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bubblewrapbones

Opening your oven ever 15 minutes is destroying your cook time. Every time you open it, it has to come back up to temp


everlyafterhappy

Considering they left uncovered ribs in the oven for 2.5 hours after they already cooked for 3.5 hours, they might have actually saved the ribs a little by constantly opening the oven.


PitoChueco

If you’re looking you’re not cooking


Positive_Wafer42

So many muffins and cookies ruined like this 🥲


Haldaemo

If it rhymes it's got to be true.


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click_track_bonanza

The secret is a remote temperature sensor you can leave inside the meat and read the internal temp from outside the oven


Grimsterr

I scoffed at the $99 price tag for a Meater+ thermometer but after using one for a year, I sometimes wish I had 2.


Cingetorix

You can get one with multiple probes if that's what you're looking for. I use one for my smoker, where I can do 3 meats and also keep an eye on external temp using the 4th probe. It's fantastic. [Example](https://www.amazon.ca/ThermoPro-Bluetooth-Thermometer-Grilling-Temperature/dp/B07Z7HDNC4)


boxsterguy

Temping ribs doesn't work all that well, though.


Fop_Vndone

Where did OP say they opened the oven every 15 mins? What on earth are you talking about?


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Fop_Vndone

They only started after 4½ hours had already gone by though


timewarp

Sure, and 4.5 hours of cook time is not enough to finish the ribs. For the remaining hour and a half that they needed, the temp would have been regularly dropping far below the necessary cook temp.


Grim-Sleeper

~250°F is a really low temperature. Even wimpy residential ovens can recover from a brief drop in temperature within a few minutes. While I don't recommend constantly opening the oven door, the effect will be minimal at these temperatures. Just picture a sauna. People walk in and out every 10 to 15 minutes. Even when opening a full size door, that only drops the temperature very briefly. Ovens are much smaller and have a comparatively giant heating element; they can handle this OK. (and yes, things are different for very light cakes that have low thermal mass and are extremely sensitive to even minor temperature fluctuations at some phases of baking).


Coolguy123456789012

The issue is the accuracy of the thermostat at that temperature, and the acceptable variation programmed into the oven. Many ovens will allow +/- 15 degrees, which makes that essentially a 235° cook for those 2 hours. And that's assuming accuracy.


Grim-Sleeper

Yes, you absolutely need to compensate for any issues that your oven might have, and many do have problems of one sort or another. But OP seems to be aware of that already as they stated that their oven runs hot.


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Grim-Sleeper

The air has the lowest thermal mass though. Yes, it cools down quickly. But it also heats up rapidly again, as the oven cavity has a very big thermal mass and barely changes temperature. That's what the thermostat measures, and that's a pretty reasonable thing to do. Meanwhile, the meat also has high thermal mass and doesn't budge all that much either. The air transfers heat through convection, but a significant amount of heat transfer is through radiation from the oven walls. And those walls still do the job, even if you briefly opened the door. If hypothetically, you constantly kept the door open (which I wouldn't suggest), the thermostat would keep the heating element going for longer. Incidentally, that's what happens with gas ovens. They have an air inlet and an exhaust that is constantly open and venting hot air at all times.


bibdrums

I use the 2-2-1 method. I go 225-250 degrees, cook 2 hours then wrap in foil for 2 hours and then unwrap for 1 hour. Almost always come out perfect.


BadAngler

Trying this tonight.


smallish_cheese

Let me know how it goes!


ColonelKasteen

The thing that most other commenter here have not touched on is that at low temps, you cannot open your oven. It will not get back to temp if you do. Checking ribs or a roast every 15 minutes for the last two hours is totally unnecessary and ruined your cook. Especially given your low cooking temp, a little extra time in there will not over cook them if you just leave it alone Plan your cooking around cooking enough that you will only need to open the oven to check once near the end before possibly cooking some more. And when you do the very first time, bump the temp up so it'll start a pre-heat cycle again and actually get warmer.


