5 ms·

Wrapping ribs in foil is essentially boiling them in their own steam. Mushy and bland unless you're a pro. The oven is fine, but if you want speed and smoke ta

Wrapping ribs in foil is essentially boiling them in their own steam. Mushy and bland unless you're a pro. The oven is fine, but if you want speed and smoke taste, brine and cook at 300 degrees on a grill for about an hour. Best of both worlds.

tptacek 9y ago
Wrapping in foil, in the oven or on the smoker, is one of the oldest tricks in barbecue: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html The "you're a pro" part of this basically comes down to: you have to wrap your product tightly and with no gaps (else you still have the evaporative cooling that is the reason for the crutch in the first place), and you have to remove the foil midway through cooking. I don't see how you can get tender ribs in 60 minutes at 300f. Tenderness is a function of collagen conversion, and that just doesn't happen that quickly, especially in dry air cooking.
- drewcon 9y ago
  Fellowship of the Brine my brother.
  - tptacek 9y ago
    Brining has downsides too! It can make meat mushy, definitely retards crust and bark formation, and fills the meat with water, which dulls flavor.
    - drewcon 9y ago
      Hasn't been my experience. Truly. Give it a try, honestly you might be surprised. Nearly everyone I serve those grill style ribs to comments how much they prefer them to traditional smoked they get (which I also serve from a real smoker). I think most ribs you get from a typical restaurant or a home cook are so over cooked/boiled and mushy because folks think they are really supposed to just fall off the bone. The brined and grilled ones still have bite and taste like meat. Also girl temp is probably closer to 400-450. It's 300-350 at the top thermometer.
- dekhn 9y ago
  Tenderness is a complicated beast. It's not just collegn conversion. Brining causes a big change in the molecular structure of the meat that retains a lot more moisture compared to cooking un-brined meat. That doesn't do anything for connective tissue, except you can crank the cooking heat higher to melt the fat, which lubricates the meat further, and then just cut the remaining tissue away, rather than breaking it down. It's a tradeoff- it doesn't taste as good, but it's got pretty good texture.
  - tptacek 9y ago
    I don't think you're not really "melting the fat". Fat by itself melts almost immediately. What you're really doing is breaking down the connective tissue binding the fat, which takes time. Brining does cause the meat to retain more liquid and that does increase juiciness, but it can also harm texture and flavor.
- sergers 9y ago
  I like to vacuum seal my ribs and put in for about and hour or more. Tastes like marinated for over 24 hours in the fridge with no vacuum seal. Then 2-3 hours in oven at 300f, then move to the grill or broil to get char and give it more bite.. otherwise too tender
- linsomniac 9y ago
  I'm with you here, I've never had luck with ribs in less than 3 hours. Try wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap, then in foil. Just try it once. It sounds crazy, but it works great. I don't tend to put it back on the fire after I wrap it and put it in the oven, so I don't get a good bark, but the flavor and texture is awesome.
- linsomniac 9y ago
  I'm with you here, I've never had luck with ribs in less than 3 hours. Try wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap, then in foil. Just try it once. It sounds crazy, but it works great. I don't tend to put it back on the fire after I wrap it and put it in the oven, so I don't get a good bark, but the flavor and texture is awesome.
- bane 9y ago
  You can use some kind of marinade that uses enzymes to tenderize. I've never tried it myself, but I've heard using Asian pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) in your marinade will introduce fast tenderizing enzymes. I believe kiwi also has a similar enzyme. Here's an example: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/cook-asian-pears-at-your-peril/2012/11/26/10100d5a-328f-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_story.html?utm_term=.b99424e5c481 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/cook-asian-pea...
dekhn 9y ago
I never found making succulent ribs in foil difficult. I use a dry rub. There does not seem to be very much steam formation if the foil is tightly wrapped.
deleted 9y ago
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tptacek 9y ago

Wrapping in foil, in the oven or on the smoker, is one of the oldest tricks in barbecue: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/texas_crutch.html The "you're a pro" part of this basically comes down to: you have to wrap your product tightly and with no gaps (else you still have the evaporative cooling that is the reason for the crutch in the first place), and you have to remove the foil midway through cooking. I don't see how you can get tender ribs in 60 minutes at 300f. Tenderness is a function of collagen conversion, and that just doesn't happen that quickly, especially in dry air cooking.

drewcon 9y ago
Fellowship of the Brine my brother.
- tptacek 9y ago
  Brining has downsides too! It can make meat mushy, definitely retards crust and bark formation, and fills the meat with water, which dulls flavor.
  - drewcon 9y ago
    Hasn't been my experience. Truly. Give it a try, honestly you might be surprised. Nearly everyone I serve those grill style ribs to comments how much they prefer them to traditional smoked they get (which I also serve from a real smoker). I think most ribs you get from a typical restaurant or a home cook are so over cooked/boiled and mushy because folks think they are really supposed to just fall off the bone. The brined and grilled ones still have bite and taste like meat. Also girl temp is probably closer to 400-450. It's 300-350 at the top thermometer.
dekhn 9y ago
Tenderness is a complicated beast. It's not just collegn conversion. Brining causes a big change in the molecular structure of the meat that retains a lot more moisture compared to cooking un-brined meat. That doesn't do anything for connective tissue, except you can crank the cooking heat higher to melt the fat, which lubricates the meat further, and then just cut the remaining tissue away, rather than breaking it down. It's a tradeoff- it doesn't taste as good, but it's got pretty good texture.
- tptacek 9y ago
  I don't think you're not really "melting the fat". Fat by itself melts almost immediately. What you're really doing is breaking down the connective tissue binding the fat, which takes time. Brining does cause the meat to retain more liquid and that does increase juiciness, but it can also harm texture and flavor.
sergers 9y ago
I like to vacuum seal my ribs and put in for about and hour or more. Tastes like marinated for over 24 hours in the fridge with no vacuum seal. Then 2-3 hours in oven at 300f, then move to the grill or broil to get char and give it more bite.. otherwise too tender
linsomniac 9y ago
I'm with you here, I've never had luck with ribs in less than 3 hours. Try wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap, then in foil. Just try it once. It sounds crazy, but it works great. I don't tend to put it back on the fire after I wrap it and put it in the oven, so I don't get a good bark, but the flavor and texture is awesome.
linsomniac 9y ago
I'm with you here, I've never had luck with ribs in less than 3 hours. Try wrapping the ribs in plastic wrap, then in foil. Just try it once. It sounds crazy, but it works great. I don't tend to put it back on the fire after I wrap it and put it in the oven, so I don't get a good bark, but the flavor and texture is awesome.
bane 9y ago
You can use some kind of marinade that uses enzymes to tenderize. I've never tried it myself, but I've heard using Asian pears (Pyrus pyrifolia) in your marinade will introduce fast tenderizing enzymes. I believe kiwi also has a similar enzyme. Here's an example: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/cook-asian-pears-at-your-peril/2012/11/26/10100d5a-328f-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_story.html?utm_term=.b99424e5c481 https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/cook-asian-pea...

dekhn 9y ago

I never found making succulent ribs in foil difficult. I use a dry rub. There does not seem to be very much steam formation if the foil is tightly wrapped.

deleted 9y ago

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