What could have caused this?

[flh69]

Did a rack of baby backs today on my Trailblazer the same way I always do them. 2/2/1 method. Bought these ribs from the butcher shop that I have always bought them.
They have always came out fall off the bone which is what we like, These things were so damn tough we couldn't eat them.. They were stuck to the bone & you would have needed pliers to remove the meat. I use a thermometer with thermocuples to monitor the grill so I know what temp they were cooking. I have cooked a lot of baby backs & never had this problem so I am thinking it had to be the ribs but what???

 

[Bytor]

Sounds like they were under cooked. I have had some BB's that had more meat on them than usual and took additional time in the pit. I never temp ribs, just because of the minimal bone to meat space with them. I go with meat shrinkage on the bones and the bend test to determine if they are done. When in doubt, take a cheater rib off and see what they are like. My experience is that tough off the bone are under cooked and over cooked leads to mushiness.

 

[Jim6820]

Don’t discount the possibility that you just got a tough piece of meat. That can happen and, with ribs, there’s not enough meat mass to break down the tough, fibrous tissue before it dries out. That makes it even tougher. And, as @Bytor said, using a thermometer on ribs doesn’t work that well.

 

[SmokeZilla]

Sorry to hear your cook did not turn out as planned. It can happen on any given Sunday and usually only happens when you most look forward to a good meal. I know we sometimes rely on thermometers and other devices to determine our next steps but when dealing with ribs (pork, beef, lamb, or ‘gater) you may want to do it the old fashioned way. Start the cook until you see a good bark form and about 25-35 degrees of deflection when you pick up the rack at one end with tongs. Then, wrap with your favorite seasonings and flavors until the pull back at the bone end is approximately 1/4-1/2 inches and the deflection is increased to approximately 70-85 degrees. Note: anything greater means they fall apart and hit the ground, haha.). I then put them on the grill unwrapped meat side down for char/grill marks or meat side up until the sauce tightens up or carmelizes (unless you are from KC or Memphis and don’t sauce). I usually only use my temp probe to check tenderness and that should be like sticking it in a brisket point for a ”competition“ bite or the consistency of putting through a soft peach for ”fall off the bone”, I am very cautious when going for fall off the bone because there is a very fine line between boiled ribs and over done ribs (i.e., overly well done or dry) if you get it wrong so don’t go to soft because the temp will continue to rise during the rest period for another 3-8 degrees if covered in foil.

These were just my thoughts to address the inconsistencies in one pig and another and I assumed your used your standard good ribs recipe, smoker temps and prep work, unaltered. Also, if you have a good relationship with your butcher, I‘d ask if he/she/they (sorry, I’m in California and remain confused but don’t want to offend) changed their sources. Your experience reminds me of when my butcher purchased some bulk pork on sale and found out it came from a foreign source.

Good luck with your future cooks. I’d chalk this one up to uncontrolled, unforeseeable circumstances (a.k.a. a grill-master’s lessons learned).

 

[flh69]

I am going to chalk this one up to the ribs just being tough. I've cooked countless of baby backs from this butcher using the exact same method of cooking & never had this happen. They have always been spot on to our liking. I am going to talk to the butcher to see if he did have another source for supplies.
disappointing to asay the least.

 

[DenStinett]

Sounds to me, like that Hog was shot in the @$$, headin' out the side Door of the Slaughterhouse

 

[chadinsc]

#1 rule of bbq is if the finished product isn’t good then it was bad meat.

 

[SmokeZilla]

Sounds to me, like that Hog was shot in the @$$, headin' out the side Door of the Slaughterhouse

Den…
Your response was pretty funny and believe it or not, brought back fond memories of visiting my relatives in the Carolina’s during slaughter season (or as we called it, the hog kill). As a one generation removed farmer, I hunted quite a bit and did not understand what a compassionate kill meant. One year, I was the executioner for quite a few hogs and I walked up to one with a bat and began striking it in the head until it expired. That’s when my grandfather taught me that you don’t stress out the hog or get it excited before its ultimate demise. Instead, you comfort it , give it some food and pamper it. Then, with the stealthiness of a ninja, finish the job before it can actually realize what is happening. Funny how your forget things until the old memory banks can be triggered. Thanks for the memories.