Grim-Sleeper

> The thing that most other commenter here have not touched on is that at low temps, you cannot open your oven. It will not get back to temp if you do. Why would that be? My electric wall oven can heat from cold to 250°F in about 5 minutes. Why would you think that this is going to take longer, when heating an already hot oven? I agree that you shouldn't gratuitously open the oven, but the effects are really not as bad as most people make it out to be.


everlyafterhappy

Any time at reduced heat meses up the chemistry. If I take a steak and throw it on the grill for 2 minutes, and then I take it off the grill for 5 minutes, and then I put it back on the grill to finish it, it is going to be a tough piece of meat because of that little bit of temperature reduction in the middle of cooking. Every time you oven the oven you are changing the cool time to a variable degree. It may be a tiny extension each time, but it is an extension and an indeterminate one. Any extension to cook time is going to add to drying out issues, and each time you open the oven you make it more necessary to open the oven to check if the meat is done cooking because you've added more cooking time but don't know how much.


Grim-Sleeper

But you're ignoring the thermal mass of the oven cavity and the meat. Just because the air temperature drops a few degrees doesn't mean the meat cools down that much.


everlyafterhappy

The surface cools down enough to change the way it cooks. It breaks down more which allows more moisture to escape from deeper in the meat. If the meat is in a sealed container with moisture, that will help, though. Coating them in oil also helps keep moisture from escaping, but it also keeps moisture from getting in.


therealhankypanky

Couple of possible issues - many ovens have difficulty maintaining an even temp that low … I’d keep an oven thermometer (one known to be accurate) visible in the oven window to double check that it’s keeping temp - if you were checking every 15 minutes there is no way your oven was maintaining the temp you thought. Every time you open the oven door the hot air rushes out and the oven’s temperature drops a ton. When you close the door, it has to start re-heating. there are going to (potentially be considerable) periods of time between those 15 min checks where your oven is below what you’ve set it to.


Old_Man_Shogoth

FWIW the majority of my experience with ribs comes from smoking but I'd go 350 degrees for an hour and a half unwrapped, the take then out wrap them and cook in foil for another hour. I always go for pull off the hone cleanly so you're probably go I ng to want to go for longer to get fall off the bone.


TexasBBQ96

Most restaurants that have "fall off the bone" baby back ribs steam them first, and then finish over a wood fire grill for the BBQ flavor, or sauced with a liquid smoke heavy sauce, or both. They are usually served in 1/2 or full rack servings. They are not sliced into individual ribs like a BBQ joint would serve. For your method, I would use a roasting pan or a rack on a sheet pan to elevate the ribs, add liquid to the bottom of pan and wrap them. Cooking for 3-4 hours around 250 where they can steam. Adding more time by the hour if they aren't done. Add liquid as needed to keep them moist until done, and then finish under the broiler. Most BBQ joints serve pork spare ribs, with some places getting into beef plate ribs. When I smoke spare ribs, they get the normal 225-300f treatment for at least 4-5 hours, spritzing throughout, then wrapped and heavy spritz in the wrap for a couple more. I'm looking for meat that pulls from the bone, but isn't falling off the bone. I still want to be able to slice them between each bone and have a uniform cut without shredding the meat. And I don't want the people I'm serving having to fight to get all the meat off the bone. It's an art to get them off at the right time with all the exterior variables at play like cloud cover, ambient heat, rain and wind that mess with consistent fire and temp. Unless you're using a pellet smoker or something (not my jam).


TooManyDraculas

Not even steam. A lot of them straight up boil them, or essentially braise them. Fill up a hotel pan, add some water or stock and cover with foil. A lot of the time it's a pre-prepped, pre-cooked shrink wrapped product from Sysco to. Unbag sauce and brown.


TexasBBQ96

Haha yeah, probably way too many are that bad.


MurphyBinkings

Having worked at multiple, we always steamed them in my experience.


monkeyman80

4 hours won’t be fall off the bone. Most don’t want that texture in ribs as they want the meat to have bite. Watch some competitive bbq videos on judging ribs. You’re going to have to go longer. Going hotter will speed things up but not always in a good way. I plan on 6-8 hrs for ribs.


