Third attempt - temp control frustration!

[bengalgirl2]

Right now I'm grilling 2 racks of back ribs on my Weber 22.5" charcoal grill, Smokenator in place. At 10h30 AM, I placed 48 unlit Kingsford briquettes (blue bag) in the Smokenator then 4 oz cherry wood chunks on top. I lit 12 briquettes in my charcoal chimney and when white, added them to the Smokenator. I put the water tray in place but did not fill until the temps went above 200. Oh, I also am using binder clips and have a Maverick Redicheck digital thermometer probe set up on the cooking grill, between the 2 racks of ribs.

Ok, here's the problem. I added the ribs at 11h15 AM, once the temp hit 210 and added hot water to the pan at that time. I'm also stirring the coals, adding another 2 oz wood, sweeping the ashes, and adding more hot water every hour. At 12h45 PM, the temp started to fall consistently. Once below 190, I decided to add 15 unlit coals and stir the mix. Now the same thing just happened (consistently falling temps) at 1h30 pm, so again I added 15 unlit coals.

This is my 3rd attempt at ribs. What I'm aiming for is not "fall off the bone" ribs, but rather super tender so when you take a bite, the meat comes right off the bone with a tug. The ones shown in a positive "bend test" (tearing), that you can tear apart with your hands. I have yet to achieve this with the Smokenator so I'm missing something.

I'm using the 3-2-1 method but think I should be waiting for 1/4" pull back before adding the Texas crutch method. I've yet to hit this. Any suggestions?

I'm in the middle of this whole process so will check in periodically. Ribs are probably my favorite food of all time so I would LOVE to be able to hit "Texas" quality ribs on my home grill. I don't care how long it takes or the number of steps, just the end result

[bengalgirl2]

Ok, update post rib extravaganza. I smoked the 2 racks of back ribs for 3 hours with cherry wood, put in a Texas crutch with apple juice for 2 hours, then put on without water in the pan for 1 more hour. For the last 30 minutes I brushed on barbecue sauce and put the racks directly over the coals.

End result - I FINALLY got the texture I wanted! The meat didn't fall off the bones but when I took a bite, the meat tugged off neatly without a morsel left on the bone. However, I thought the meat just a touch too moist. So next time, I'll try 30 minutes less in the Texas crutch.

So looks like I have this pretty much sorted out for Kingsford (blue bag) coal. Next time I'll be using Red Oak (red back) coal so hopefully there won't be too much of a new learning curve!

[chuck1221]

Good job. I just made the best baby back ribs yet last weekend also. I used the 3-2-1 method also. I found my dome temps differ so much from my grate temp. I now use a type K thermocouple with a readout. I clip the thermocouple wire to the rack right next to the ribs. My ribs have since came out 5X better. Also this last time I had the grill around 230 - 235 the whole time, then also removed that water pan the last 30 - 45 min. This last time I also cut the rack of ribs in half. It seemed to help also, you don't get the good ole full rack look though when you pull them off. Good stuff, I'm looking to do a brisket this fall.

[lam9221]

I'm new to Smokenator and this forum, so I don't know the jargon yet. What is the "3-2-1 method" and "Texas crutch?"

[BB-Kuhn]

3-2-1 is when you smoke the ribs for three hours for smoke flavor, wrap them in foil and cook for the next two hours to finish cooking and for tenderness, and then unwrap and cook dry with no water in pan for the last (6th) hour to firm them up and for glazing time. This is pretty much the timetable for spare ribs... Babybacks are more like 2-1-1 ish.

[BB-Kuhn]

The Texas crutch is when you wrap (or in a covered foil pan - same concept) a large cut - brisket/shoulder, etc once the temp comes to the stall (about 155-165 degrees when it often sits there for hours before climbing again). Texas crutch can often shorten or even eliminate the stall. I usually plan on enough time to not need it, but if 9hrs into my cook I find myself behind schedule, I'll get back on track using this method. Works like a charm.