs were done. The bark was perfect.

            Good luck!

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            • #21
              this was very interesting to me. im experiencing the same problem. switched pits from an old homemade offset to a real nice trailer pit custom made, also offset. nothing seems to develop the same bark i had going for me with the old faithful. really disappointing having ribs that have a thick gooey paste rub that slides off.

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              • #22
                Originally posted by DDave View Post
                Now that I don't foil ribs anymre -- well, I've done 1 rack of babybacks and 1 rack of St. Louis style and have been very happy with the results it's time to work on the bark.

                In the past, I really didn't expect too much from it because I figured the foiling stage was going to mess it up anyway. But even when I didn't foil, it seemed to not be very firm. In fact, you can slide the rub off with your finger or fork etc.

                I usually put some rub on the night before, then reapply before putting them on the smoker. The last couple of times I have been sprinkling a little brown suger on them 30 minutes or so before they hit the smoker. Then, once an hour for the first several hours, I will spritz them -- lightly at first but towards the end of the smoke, I'll spritz them a little heavier until they glisten.

                I'm wondering if I am:
                A) applying too much rub, and/or
                B) spritzing too much?

                Any thoughts??

                Dave
                I'd say it's the spritzing. Also the whole just use a substrate and rub approach is not geared up for producing both juicy ribs and bark.
                You pretty much get one or the other.

                Try marinading the ribs overnight instead of just applying rub.
                Bear in mind that rub by itself will actually draw moisture out of the meat, before you even start cooking.

                Marinading has several benefits:
                1) it gets the flavours all the way into the ribs
                2) makes the meat a lot moister to start with so you don't need to over mop/spritz during the cook
                3) will give you a bark on the outside of juicy meat.
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                • #23
                  I hit them with rub only and smoke them like anything else. Once they stop sweating and dry up I spray with oil and alcohol to keep them moist until almost ready to serve. I stopped glazing or saucing all together to keep a nice bark, and crank up the heat at the end until they are sizzling.

                  I have found that I like babybacks better than spares as well.
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                  • #24
                    Dave - I think you're on the right track with the no-foiling - I haven't read all the replies yet, so this might be a bit of a repeat, but here are some ideas; all suggestions are based on my experience with my well-modified offset smoker (first Brinkmann, then Char-Broil - they are identical), using charcoal or wood as fuel:



                    Your pit and fuel may require slight adjustments.

                    Sugar in the rub is a given, but too much will toss the flavour out of balance and also could lead to carbonisation; if that happens, the ribs will look bad, but still taste fine - however, if presentation is important, this is something to keep in mind. Turbinado sugar (also known as sugar in the raw) is better than brown sugar for preventing carbonisation, and light years better than white sugar.

                    Mustard slather before the rub is applied definitely helps! I've had the best results brushing on a thin layer of "plain, ol' yeller mustard" (French's or Wal-Mart each seem to work quite well - Koops was really good, too, but I have limited availibility to that one). I've tried olive oil and other things, but mustard gives the best results, and there WILL NOT be any "mustardy" taste on the finished ribs - believe me, if there were, I would know! lol

                    Go ahead and put a little more rub on when you throw the ribs on the grate - it can't hurt!

                    Where cooking temperatures are concerned, I keep them in the 240 to 260 range, with an average of about 242, probably. I tend to start the ribs at the low-end of the range (or even a bit lower, as long as it's above 212), and gradually work them over to the high end of the range as the cook progresses. The lower end at the beginning helps with the smoke ring, while the rub "sets." About 45 minutes or so before the end of the cook, they are as close to the heat source as they can get without scorching (in my offset, they would be almost all the way on the left-hand side near the firebox). The higher temp at the end helps with the bark and glazing.

                    I start the cook with a water pan in my offset (large-sized bread pan filled with boiling-temperature water) placed right in front of the "hole" between the firebox and the cooking chamber. I've found that the water pan REALLY improves not only smoke ring development, but also the way the smoke works into the meat. It's important to keep temps above 212 at a minimum to avoid creosote. more reading on this concept here:

                    http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards....topic2373.html

                    The water in the pan gradually boils away of course, but no need to refill it - as the cook progresses, smoke ring development loses its importance and bark development gains in importance. The gradually-dryer atmosphere as the water simmers away will dovetail with these priorities.