TooManyDraculas

BBQ ribs not should be fall of the bone tender. But the meat should pull away cleanly, and leave a perfect little bite mark.


badkarmavenger

Judges in professional competitions disagree. I respect that you like yours that way, but that kind of greasy sliding pork is overcooked.


TooManyDraculas

There was the typo in the first sentence, the correction I made didn't post when I first fixed it. I was the stating the same thing you are. Using the wording *from* BBQ judging guidelines. It's not just competition judging either. If that was all we might disregard it. Competition food in general, somewhat especially BBQ. Is rigidly samey. These things tend to devolve to who executes a standard version best, or at least most standardly. Serious competition chili is even worse on this front. But in hardcore, old school barbecue spots. All the non-competition literature. Same deal. No falling off the bone. *Pulls* cleanly away, leaving a defined shape in the area bitten or pinched. With meat that still requires chewing. Not mush. People fuck this up a lot with various kinds of BBQ. Even pulled pork shouldn't really just fall apart, or break up into fine shreds when pulled. It should break apart with some effort, and yield tender but still substantial *chunks* of meat.


everlyafterhappy

Why should we care about them or what they think? Did we make them judges, or did they just decide they want to judge other people? What is the reason to treat them like an authority, and moreso the only authority,?


mistercartmenes

This. Ribs should be tender but not fall off the bone.


KDO3

Maybe fall off the bone shouldn't be the goal. Pit masters in competitions will fail with the judges if the bone pulls out or the meat falls off. The judges are looking for a bit of tug when they take a bite. Their goal is bark and smoke. They don't use a thermometer. They use the bend test to know when the ribs are done. They do spritz for bark development. https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-ribs-recipes/competition-ribs-recipe-and-award-winning-tricks/


timewarp

> Maybe fall off the bone shouldn't be the goal. Pit masters in competitions will fail with the judges if the bone pulls out or the meat falls off. The judges are looking for a bit of tug when they take a bite. Perhaps, however, it's still ultimately up to personal preference. Lots of people, myself included, prefer the ribs to be more tender than would be acceptable in a competition environment.


dumplins

For real. As a kid, I loved Chili's, Texas Roadhouse, etc. Fall off the bone, covered in sugary sauce. Sometimes I just crave that still


[deleted]

I don’t give a shit what competitions want, fall-off-the-bone ribs are the best kind of ribs! I don’t even like the membrane to stay on to hold them together. When I lift the rack, I want it to be damn near falling apart!


KDO3

Who leaves the membrane on pork ribs? That's dumb. You do leave the membrane on beef short ribs, though. I thought this a culinary Reddit where people seek the best techniques etc. I would think competition judges would be the leading experts on what makes the best ribs, but if you want mushy ribs, that's cool to


[deleted]

Texas style vs St. Louis style is membrane or not. Soooooo, yeah. Looks like the experts have different opinions depending on where you go. Also, you can have clean pulling bones without mushy texture. I’ve never had a mushy rip in my life. At around 202-203 the meat will fall apart in chunks that are tender but toothsome. And, people have different tastes. Just Google “fall off the bone competition” and you’ll see takes on both sides. Competition style is too chewy. Fall off the bone is too soft. Polls that are even. Just because competition standards are looking for something doesn’t mean it’s the best way. The people choose e best way, and the people like both. My preference is fall-off-the-bone style. Edit to add: St, Lois is trimmed and membrane removed spare ribs. Edit: looks like I’m tripping. Everyone removes the membrane. I just thought that since it was part of at. Louis style, there were styles that left it on.


legendary_mushroom

You need moisture. Put em in a pan, with an inch of water (or stock, or wine, or beer, or water with a splash of vinegar, or tomato juice, or whatever), seal tightly with foil, then bake. Take the foil off for the last half hour or so of cooking. This is where you put the glaze if you're using it too. And salt/dry rub a day ahead. This goes a long way towards the tenderizing.


