I thought wrapping ribs in foil was always a mistake

Last weekend I smoked a rack of St. Louis ribs on my offset and decided to skip the Texas Crutch entirely, no foil at all. After 5 hours they were tough as leather, even though the temp was right. My buddy in Austin said I should try the 3-2-1 method just once, so I wrapped a rack in foil with some apple juice for 2 hours. They came out fall-off-the-bone tender, which I used to hate, but my family loved them. When do you guys decide to wrap versus going bareback the whole cook?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_lopez988d ago

Last summer I ruined three racks trying to go no-wrap like some BBQ purist. My bark was amazing but eating it felt like a jaw workout. I get where @the_brian is coming from with the pot roast thing, but my kids won't touch anything with a chew. Now I do a lazy 3-1-1 with foil, just enough to get them tender but not completely falling apart. It's a family peace treaty wrapped in aluminum.

the_brian8d ago

Fall off the bone? That’s pot roast, man.

emma968d ago

My buddy had the same "pot roast" take until his last cookout. He did a full packer brisket with no wrap, and the flat dried out so bad people were chewing for minutes. He tried the foil boat method on the next one, just covering the top, and said it was way better without getting mushy. I guess it just depends on if you're okay with a little less bark for more juicy meat.