Ribs - Juice or No Juice?

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BBQFiend

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I was thinking about doing the 3-2-1 style ribs next weekend. A buddy told me don't even bother cooking the ribs for 3hrs in the beginning. For him the better recipe is more like a 2-2-1. My next question is there seems to be some debate over whether or not to add apple juice during the foil cooking part. Some say it makes the ribs more juicy while others say it doesn't really help that much. I wanted to ask the folks here to get their opinion.
 
The thing with the foil is you lose your bark. That's one of the reasons you put them back on the grill after the foil. I don't foil mine at all.
 
i would say it is more of a flavoring than an aid to make them juicy. some of the most juicy ribs i have ever had were not wrapped at all. also, the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 is all based on temps. don't try 3-2-1 at 300.:shock:
 
^^^yup^^^just monitor your temp with an internal probe. Cook them low, each rack will be different.
 
Last edited:
pjtexas1 said:
i would say it is more of a flavoring than an aid to make them juicy. some of the most juicy ribs i have ever had were not wrapped at all. also, the 3-2-1 or 2-2-1 is all based on temps. don't try 3-2-1 at 300.:shock:
Click to expand...

Thanks I was planning on trying the 2-2-1 at 225.
 
Last couple of racks I did 4.5 hrs at 275, I like my ribs dry with a good bark and I don't wrap. The only thing I wrap is Brisket and thats with butcher paper, to each his/her own though, whatever works for ya.
 
Two hours in foil is too long at any temp in my mind. I cook about 265-275. I usually don't Foil at all at home. For comp style I Foil for about 45 minutes. I don't use juice in the foil. I use some brown sugar, honey, Bourbon, and some hot sauce. I wrap the foil tight against the ribs, like I'm making a burrito not a pouch. I don't want a lot of steaming action. The foil just makes sure the sugar and honey don't get black. The more liquid you have, the more steam you have. Steamed ribs are actually pretty good, but I like smoked ribs better.
 
BBQFiend said:
I do like them juicy and easy to take off the bone.
Click to expand...

You can get that either way. Cook them to the doneness you like, but don't get too hung up on how they get to that point. Whether you Foil, run naked, cook in the oven, or 100 other ways just make sure they are cooked to the tenderness YOU like.

They are done when they are tender, not when the timer goes off. More Foil juice doesn't necessarily mean more rib meat juice. Have fun.
 
Thanks for the tips. Ribs aren't necessarily cheap, that's why I want to make sure they're done right.
 
I don't generally foil at all, I cook spares at around 250-275 until they are toothpick tender, if I were to foil I'd do more of a 3-1-.5 method. In my opinion 2 hours in foil over cooks the ribs at the 275 degrees I generally run
 
My best ribs so far were a few weeks ago, essentially using Fast Eddy's method: Baby backs overnight with brown sugar in the fridge, then rub, and into the smoker at 275 for about 3 1/2 hours. No foil. The last half hour or so I mopped them with a sweet sauce concoction of my own design. We like them a little more fall-off-the-bone tender than the competition folks say. They were delicious.
 
I always cook mine naked (no foil), but do find that once the bark starts forming some sort of mop or spritz is necessary to keep the bark from getting crunchy/tough/leather-like or whatever the appropriate word is.
 
I usually wrap my ribs when the color is where I want it. If the meat has pulled back from the bones a little and the color is right, I wrap. I don't add liquid, just a little of what was described above, maybe some butter. Then I check for doneness by twisting the bone some, if it acts like it's about to break loose and spin freely, they're done. I then take them out of the foil to re-set the bark some before adding sauce. For me, it's easier to gauge by the factors above, not time. I let my cooker get where it wants to be temp wise and it changes with the weather. Timing isn't always the best option.
 
I cook baby backs naked at 260-275* for 3-31/2 hours until I get a good bend. Then, I will sauce/glaze them twice at 15 and 30 minutes. Usually turn out great and everyone likes them.

Good luck, give 'em a try. Joe
 
I cook at 260-270ish, smoke for 2 1/2 hrs, wrap tight in foil with brown sugar and liquid butter, and a dab of apple juice for 1 hr. Then unwrap, put back on smoker for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up the bark, then sauce both sides and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Comes out like heaven, tender and juicy.
 
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