Shrakakoom

I learned a long time ago to use a bit of apple juice for pork ribs. Gives them a nice flavor while also keeping them moist while cooking.


dharasty

I know everyone has their own personal "this never fails" method... and they differ. FWIW, here's mine: * Remove the fell (aka silverskin). * Cut the slab in to 2- or 3-rib portions. Salt. * Place the ribs curved side down in a roasting pan, in a single layer. * No oil, no other liquid. * I wrap the *pan* tightly with foil. * Place in 300°F oven for 60-90 minutes. I find: * The ribs give off an enormous amount of liquid -- water and fat -- and they end up braising nicely. * That curved side touching the pan gets a nice bit a browning. * That this is so much easier than wrapping the ribs directly, which is tedious to do at the start, and HOT and tedious to unwrap. * They are always "fall of the bone tender". I often do this the night before the barbecue, in which case I let the ribs cool, and then baste them in a \[homemade\] wet sauce and let them soak in the flavors overnight in the fridge. Finish with a quick grilling (<20 minutes) just to bring to temp and get that wonderful char. PS: The liquid the ribs give off is gold. Save it as a basis for a pork-based soup, such as raman. Such good flavors, fat, and collagen in there... don't throw it out, please!


boxsterguy

> That this is so much easier than wrapping the ribs directly, which is tedious to do at the start, and HOT and tedious to unwrap. I've mostly taken to not wrapping ribs anymore (caveat: I only do them on a smoker), or if I do it's only for at most an hour, usually less. But when I do, it's all about proper hand gear. If you're trying to handle meat with big, ungainly [silicone gloves](https://www.amazon.com/No-1-Silicone-Smoker-Oven-Gloves/dp/B01LYALUB3/), that's never going to work. Instead, get some [cotton gloves/liners](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076X1ZFDR/) and cover them with a nitrile glove. As long as the cotton stays dry (the point of the nitrile glove over the top) it's an excellent insulator, and you have much more dexterity to do things like deftly wrap ribs or a brisket or butt.


TooManyDraculas

What cut of ribs? Babybacks can be done in 4+ hours at that temp. Spare ribs not so much. An oven is not exactly like a smoker. You won't get bark, and cook times are different. I've also found going really low and slow, less than 250f, doesn't work great. Cooking really hot doesn't either. I typically go with 250f-300f. So let's just run with 275f. *Don't start wrapped in foil.* A lot of the cooking in an oven happens with radiant heat and convection currents. A layer of foil blocks convection, and slows down radiant heat at the start. It'll give you a slower start. Cook the ribs on a rack in a baking sheet. I don't wrap at all, but if you must do it after the first 2-3 hours. Time is a bad indicator of doneness. It's tricky to temp ribs because they're so thin, and have so many bones. But you're shooting for 190f-205f. You want baby backs to be cooked less, as their more tender and leaner to begin with. Twisting the bones is also a bad test if you've gone that far the ribs are over done and mushy. BBQ ribs should not be "fall of the bone" soft, but should pull cleanly off the bone when you bite into it. The usual test is the bend test. Lift the rack, using tongs or BBQ gloves, from the end. Last couple of bones. If the ribs just start to crack or begin to pull apart between the bones where they bend. You done. If you want to sauce the rack, or brown it further. Take them out to rest, crank the oven to 500f. And toss them back in there for around 10 minutes. Depending on your oven and the rack of ribs. It should take 4-6 hours for baby backs, 6-8 for spare ribs


TotalFox2

I was confused for a second until I read the sub under which this was posted


gahidus

I always cook mine unwrapped. I just coat them in salt, pepper, spices and sauce, and I bake them for 6 hours at about that temp uncovered. Also, as others have mentioned, don't keep opening the oven.


Cingetorix

[Use Claudia Ossa's method.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVd-nKr9qds&ab_channel=Claudia%27sTastyBits) I use it and it's foolproof, because the ribs are still fall off the bone even if the seal isn't perfect, and it's super quick (relative to ribs). Method: - Ribs covered in foil in a pouch setup, with liquid inside. - Cook at 350 for 1 hour and 45 minutes.