                    Please, please please - do NOT foil the ribs! The moisture from the steam in the foil will give you braised ribs with a soft exterior and a potentially-mushy interior. I know that "fall of the bone" ribs are popular in the big restaurants, and if you really want them to be that way, this is the way to do it - BUT! If a good bark is your goal, then save the foil for something else!

                    Spritzing/mopping - go ahead and do it, but keep it to once every 45 minutes to an hour. Two things that really help are a) to wait an hour or so into the cook, maybe even two hours, until the rub "sets." You will know when it happens, because the rub won't look like it's going to slough off at the slightest touch. Another thing is to have some sort of fat going onto the ribs at the same time that you're spritzing them. You can do this either by adding a little olive oil (or some other oil) to the spritz (be sure to shake or blend it right before applying), OR by brushing a little onto the ribs - by a little, I do mean a little. As the ribs start to render their own fat, brush it around on them as well. This provides a basting effect that works with the rub and the mop to really cook everything in and give you a nice bark. PS - it's easy to over-do the spritzing, but I think that the basting can't be over-done.

                    A glaze will indeed help - it can be anything you want as long as it is at least sorta thick and contains some sort of sugar element. It can be as simple as honey or quite elaborate. One really good one I've found that is well-balanced and works like a charm comes from Danny Gaulden - it consists of equal parts (about 1/4 or 1/3 cup each) of brown sugar, yellow mustard and apple cider vinegar. Heat on the stove, stirring often, until everything is incorporated and dissolved - and just starting to "cook" and darken; then let it cool. This tastes great and provides a beautiful, deep-mohogany colour along with a crackle and shine. Two common mistakes with glaze are applying too much and applying it too often; start 30 or 45 minutes before you expect to be finished. Brush on a THIN layer, then another 15 mintues or so later, and then perhaps one more. Each time, the heat (which is now much dryer than at the beginning, due to the lower moisture) will "shrink-dry" the glaze onto the ribs and cook it in. Keep an eye out to avoid blackening, which comes from heat that is too high or too close. Right as you pull the ribs off the heat, brush one final THIN layer on, and you're good to go; the residual heat will set it in and provide the final touch.

                    Those are some ideas - I have tried them all; some alone, some in combination and sometimes all within one cook - good results every time.



                    Look everything over and if you have any questions, just ask. Any or all should help improve your bark development. The key, I think, is to "stick to basics" and not be too elaborate. Everything up there looks back to the old school, and the little things they would do to make good ribs just a little better, edging toward great barbecue!
                    Last edited by TasunkaWitko; 05-15-2013, 04:32 PM.
                    Fundamentals matter.



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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by SmokinTim View Post
                      I hit them with rub only and smoke them like anything else. Once they stop sweating and dry up
                      There is another key. Do not mop/spray until rub has set..and BE GENTLE!
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                      • #26
                        Two and a half years later...Still a good thread...Thanks Dave...

                        Amazing that I have learned so much and still think the same...

                        To me the bark on ribs thing is gonna be minimal due to the relatively short cook time...Doesn't matter if ya use mustard as a base or just put the rub straight on the meat...I usually use chipotle tabasco....But that's just me....The sugar in the rub will form the bark in due time...Agree with Tas that turbinado sugar is the way to go because it doesn't burn as easily...Using a spritz that is about 50/50 fruit juice/alcohol is a good way to boost the bark but using the spray too often will definitely extend the cook time due to cooling/evaporation...And indeed...NO FOIL...

                        OR...Don't get hung up and enjoy the Q
                        Craig
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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by SMOKE FREAK View Post
                          Two and a half years later...Still a good thread...Thanks Dave...


                          It's interesting how these old threads get an occasional bump then folks reply without reading the entire thread (or looking at the date of the original post) and it takes off like gang busters.

                          Interesting to look back and compare the info though.

                          Dave
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                          • #28
                            lol - i noticed that AFTER i posted my "dissertation....."
                            Fundamentals matter.



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