Let’s talk ribs and resting

[Mo Smoke]

Lots of talk about how important it is to let meat rest after it cooks. I’ve heard of various methods for brisket especially. In a cooler, wrapped in a blanket, on the counter, 1hr, 4hrs, 8 hrs. What about ribs? Do you let them rest? How long? Piled up in a cooler? Wrapped in foil? In the oven? I put some in a cooler the other day but left the lid cracked because I didn’t want to steam them. I kind of wish I had closed the lid now to let that heat finish them off a bit. I like the smoke flavor but it was just too much pink color in the meat to me and the texture wasn’t done enough.


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[towtruck]

I usually finish them on the smoker and then place them on a plate and cover with foil long enough for them to cool down to eating temperature. I never shoot for an underdone rib and try to finish under the foil.

I really don't think they need a rest at all and can go from smoker to plate in one shot. I only let mine sit so I can finish up the rest of the meal. I can never time the sides right so we wait until the ribs are done then cover and finish the sides.

I like to cook tri-tips and I like them best without any rest time. I love to start slicing them up and eating the slices as quick as I can.....the wife and I have ben known to kill an entire tri-tip while standing at the counter....never even making the sides!!

[Mo Smoke]

Nice ! I do like to stand at the counter and eat sometimes. That way I’m already there if I want more! Do you wrap your ribs? How hot and how long do u cook em?


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[Pete Mazz]

I rest big cuts overnight in a holding oven but serve ribs the same day.

[Barrion2018]

I’ve never liked beef ribs, it’s not the flavor that I don’t like, it’s the tuff stringy thing I hate.

Every beef rib that I have been served in my life has been tuff and stringy, and I hate that.

To my surprise, I watched a Big Moe Cason YouTube video last week where he was talking about how to smoke beef ribs, they looked amazing, and they were very tender.

I was so impressed with how he cooked them and how they turned-out, I decided to give beef ribs another try, so I bought some beef short ribs this last Friday and smoked one of the four racks I bought on Monday/Labor Day.

I followed what I could remember on how Moe said how to smoke them, but I screwed-up somewhere and over cooked them. They had good flavor and were not tuff at all, but were very dry.

Even though they were really dry, I still liked them and I’m looking forward to trying them again, but not cook/smoke them as long.

What internal temperature do I need before taking them off so they are not going to be dry, and not tuff or stringy?

[SheffSmoker]

I've never had a bad beef short rib, even back when I first started and didn't really know what I was doing.

I've always used a water pan in the bottom of my smoker, not on the shelf like others but it does add moisture to the environment as it's always almost empty by the end of a cook.

The other thing I religiously do every hour is spritz them with a water / cider vinegar mix, same as I do with baby back ribs.

Temp wise - one always has a probe in, and I aim for 90-95 deg C - that's 195-205F in your money IIRC. I don't wrap them during the cook, but rest them for at least half an hour with a loose foil tent over the plate.

Duration wise it depends on the ambient temp and rib size, but looking through my notes I've had some done in 6 hours and others have taken 10. They've always been fall apart tender, moist with a lovely soft almost liquid fat, with a good bark on them.

[Dirtytires]

I don't wrap ribs, beef or pork, as I reserve that process for the longer smokes of bigger pieces of meat. And yes, those bigger cuts get wrapped (in paper) and let rest for up to an hour in most cases. Ribs, on the other hand, go right to the dinner table as soon as they are done on the pit.

The way I understand it, moisture works it way to the outside as the meat is cooked to we let it rest/cool down a bit so the moisture can redistribute back to the center. Ribs are so thin that that isn't necessary, in my opinion.

[towtruck]

Nice ! I do like to stand at the counter and eat sometimes. That way I’m already there if I want more! Do you wrap your ribs? How hot and how long do u cook em?


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I smoke baby backs at 225*-250*. Rubbed and 2.5 hours bone side down, wrap in foil with any one of these or a combo of them depending on what I am after...apple juice, orange juice, butter, chili sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup, jam, bourbon.....for 1 hour. Unwrap, sauce, and finish on grates for 30-40 minutes to caramelize the sauce. I can do light and fruity or rich and heavy depending on the mood.

[Barrion2018]

Thanks guys!

After reading all your replies, I left them on the smoker to long.

So when I smoke the other 3 racks, I should bring the smoker temp to between 225* to 250*, cook/smoke until internal temp is between 195F to 205F, correct?

It may be next weekend before I give it a try. This weekend, I'm planning on smoking brisket for the first time. I hope I don't screw it up!

Thanks again guys for the info!!

[Dirtytires]

Beef ribs get pulled according to internal temp....I aim for 200-203. Pork ribs are done when you grab half of them with a pair of tongs and the meat "breaks/pulls away" at the center- I never use a thermometer on pork ribs.

225-250 is perfect for pit temp, and yes, always bring your pit up to temp and stabilize before adding meat.

[Barrion2018]

Beef ribs get pulled according to internal temp....I aim for 200-203. Pork ribs are done when you grab half of them with a pair of tongs and the meat "breaks/pulls away" at the center- I never use a thermometer on pork ribs.

225-250 is perfect for pit temp, and yes, always bring your pit up to temp and stabilize before adding meat.

Thank you very much for the info!

Next time, I'll pull them off when the internal temp is between "200-203" and see how they comeout.

The ones I just made that were dry, my internal temp was around 207F, it took me a little over 10 hours to get to that temp.

For some reason, I thought I heard or read that the internal temp need to be around 207F for beef ribs, apparently I was wrong.

[Dirtytires]

10 hours for beef ribs is a bit long and will definitely dry them out. Either you kept opening your pit or the cooking temp was too low--peeking all the time looses heat. Really no need to open it at all during the first 4 hours and then just a quick temp check every hour after that. Using a remote probe will mean you don't even need to check that often. Aim for closer to 6.5 to 7 hours cook time.

I like my pit temp between 225 and 250 but consistent temps are important.

[Mo Smoke]

I think beef ribs are always tough to a degree. Definitely more than pork. But some folks like that chew. I put some on the other day for a friend. Those babies are expensive ! But they felt tender to me early on. I considered pulling them off then. But I let them ride out until the bark formed. Put them in a covered pan for a while, and let em finish uncovered once I felt they were good to go. Great flavor but not tender enough for me. Beef is weird. It’s like depending on the cut and thickness, sometimes it’s you only cook it a short time to make it tender and other times u cook it longer to break it down and make it tender. It’s a challenge now tho. Got some experimenting to do.


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