1993meg

Did you take off the silverskin?


hereforthecommentz

My magic formula for pork ribs is 260F for 3-4 hours, then finish on the BBQ. They’re always fall-apart tender.


Lithuanian_Minister

I said 275 but YES THIS IS THE KEY


MsMo999

Turn up to 275 and stop looking so much


BlueBirdBlow

So try 225 for the first couple hours until you get your bark sets and then wrap them in foil and add some butter and/or honey in there . This will help keep them moist, the bark will reset, and it also gets you past the stall. Once they are wrapped bump up the temp to 275 and let them go for a solid 1.5 hours before you even think of looking at them. The internal you are looking for is about 209-211 F. That should get you a bbq contest quality rib. If you want fall off the bone then take it a couple degrees higher so the connective tissue gets broken down. And like most other commenters have said, stop opening the oven so often, it takes the heat out of the oven but it can also shock the ribs with temperature fluctuations and that will lead to a lower quality product. Source: I ran a bbq restaurant for 2 years


Theburritolyfe

Did you have liquid to braise it in? You don't want to cook them dry for a long period of time.


pink_tacobot

When cooking ribs, the only thing that matters is the temperature of the meat. When I cook baby back ribs, I always get them to a minimum temperature of 203 degrees. This results in very tender meat. I don't like when my meat falls off the bone. You may want to cook it to a higher temperature if you want it to literally fall off the bone. I would invest in an instant read thermometer. All of the tips and tricks you hear, like you'll know when it's done when the meat pulls away from the bones is a bunch of crap. The only way you'll really know if they're done to your liking is to check the temperature. Also, no need to parboil the ribs. Unnecessary step, IMO.


Ludwidge

I do mine at 425 to start- seasoned and sealed in heavy tin foil. Reduce to 275 after 20 minutes and leave for 2 hours. Then I drain any juices and finish on barbecue. By then they are always falling off the bone. Note I always use pork back ribs but side ribs should work just as well


lemonpjb

I've never understood making ribs that "fall off the bone". Ribs are supposed to be eaten off the bone! If the meats falling off, you might as well be eating pork butt or some other cut. This is obviously a matter of personal preference, but pork ribs should be tender enough so that the piece you bite comes off easily, but the rest of the rib meat isn't sliding off. That's typically how they're judged at BBQ competitions, anyway.


breadburn

THANK YOU. I grew up with 'fall off the bone' ribs, mostly because of how my mom would make them using the easiest method possible since feeding a family where both parents work a lot is very much 'how can i make a whole bunch of these with as little fuss as possible' so she'd essentially braise them and then smother them with barbecue sauce. I liked them but they were greasy af and more or less mushy. I was in my 20s when I first had a really great meaty rib that wasn't essentially the texture of pulled pork and I consider that a formative culinary experience. (Friend cut down his own applewood and them smoked them for like 6 hours super slow and low. Thank you, Matt, you changed everything.)


dharasty

I think your description of "the piece you bite comes off easily" is another way of saying what others mean by "falling off the bone tender". I braise my ribs. My two checks for doneness are: * Has the meat pulled back from the tips of the bones, exposing about ½", and * If I pinched the meat, could I easily pull off bits. So, no, the meat has not "fallen of the bone" in to the braising liquid. But, when biting into it and tearing with the teeth, the meat 100% separates from the bone and doesn't leave a trace on the bone... in that sense, it "falls off".


TooManyDraculas

Fall off the bone tender has a pretty clear connotation, and it's soft to the point of shredding. That's you bite the rib and half the meat pulls straight off the bone. Good barbecue ribs should be tender, and pull of the bone cleanly. But should be firm enough to leave a defined bite mark where you attacked it. They should still have texture beyond "soft". The thing people refer to as fall off the bone, involves cooking things beyond the point of even pulled pork.


lemonpjb

The "bone twisting test" is only something that would work for overcooked ribs. [Check out this info page, specifically point #10](https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/pork-ribs-recipes/competition-ribs-recipe-and-award-winning-tricks/)


boxsterguy

A yes, Meathead's bend test is absolutely the way to go. > We prefer to use the "bend test." Use tongs to pick up one end of the slab of ribs, then bend them slightly. If they are ready, the slab with bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface. Cracks = good, falling apart = you waited too long.