 

[chadinsc]

Sounds to me, like that Hog was shot in the @$$, headin' out the side Door of the Slaughterhouse

kinda funny. i hunt pigs on public land in sc and the first one i ever killed i found shotgun pellets under its skin on its rear end. out of around 60-70 big game animals i have killed thats the only one i ever found old bullets in. here is that pig

 

[SmokeZilla]

kinda funny. i hunt pigs on public land in sc and the first one i ever killed i found shotgun pellets under its skin on its rear end. out of around 60-70 big game animals i have killed thats the only one i ever found old bullets in. here is that pigView attachment 17211

Chadinsc,

That’s a good lookin sow. Bet she was tender (except for the left over pellets). I used to do quite a bit of hunting in NC (primarily Brunswick County) and in the Waccamaw Wildlife Refuge in Coastal SC back in the day. We may have walked the same hills.

 

[chadinsc]

that’s awesome. coastal nc has some of the biggest black bears in the world. bigger than alaska or the rocky mountains. bet you seen atleast one giant! i mostly hunt the north west corner of sc were the appalachian mountains cuts across the state in the jocassee gorges. its a beautiful place with countless water falls and rare plants because its the only rain forest east of washington state in america. that little slice of heaven gets about 10ft of rain a year! it made national geographics top 50 places in the world list. here are a few pictures i took last year

 

[flh69]

that’s awesome. coastal nc has some of the biggest black bears in the world. bigger than alaska or the rocky mountains. bet you seen atleast one giant! i mostly hunt the north west corner of sc

WOW! Absolutely beautiful pictures. I did not know that about the northwest corner of SC. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for sharing and also thanks to all for the replies to my thread.

 

[SmokeZilla]

that’s awesome. coastal nc has some of the biggest black bears in the world. bigger than alaska or the rocky mountains. bet you seen atleast one giant! i mostly hunt the north west corner of sc were the appalachian mountains cuts across the state in the jocassee gorges. its a beautiful place with countless water falls and rare plants because its the only rain forest east of washington state in america. that little slice of heaven gets about 10ft of rain a year! it made national geographics top 50 places in the world list. here are a few pictures i took last year

We used to hunt for bear in the Green Swamp off HWY 17 between Shallotte and Bolivia back in the day. We don’t see that many due to encroachment but during a hike you can still see the signs. Now we head into Western NC (not far from Asheville) to see the big ones.

I’ve been to the Sandhills Wildlife park/reserve and in the Anitoch/Buford/Kershaw areas. They are beautiful. Your pictures are just a tease for those that have not been in the area. I especially prefer your pictures because they don’t include the mosquitos and I don’t smell like DEET. lol

 

[AAR4Fun]

Similar cook and toughness happened to me yesterday. 3.5 hours ar 225, 1.5 in foil, 30 minutes back on at 350 unfoiled Tasted was ok, just tough and chewy. It was right at 185-190 when I pulled them off. They just needed more time. Cooled grill down to 225 and set them back on until they reached 195-200. Came out fine the second time.

 

[waynec]

Did a rack of baby backs today on my Trailblazer the same way I always do them. 2/2/1 method. Bought these ribs from the butcher shop that I have always bought them.
They have always came out fall off the bone which is what we like, These things were so damn tough we couldn't eat them.. They were stuck to the bone & you would have needed pliers to remove the meat. I use a thermometer with thermocuples to monitor the grill so I know what temp they were cooking. I have cooked a lot of baby backs & never had this problem so I am thinking it had to be the ribs but what???

did you leave it in the foil until it was pulling way back on the bone and bends easily? Can't go by time alone.

 

[Rlhanson]

Years ago I split an injured sow with my brother in law. He called and said his pork chops were so tough and hard to chew. I told him my half was fine. That’s what you get for being a smart ass