Simple BabyBacks

[Roaniecowpony]

I've spent a lot of time experimenting and using intricate methods to get maximum results.

So, it struck me the other day that I bought a RT so it would be easy, not to develop additional intricate methods. I decided I'd try some basic method to get a simple method which my wife could do if I were not home. And babybacks are her favorite rib.

So, my plan was to follow a tried and proven method: 225F til done, no wrap, no super low smoke time, no smoke tube. Just rub and run til tender, then sauce (wife has to have sauce). I did put two additional tasks in there, two bastes with a mix of water, veggie oil, rub, brown sugar, after 2 hours.

After 4 1/2 hrs they look like this.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

At the 6hr mark, they were "competition" tender. I showed them to my wife and let her do a tug test on several ribs. I applied my mix of sauce on 2 racks, leaving one with rub only (for me) Then let the sauce tighten up for about another 1/2 hr. Here's the money shot.

 

[Waterboy]

Those look good. I‘be always wrapped but after seeing unwrapped cooks like yours here on the forum I think I’m going to change my ways.

 

[Dan99]

Hi Your ribs look great, awesome color. What did u rubbed then with?
Dan

 

[Uncle Bob]

Sometimes it can be very satisfying to shut down the engineering part of the brain and just let stuff roll.

 

[BethV]

They look great!! How was the taste and texture?

 

[hdwg97]

That's how I do mine everytime, they always come out great. No wrap no sauce

 

[Beavercreek_smoker]

That’s interesting. I’ve cooked many racks in my egg using the 3-2-1 method. Always came out perfect. First rack on my 700 doing the exact same way they were good but a little dry and tougher then I like. Adding apple juice to the foil time took care of that. So don’t they come out dry going the full 6 hours with no wrap/steam time?

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Sorry folks for the late reply. I got to doing other things.

To answer questions about texture and moistness, I will have to say, they were slightly drier than we prefer. They were still great, but not up to the expectations we have. I had previously done this with some spare ribs and they were more moist.

So, for the babybacks, I'm going back to wrapping. For spare ribs, I'm ok with unwrapped.

 

[Grilltreats]

You should give 275° a try for 3-hours (no opening the lid). Then 1/2 hour for sauce and doneness afterwards. No wrap with this method. They cook faster, are more moist and have more smoke flavor. They also have a tender bite left as well. Very simple...

 

[rfdong]

You should give 275° a try for 3-hours (no opening the lid). Then 1/2 hour for sauce and doneness afterwards. No wrap with this method. They cook faster, are more moist and have more smoke flavor. They also have a tender bite left as well. Very simple...

this is how I do it.

 

[blargrx]

You should give 275° a try for 3-hours (no opening the lid). Then 1/2 hour for sauce and doneness afterwards. No wrap with this method. They cook faster, are more moist and have more smoke flavor. They also have a tender bite left as well. Very simple...

interesting, i'll have to give that a go. i've just been running 225 and letting them run til they're done

 

[Roaniecowpony]

You should give 275° a try for 3-hours (no opening the lid). Then 1/2 hour for sauce and doneness afterwards. No wrap with this method. They cook faster, are more moist and have more smoke flavor. They also have a tender bite left as well. Very simple...

Are you doing spares/StLou ribs or babybacks this way?

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Hi Your ribs look great, awesome color. What did u rubbed then with?
Dan

Dan,
I like to use John Henry's Texas Brisket Rub. I have tried a lot of rubs and keep coming back to this rub for a lot of my bbq. My neighbor, who bought a RT-700 also has starting using it. I buy it in bulk packages for about half the retail shaker price. https://www.johnhenrysfoodproducts.com/
I use it on beef, pork and to a limited degree on salmon.

Alternatively, I like Bad Byron's Butt Rub https://www.buttrub.com/

 

[Grilltreats]

Are you doing spares/StLou ribs or babybacks this way?

StLou

 

[SmokeZilla]

This thread brings back fond memories. Being older and from NC, I never heard about wrapping (or maybe we were too poor to waist the foil, haha). My grandparent‘s farm had livestock and our definition of “farm fresh” or “farm to plate” was different than today’s definition. That being said, everyone had a smoker. Our’s was a two story 6,000 sqft smokehouse. For entertainment and small cooks, we all used 50 gallon barrel smokers that leaked and had to be babysat. We would typically use low heat 210-230 degrees over 4-5 hours, sauce, another hour with one flip and get fork tender ribs. One thing I remember as a 6 year old was my responsibility to be the spritzer. Every 30-45 minutes I had to open the cooker and spray a combination of freshly squished/squeezed apple juice, sugar cane juice and vinegar, generously over all sides of the ribs. This process was well known in the family and I don’t remember any ribs coming out bad. I sometimes reproduce the process on my 40 year old vertical (see photo below). Interestingly, I don’t remeber anyone ever saying the smoke had to be light blue. Further, I don’t remeber anyone talking about an acrid taste or bad flavor because there was too much smoke. Did they make trees differently back then? To sum it up, I’ve circled the globe (109 countries and counting) and everywhere I have been, the taste of food had to be calibrated by your experiences or lack thereof. If you've never had soda pop, water is just fine. One thing that will sour the taste of your meal is to overthink or overwork yourself making the meal before you can enjoy the meal. We have modern tools to minimize the surprises but I always have to remember cave men and women didn’t have temperature gages.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[charlesrshell]

Nice post.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I smoked some babybacks again today. I used my regular rub. I let them go 3 hours @235F, basted after about 90 mins, once with a mix of 1 cup water, 1/4 cup cooking oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons of rub, heated to put the sugar in solution. Then let it go to the 3 hr mark. They were plenty moist on the surface, but not building bark. So, I cranked her to 300F for about 50 mins, then trayed them with melted butter over them and poured some beer in the tray. Pulled them out and put them on the Bull at 250F for about 10 mins to tighten the bark a bit and then brushed with my sauce and let that go about 10 mins. They are very moist like my wife likes and had a nice smoke flavor. But not heavy smoke.

 

[Gonefishin]

Looks great but I don't know that I'd categorize them as "Simple Baby Backs".

 

[Beach Bum]

Well after many years of 3-2-1, I figured it was about time to try "simple" today. I prepped three racks of spare ribs with a brush of olive oil and Bad Byron's Butt Rub. They went on the bull for six hours at 225 with nothing but a quick spritz of apple juice and apple cider vinegar at the two hour mark and hourly thereafter.

These were some the best ribs I've cooked. I can't believe it took me this long to try this method. I think I'm done with wrapping, at least for a while.