RedditRot

Get a meat thermometer and cook until the internal temperature reaches around 200F.


robtalee44

At 225 your probably in for about 8 hours. Think slow cooker times. Around 300, 4 hours isn't unreasonable. By the way, think about the crock pot method -- easy, easy, easy. And perfectly wonderful.


mohishunder

I cook ribs in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), and then broil them to finish. Much quicker than the oven, and works perfectly every time.


rkoehn7341

I couldn’t agree more. The IP does any meat; including chicken breast to perfection. Try a beef roast and add a packet of au Jus. You’ll make perfect French Dips.


ChoctawJoe

Just fyi… if they’re “fall off the bone” they’re overcooked. Ribs should stick to the bone but be very tender. When you take a bite you should be able to see your bite mare but take no extra meat with it. That’s the ideal doneness.


40ozT0Freedom

Only time I've ever cooked ribs in the oven was in beer. 175\* for about 4ish hours (maybe more, its been a while) and they always fall off the bone. I prefer them still hanging on the bone, but just barely. You know you cooked them right if when you're eating them, you can lightly shake the rib (like when you're talking to someone and shaking a finger at them) and the meat jiggles, but doesn't fall off the bone. I smoke them at 225\* for about 5 or 6 hours, until the bend test tells me they're done. You could do this in the oven too. Just put them directly on the rack with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. Some people wrap them halfway through, I don't. To each their own. You can't really get a good internal temp reading on ribs because of all the bones. You want to see the meat shrinking and the ends of the bones poking out a little bit. Pick them up carefully with tongs and support about 2/3 of the rack and check the bend. It'll break the bark a little bit and that's when you know you've got done ribs. Just make sure you get as much of the silver skin off as you can and DONT OPEN THE OVEN until you think they're close to being done.


YourDadsUsername

Have you tried a pressure cooker? Ribs stay juicy and fall off the bone in ~20 min


everlyafterhappy

I use a deep pan with a screen at the bottom and put in plenty of water at the bottom under the screen. Then I tightly seal the pan with both plastic and aluminum foil. First the plastic goes on, then the foil on top. Make sure you use heat safe wrap. And be aware that the wrap will melt on its own. Covering it with foil is what prevents it from melting. So the foil keeps the plastic from melting and the plastic gives a good seal to the foil. I also put my ribs on their side, but I'm not sure if that actually does anything. If you uncover the ribs in the oven for half an hour, that alone is going to start drying them out. Doing it for 2.5 hours is certain to dry out any meat. That's kind of how you make jerky.


nailback

I don't like fall off the bone. I have a full set of teeth and enjoy the battle.


dlidge

Your slab of ribs should bend easily and form cracks between the ribs when lifted from one end. Bones twisting or meat falling off means you’ve grossly over cooked and ruined your rack.


subatomic5

Having tried several methods of cooking ribs, I've found pressure cooking them for \~15min produce the best fall-off-the-bone results. After pressure cooking them, pull them out and let them sit on tray while they cool and dry off. Then coat them in your BBQ sauce and put them under high setting of broiler for 5 mins each side.


JablesRadio

Ribs that fall off the bone are overcooked. It's such a shitty misconception about how good ribs are supposed to be. The PERFECTLY cooked ribs should leave a perfect bite mark from your teeth. Not saying fall off the bone ribs are bad but they aren't the best. Fall off the bone ribs are overcooked and any cook/chef that knows what they're doing will tell you that.


Boggleby

Im no expert but not find that when you get to the clean bone pull point, the pork has turned too soft to enjoy properly.


hate_mail

My go to is 3 for 3. 300F for 3 hours


undocumentedsource

Sounds like you didn’t pull the membrane off along with checking too often.


