question on 3-2-1 method

[smoke]

I am going to try the 3-2-1 method in the next week or so, but had a few questions...

1) Is there a temperature range that should be aimed for during each step? Blindly trusting an amount of time does not sit that well with me...

2) What really is the difference in doing the last hour in the oven vs the smoker? Just getting the smoke flavor into BBQ sauce?

 

[boozer]

I also don't trust the times. 3 hours smoking and 2 hours wrapped is pretty close but it varies a bit. Most folks here disagree with me but I go by internal temp. Smoke to 165, wrap and cook to 195, rest for the last hour, glaze and back on the pit for a few minutes, then enjoy. I don't know about this oven stuff, I dont use it much, that's the wife's cooking machine. sometimes I bake bread in there, or frozen tater tots.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

About 225 for big, meaty Spare Ribs. 6 hours will be way to much time for St. Louis or back ribs and a little too much for less than meaty Spares. If you do the last hour in the oven, you will lose your Man-Card. You might as well boil 'em first and then cook 'em in the crock pot...:p

 

[boozer]

I also cook them around 225. A thick untrimmed rack of st louis ribs can take damn near 6 hours at that temp. Or so. Mine are usually done in around four hours, not including resting time, but it varies. I temps em. If to boil them, or crock pot, or bake them, tell your wife to don't forget the liquid smoke!

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Forget food temp here. Cooking temp 225 - 275. 3 hours in smoke, 2 hours in foil. They are pretty much done then. Last hour is to tighten them up and sauce them. When you pick the ribs up, they should bend in the middle to just about breaking in two. Then they are done. Kind of hard to get an accurate temp reading on meat thats less then 3/4" thick and so close to the bone.

 

[Bob In Fla.]

I also cook them around 225. A thick untrimmed rack of st louis ribs can take damn near 6 hours at that temp. Or so. Mine are usually done in around four hours, not including resting time, but it varies. I temps em. If to boil them, or crock pot, or bake them, tell your wife to don't forget the liquid smoke!

Huh? I always thought that St. Louis ribs were trimmed spare ribs???

 

[boozer]

Yes, but not trimmed nearly enough.

 

[boozer]

Some of this may be regional, I don't know how the butcher shops in fla. cut st. louis racks. Around here you get a big chunk of sternum bone, lots of connective tissue, cartilage and a big layer of extra meat on the outside of the ribs. I trim all of that off and use it for other stuff.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Here that same stuff is already trimmed off and put in the package under the ribs.

 

[boozer]

Really? hell, that's nice. Do they peel the membrane off for you too?

 

[Nick Prochilo]

No, I just score it up with a knife.