Are my ribs ready yet?

How do you to tell if the ribs are ready. Take one slab of spareribs and one slab of baby back ribs and put them both in the smoker. When the baby backs are dry, the spareribs are done.

OK...just kidding. That's a bit extreme. But it underlines how hard it is to tell when ribs are ready. That's because ribs come in so many different weights and thicknesses. Not to mention the fact that keeping an outdoor oven at a precise temp is tricky. So here are some guidelines and techniques for telling when they are done.

Ribs should not fall off the bone!
Properly cooked ribs will not not not fall off the bone! The only ribs that fall off the bone are ribs that have been boiled and steamed and that process usually robs them of flavor because water is a solvent. Steamed and boiled ribs usually have a mushy texture. Properly cooked ribs will pull cleanly off the bone with your teeth, but they will still have some resilience and chew, like a properly cooked steak, but not be tough.

How to tell when they are ready

THE TIME/TEMP TEST: Every smoker is different and every slab of meat is different, so exact cooking time can vary depending on a number of variables. The goal is to get the meat to 180°F and keep cooking for about 30 minutes. To do that, I think the ideal cooking temp is about 225°F, hot enough to brown the surface and develop a bit of a bark, but not so hot that a lot of moisture evaporates.

On most cookers, when the oven temp is 225°F, it takes about three hours to cook a slab of baby backs and about five hours to cook a slab of St. Louis cut ribs or spares. They are slightly undercooked at that stage. I then put the sauce on and sizzle it in on a hot grill for about 10 minutes per side. See The Big Finish Video. This finishes the cooking. If you skip the sizzling step, add another 30 minutes of cooking time at 225°F. At higher cooking temperatures decrease the cooking time. For example, at 325°F, baby backs are done in only 90 minutes. At higher altitudes, increase the cooking time 20% or more. The key here is to keep the cooking temp under control, and that is the barbecue chef's craft.

That said, it should be noted that each slab is different, and some can take a good bit longer.

THE BEND TEST. This is the method I like best. I pick up the slab with a pair of tongs and bounce them slightly. If they are ready, the slab will bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.

THE TWIST TEST. Another technique is to grab ahold of the tip of a bone somewhere near the middle. If you twist, it should start to break free of the meat. This means the collagens in the tough connective tissues have melted and turned to gelatin.

THE POPUP TEST. A lot of books and websites say to wait until the meat begins to pull back from the tips of the bones, exposing about 1/4" of bare bone. Some folks call this the natural popup thermometer. Problem is that this is not necessarily a sign that they are ready. Heat can cause this shrinkage. Put ribs on a hot grill and they will shrink within an hour, but they won't be done. On the other hand, if you keep the temp under 250°F, by the time the meat pulls back, it is overcooked.

PEEK A BOO TEST. If you are unsure if the meat is ready, you can cut into it and sneak a peek. The meat in the center should be white and there should be no pink juices. Remember, if you have cooked with smoke, there will probably be pink meat near the surface, but the meat in the center should be white or tan.

THE TAST TEST. Some cooks pull one bone off the end, look at the meat, and then taste it. This works fine, especially because you get to eat the rib you removed! Problem is when the meat is not ready. Then you have to pull off another bone. Then another. Then there's nothing for the guests.

THE TOOTHPICK TEST. You poke a toothpick into the meat between the bones. When it slides in with little or no resistance you have a done rack of ribs. It's best to test various parts of the rack to be sure you have them done to your liking. With a little practice you can better judge the doneness of your ribs than the bend test.

THE THERMOMETER TEST. One way to tell if they're ready is with a digital instant read thermometer with a thermocouple and a really thin probe like the Thermoworks ThermaPen. Not all thermometers are reliable. A thermocouple thermometer works pretty well, but it is tricky. You need to poke the meat in several locations because it will be different temperatures next to the bone, midway between the bones, and on the ends.

Enjoy!