The SECRET to PERFECT RIBS (an experimental journey into the ri-byss)

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What is the perfect flavor and technique for smoking the perfect ribs? I start my journey to find the answer in this video.
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[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Use my code STBBQ to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: magicspoon.thld.co/stbbq_0522

[@brandonvaughan4236]

This channel is CRIMINALLY undersubscribed. I'm laughing my butt off and learning a ton. Keep it up!

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Thanks Brandon!

[@draskuul]

I've started to steer toward the direction of people like Johnny Trigg. Go for 3 hours or so, wrap meat-down with some butter, honey and brown sugar. I'll empty the foil out after a couple hours, reduce it on the stove, then use that as a glaze the last 30 mins or so.

[@gardentogether9298]

That's a good idea hmmm will be trying that

[@pbfirearms5388]

Why does everyone run down fall off the bone ribs? I know for competition they don't want fall off the bone but in my opinion it's has the best flavor and moisture of any way to cook ribs.

[@backyard_pitmaster2893]

If you want to have your ribs look good, and be tender and juicy; don’t sauce when you wrap. When you wrap them, don’t sauce, cook until probe tender like you were doing, then sauce them and put them back on unwrapped until the sauce is sticky.

[@lowdownone]

This is the way.

[@TheDuganater]

Too much rub gets washed off when wrapped w sauce too ime

[@backyard_pitmaster2893]

@@TheDuganater I think, generally, a lot of people try to do too much in the wrap. Butter, sauces, etc. I don’t add anything extra in my wrap, and I put them meat side down in the wrap. Doing it like that does soften the bark a little, but when I add the sauce and put them back on, the sauce makes up for it. Sometimes, if I do them without sauce, the bark may be a little too dry, too.

[@shawngillogly6873]

Yep. If I'm letting them rest in the oven, I'll actually sauce then so the glaze sets during the rest. Otherwise, I'll do this. Pull them at probe tender, sauce them as desired, and then put them back on for 20mins tops. Just enough to make a proper glaze of the sauce.

[@Buford_T_Justice1]

Sauce Gordon is the funniest thing I have ever seen in a BBQ video. BBQ and Comedy GOLD!!!

[@BrandonIrwinPhD]

Good stuff! I worked at Moo's in LA and now at Terlingua in Maine and, to me, the main challenges have been: 1) even cooking (thick vs. thin side), 2) finishing 'on time' right before service, which usually involves foiling to help control cook times, 3) preserving bark when foiling. So, I would be interested in seeing a couple tests/research questions - 1) What's the best way to foil ribs without sacrificing presentation/bark? and 2) Does foiling produce more even cooking? Again, great work. I learn a lot from your videos!

[@tylerschmidt9081]

Smashed that like immediately at “SAUCE, AhhAhhhhhh!”

[@Fearthelettuce]

The montage is pretty phenomenal

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Thanks!

[@AZRob.]

Sauce! Oh my gosh, that was great!!! Your vids are not only educational, but entertaining!! What a pleasure to watch! I will chime in with my own info about the ribs since I've been experimenting too, and my last couple have turned out great! First, I've tried a whole bunch of dry rubs, and, hands down, John Henry's Butter Pecan is our favorite! It's on the sweet side, with a little saltiness, and a little heat in the background. I always do a savory rack too, and for that, we like Heaven Made Products Texas Best Brisket Rub. I smoke em low at 225, naked for the first 4 hours using a combination of Kingsford briquettes, and pecan chunks. If I see them starting to dry out, I give them a little olive oil spray. Then I wrap them in foil with pork tallow, butter, brown sugar, and some more rub, till they hit around 203/ probe tender. Then I take them out of the foil, and throw them back on the smoker naked for 20 minutes, to tighten them back up. (no sauce) Then I wrap them in foil again, wrap a towel around them, and rest in a cooler for at least an hour. They have been wonderful! Cheers Buddy!! Thanks for the great vids!

[@LakerTriangle]

Man I find ribs to be easy and the reason I cook them pretty much every weekend.

[@sim672]

the baby seemed to love it!

[@lancefloyd8643]

Man I really enjoy the humor and the information

[@douglashorton1368]

Flash Gordon reference = immediate subbed.

[@joegrills9458]

that song is now my ringtone.i regret nothing

[@MikeSmith-ch7jv]

howdy you tube! So ribs are on sale at my local Piggly wiggly supermarket for $1.75 a pound this week and was gonna go round 9 on my pit boss smoker Sunday. Looking for some tips and found my self on the smoke trail. Any chef who sings praises of a sauce, in the key of flash gordan, absolutely gets a subscribe from me. best cooking vid of the week for me, keep them coming brother!

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Thanks Mike!

[@ChocoTacoMan]

Omfg, your song breakdowns themselves are worth the watch! Thank you for the research! With not being able to do a ton of cooks myself with two young ones, I GREATLY appreciate the time and effort you put into making great bbq. Thanks again and keep on smokin!

[@CoolJay77]

You can use that song in order to promote your homemade sauce and sell it. Great video. Method of #2 and ingredients of #4 will be on my next rib smoking. I had made the savory sauce before, but I can imagine what you did will only make it better.

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Good plan! I think the smoke, wrap, sauce method is the way to go. There's a reason everyone does it that way in comps.

