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dixieporkers

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Hello all I am on a bbq team named dixie porkers we are all new to the contest scene we competed in tupelo ms in march and placed 9th in brisket but placed bad in all other catogories I am the rib guy on the team and I have been trying the 3-2-1 method and the ribs are still coming out a little tough and the pork is coming out a little chewy and of course the chicken skin is killing us so I know we have some work to do so any suggestions would greatly be appreciated and also I just ordered a ys640 and am waiting for it to come in so any comments on that would be great as well
 
I'm sure others can pipe in with other, and perhaps better advice, but you may have to adjust the 3-2-1 method as far as times go. I know some advise not using this, to each his own... I use it, but I've had to adjust to 2.5-2-30.... the last may be a full hour...depends on the ribs themselves....it's ready when it's ready. Like I said, may be better advice out there, but I know for myself, that was one thing I had to do.
 
rib

Ive actually thought about that as well and this weekend with the new yoder I am planning on pmayin around with dif temps and times
 
Heres 3 of our boxes didnt get one of the brisket this is from somerville tn two weekends ago
 

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I can't tell you anything about the tenderness or taste of your meat, but the appearance of the boxes can be improved. Even though appearance is the lowest in weighting, you need to make sure you don't leave any points on the table. Check out bbqcritic.com and see what the judges are saying about boxes.

- For ribs, try and put at least four bones from one rack together on the front row. If you can't get four off of one rack try to find bones that are closer to the same length. You can hide differences in the back but not the front.
- On the pork box try and fan the money muscle out neater. Make the fanning look more even.
- I like the uniformity of the legs in the box, but the might be a little dark.

As for cooking ribs the best advice I can give is this: practice, practice, and then practice some more. Take detailed notes on your preparation, timeline, and results and adjust from there as needed the next time you cook.

Variations (within reason) in flavor win, but you have to nail the tenderness. I tasted the top two rib entries from a contest a few weeks ago and they couldn't have been more different taste wise but both had great tenderness.
 
Can you give more details about your 3-2-1 method? What temp are you cooking at? What are you cooking on currently? Is there a hot spot? What are you wrapping with?
 
I'm in total agreement with rtboswell on his opinion of your box appearances. Attention to detail is critical for 9s. BBQCritic.com is an EXCELLENT resource to check on how judges look at different boxes. Not all in agreement, but look at the comments on why they scored the way they did.

As far as rib cooking, i've not mastered that yet myself, so I'm not going to comment.

Good luck!
 
just like it was already stated, ribs could have great taste and tenderness but the box needs to look neater. remember, people taste with their eyes first. think razor slices, uniformity and balance from left to right. also, work on exterior color. sugar in rub shouldn't carmelize at temperatures lower than 300*. i thought the chicken looked great though... would have liked to have had one of those! i think most of the time this preperation is done without the knuckle though.
 
If you want to cook using 3-2-1 then use it as a guide don't just set an alarm to go off every 3hrs, 2hrs, and 1hr. Most teams wrap their ribs when the color looks good. Whether that happens after 2.5hrs or 3hrs its up to your preference.

Moral of the story is use time as a guide but not a strict rule.
 
fnbish said:
Can you give more details about your 3-2-1 method? What temp are you cooking at? What are you cooking on currently? Is there a hot spot? What are you wrapping with?
Click to expand...
And this is coming from the #1 ranked KCBS rib cooker in GA!

Glad to see you have some free time to post!!!!
 
dixieporkers said:
Hello all I am on a bbq team named dixie porkers we are all new to the contest scene we competed in tupelo ms in march and placed 9th in brisket but placed bad in all other catogories I am the rib guy on the team and I have been trying the 3-2-1 method and the ribs are still coming out a little tough and the pork is coming out a little chewy and of course the chicken skin is killing us so I know we have some work to do so any suggestions would greatly be appreciated and also I just ordered a ys640 and am waiting for it to come in so any comments on that would be great as well
Click to expand...

I agree with Jason that we need a little more info on your temps to be able to help with the ribs.

We use a 2-1-1 method with our ribs and we run around 275-285* on those ribs. We use an offset RF smoker and have our temperatures dialed in pretty closely. We run a lot hotter than a lot of teams though so that is why our time tables are shorter.

As for the boxes, I agree a lot with the information you've received already for feedback. The pork did look a little dry. Are you saucing before placing it in the box? All three boxes looked a little dark, but that may be where you were when you took the pictures too.

How are you cooking the chicken? We can maybe help with the skin issue if you give more information on your processes and times there too.
 
The chicken was cooked at close to 300 we had terrible issues maintaining temp due to wind and cold air tatse was excellent but skin was definitely tough
 
Practice, practice and experiment some more. You can read all the suggestions you want, but practice and experimentation is what is going to make you better.

dixieporkers said:
The chicken was cooked at close to 300 we had terrible issues maintaining temp due to wind and cold air tatse was excellent but skin was definitely tough
Click to expand...

It sounds as though you may not have a handle on your cooker. Being able to control your cooker in all types of conditions is important. If you had been able to maintain the temperature you wanted your chicken may have turned out differently.

I wouldn't necessarily make any major changes until you get your cooker under control. Making changes to your recipes and cooking technique will mean nothing if you can't maintain the cooker and be able to replicate it every time you cook.
 
Red Valley BBQ said:
It sounds as though you may not have a handle on your cooker. Being able to control your cooker in all types of conditions is important.
Click to expand...

Yes, those temp swings will turn a brisket into shoe leather too.

Your sauce should not be that dark. Put it on later in the cooking process.
 
dixieporkers said:
Im usually cooking them between 225 and 235
Click to expand...
If your ribs are a little tough cooking at that temp, you may want to increase the cooking temp up to ~250 degrees. And you have to practice, practice, practice. Think of it as playing any sport, the more you practice the better you'll get!!
 
I've practiced a lot, and I run my rib smoker (UDS) at 265 and loosely follow 2-1-1. It has worked for me in the past. Just my $.02.
 
I run my ribs @ ~250 and do a 3-1-30 +/-. As has been said; it's not an exact science. It's an art. I judge a lot by color and feel, but also by smell.

Also, make sure you are adding some kind of liquid in with your ribs when you wrap them. Not much, but just enough to create some steam in the packet.

I use a little apple juice, brown sugar and honey.
 
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