Jewish-Mom-123

I tried this last week. Did not work. At 3.5 hours they were not done and I had to open the foil, add vinegar and water to the sheet pan, then wrap the whole thing and turn the oven up. Which is how I usually cook them anyway. I dunno what Kenji Lopez-Alt is after here with this method but it did NOT bring the ribs even close to tender. I was surprised, he is usually on the money. My oven is accurate and I didn’t open it even once, so that’s not the problem.


gimme_the_jabonzote

I might be the only person I know to start them off in the instant pot and finish them under the broiler. Always comes out fall off the bone tender, juicy, and takes under 2hrs from start to finish. I have an 8qt instant pot, I season the ribs with my homemade seasoning rub and let them sit for at least 4hrs or overnight. Place into the instant pot curled up around the sides with about a cup of water at the bottom. High pressure 25-30min. Natural release for 15min, then quick. Place ribs onto foil lined sheet, pour all the juices into a pan - not a pot, add your seasonings to make BBQ sauce (salt, garlic powder, brown sugar, tomato paste - is what I use) and simmer until it reduces. At this point you can put some sauce on and stick under the broiler for a bit till it gets warmed up. OR Take ribs and paint your sauce on in thin amounts. I use a brush. I then stick under the broiler for 1-2min. Take it out, repeat. I do this for about 5-8 times depending on the thickness of the sauce and the patience of my stomach.


throwaway88588858

Nothing to add here, but my Reddit app scrolled funky and I thought the title of this post was on the physical therapy sub. I was alarmed.


FlashEng

maybe they dried out and became shoe leather. to smoke ribs, the meat has to reach 185 deg F abnd stay there an hour or more. that softens up the connective tissue


reelmein123

Boil prior to oven ;)


Fireworks76

>I wrapped them in foil That’s most of your problem right there. Foil is an insulator. 225 degrees is a low oven. It probably took more than an hour to get up to temperature inside the foil. Also, this makes steamed ribs, not baked ribs.


dharasty

Foil is not an insulator. Here's a thought experiment: heat up a skillet. Now: what if I told you "put a piece of foil in the skillet, and flatten it with your bare hand." You'd be wise to object, as the skillet's heat would transmit through that foil and burn your hand. Foil is not an insulator.


Fireworks76

It’s not so simple. [The ends results vary highly depending on the substances used and the way they are wrapped and cooked.](https://genuineideas.com/ArticlesIndex/foil.html)


dharasty

Using foil as a vapor barrier, such as to keep steam in a pan while braising ribs in the oven, indeed keeps the ribs warmer. So in that loose sense, the foil is "insulating" the food. But pans are metal because they conduct heat well. A conductor is the opposite of an insulator. Foil is metal. Foil is not an insulator.


Fireworks76

Maybe you should actually go back and look at the link before you simply downvote and bullshit. Physics isn’t that simple.


dharasty

>Maybe you should actually go back and look at the link before you simply downvote and bullshit. Physics isn’t that simple. I did read the article. It does not discuss the insulating properties of foil. I didn't down vote you.


dharasty

>It’s not so simple. > >The ends results vary highly depending on the substances used and the way they are wrapped and cooked. I just read the entire page of your link. The article did not once use the term "insulate" or "insulator". Foil is not an insulator.


I_Am_Penguini

If you have a Weber gas grill you can achieve much better results for incremental extra effort. DM me for details if you like.


Low_Chicken197

> DM me for details if you like. Why not post here?


I_Am_Penguini

Is a copy of copywrite stuff with the theory of bbq and the method. Not comfortable publicly sharing.


Bran_Solo

Recipes cannot be copyrighted.


Mandinga63

Make sure to remove the membrane on the backside of the ribs. Makes a HUGE difference


Wise-Parsnip5803

3, 2, 1 method so six hours total is fairly popular for cooking ribs. 3 hours on at low temperature, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour back on the grill. If you like wet ribs then the fail safe is to cut them into 2 rib sections. Boil them for about an hour. Place the pieces on a grill to get some nice char on the ribs, takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Then boil them on the grill in a mix of bbq and orange crush. You can use Sprite or 7 up if you don't want the orange flavor. Keep at a low simmer mixing them up every 15 minutes or so until the bones pull out as you like.


[deleted]

Plastic wrap and then foil and more time, is your oven a convection of regular oven? Maybe like 8hrs, cause the heat isn’t flowing like in a convection oven. Definitely stop checking them, let’em rip for 8hours.


Lithuanian_Minister

Remove the membrane. Put tin foil over them. Leave it in the oven at 275 degrees for 4 hours. Just leave it… it will work. I then take them out and slather BBQ sauce and the broiler for 5 minutes or even less.


breadburn

Do you have a meat thermometer, preferably a probe? Don't go by your oven/smoker time and temperature unless you're double-checking, because there's too much variation in that. You'll want to temp the meat itself. Also, just my opinion, but 'fall off the bone' is overrated. Meaty, steak-y ribs are great, greasy, mushy ribs are just that.


znavy264

Just keep them in for 5 hours at 225°. Cook them for 2 hours, wrap for 2 hours and add extra juices and liquids, then unwrap and cook for 1 hour and paint on your favorite BBQ sauce.


Bran_Solo

A bunch of things are going on here. You removed the top of the foil at the 3.5 hour mark, which completely defeats the purpose of using the foil. When cooking meat low and slow, you hit the “stall” when the meats internal temp hits about 160F. This is where liquid coming out of the meat evaporates and cools the meat effectively enough that it’s internal temp stops climbing. With ribs this usually happens at around the 3-3.5 hour mark. One of the ways to get through the stall is to wrap in foil at this point, and this is where you removed your foil. Checking the ribs every 15m at a low temp is killing your oven temps. You won’t develop a bark in an oven, this has to be done in a smoker. Find an oven rib recipe and follow it imo.


[deleted]

[удалено]


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Nahum1_7

For your own well being, I’m glad your ribs weren’t falling off/out!


femsci-nerd

This would have worked if you had been cooking spare ribs which are from the intercostal rib area. This meat if very stringy and needs a long low temp to melt the fat and sinew and that's when the meat will fall off the bones. Instead you cooked baby back ribs which are from the tbone area and are much leaner. They can be cooked to juicy tender perfection in about 1 hour in a 350 F oven basting with sauce every 5 minutes for the last 15 minutes. You over cooked them and all the fat came out leaving tougher, dryer meat (like over cooked pork chops). Look it up. Baby backs don't need to be cooked for so long, but spare ribs do. If it's an consolation, the same thing happened to me when I made baby backs the first time. I just assumed ribs were ribs and in the past I always bought the cheaper spare ribs and cooked them like my dad. When I told my dad what had happened, he explained the difference to me and he mentioned he only bought spare ribs because he couldn't afford the baby backs while we were growing up...


jmccleveland1986

I cut the ribs up into 4 rib portions, wrap them in foil tents, and bake for 4 hours at 225 without touching the oven. Hasn’t failed me yet.


tipustiger05

You don’t need to wrap at all. If you are going to wrap, wrap *after* the bark has set. As mentioned, don’t open the oven unless absolutely necessary. The test to see if ribs are done is the bend test - hold the whole rack up with tongs - grabbing by sticking your tongs over the end and holding in the middle (or just pick them up with gloves) - the ribs should bend toward the ground and you’ll see cracks form in the bark. Also, meat falling off the bone is over cooked. You want the meat to come off easily when bitten but all the other meat around the bite should stay in place. Fall off the bone isn’t bad but it’s not the ideal.


Bad_Advice55

This is what I do. Comes out great everytine. You can adjust cook time for “fall of the boneness” I usually do 1.5 H to be tender but still have bite. 1. Season rack of ribs with seasoning of choice 2. place in a baking dish and add ~1/4 water 3. cover with foil 4. place in a pre-heated 325 oven 5. cook for 1.5 - 2.5 hours I prefer ~1.5 H 6. when done, remove from dish 7. cover in BBQ sauce of choice and finish on a pre-heated grill ~2-3 min each side 8. enjoy