[@bchristenson26]

Loved it. I’m obsessed w ribs, constant taste tests w family. Please keep this series going a bit. I haven’t wrapped in foil for awhile but going back to it for a bit based on this vid and my last set of ribs being a little dry using foil boat. Thx again!!

[@son1k783]

Thanks for all this hard work. Love videos like this. Let's pursue the best ribs technique!!

[@guilhermanacas]

Can't believe this man convinced his wife to stay at home and make bbq music videos

[@kennethbrickey6967]

3,2,1 is always safe smoke for 3 hours then wrap in tin foil for 2 hours but you need to add butter and apple juice and some honey or brown sugar up to you and the last hour is back on the grill with sauce to thicken. I also like to add a bit of seasoning on top of the bbq sauce to get a muddy look

[@combsd3283]

I've always been on the fence about this channel.. I wasn't sold that you were knowledgeable above the home BBQ guy.. I don't feel like we jive exactly in terms of personality/humor.. ..Then you did a hilariously executed Flash Gordon montage. Subbed. No more questions asked.

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Thanks man!

[@Cookoutcoach]

Oh man Steve, your point of pulling them at the perfect time, spot on! I wish I knew how many hours I’ve dedicated to finding that point lol. Side note, the BEST parody of Flash I’ve ever hear lol

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Thanks again for the advice man! I still have some work to do to get the feel down for when to pull them.

[@SonicBoomC98]

I like the color at 4:36. That's how I like my sauce to look. I like a vinegar flavor to my pulled pork sauce

[@smith8281]

I started with 3-2-1 but now I add an extra hour unwrapped at the end for a total of 7 hours at 225..Peach rub , wrap after 3 hours for 2 hours , brown sugar and more rub, meat side down with butter on top. Then 2 more hours un wrapped Tries both foil and peach paper. Slightly prefer peach paper. Spritz with 70/30 water>apple cider vinegar

[@Tokyodriving]

Salt, msg, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion, chiptole powder, cayenne for the rub. I then mop with a South Carolina vinegar sauce, flip, and mop again. Leave on for 1.5 hours. I then check to see if its 90c and pull off. Depending on the persons order size its either in just aluminum foil or aluminum pan with foil on top in the warming oven at 140f for a few hours. So far no complaints, haha!

[@scibbo3966]

Competition method I use for the rib cook. 1.5-2hrs smoke 275F wrap 2hrs 10 min glaze ribs under 5 hours

[@jsebcote]

The kid in the high chair munching on a rib bone -> for the win!

[@goofsaddggkle7351]

Fantastic video - totally felt the part where you were getting some hard criticism from the peanut gallery. Problem is I never keep notes and always experiment lol!😊

[@jcir454]

You sauce montage is why I subscribe. Well done sir!

[@rheeslane]

This video was not what I was looking for(yoru other rib video was perfect), but this was totally worth it if only for the Flash Gordon parody. Feeaking perfect!!!😂🤣😂😂🤣

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Haha glad you found something you liked!

[@dannytrieu6104]

You should try MSG in your rub, as well as in your sauce with some fish sauce + Worcestershire sauce ....tangy kick is what sauce needs...

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

I use msg quite often but never tried fish sauce

[@justinrabidoux]

My lord, the Flash Gordon song slayed me. You have to be of a certain age (aka old) to recall that movie fondly as you and I clearly do. Well done!

[@MoesSmokeStackGrill]

Looks delicious! 🔥🔥🔥

[@TheAmishElectrican]

No disrespect, but I always thought ribs were the easiest thing to make great, Pulled pork too....Great video as usual

[@bigstevessmokemchokembbq8746]

Rack 4 taste the best because you did not wrap them. Foil in my opinion takes away the flavor from ribs and brisket. The flavor from the meat is in the juice at the bottom of the foil. For a better taste and texture, paper is better in my opinion. I personally prefer n o wrap at all, but when I do it's paper.

[@garbageman18]

I come for the montages

[@djbone604]

“Sause!-Ahhh-a!” 😂 Wonderful content as always. Question, if I may. Is there a standard ratio/rule of thumb when adding MSG to dry rubs? (Ie..teaspoons to tablespoons) Thanks! 🇨🇦

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

I add it to taste. Until I get just a slight umami "tang". Too much and it tastes kind of weird, almost copper-y

[@ChocoTacoMan]

I use about slightly less msg then salt by weight. Then the umamai amount is about 1% of the msg amount by weight (math is hard..20g msg, 0.2g umamai).. That's a decent start, then adjust to taste. I used a kitchen scale at first, but now wing it. If I go too much umamai (I use the same 'make it meaty' umamai) it tastes like jerky and/or ramen seasoning. Which honestly isn't too bad of you plan accordingly. Best if luck and the high price of umamai seasoning is worth is as you use so, so little each cook.

[@billcole1124]

I've found the six hour 3-2-1 at a smoker temp of 225 will over cook the meat. Shave off 30 minutes from the first two steps, for a total cook time of five hours. Personally, I've found great success using Famous Dave's rub and Stubbs "Sticky Sweet" sauce. Just my two cents, if you were to try another rib experiment!

[@marlonward758]

I like the baby getting his grub on that rib bone

[@EnriqueMartinez-sg4ww]

Great video! Unrelated question: In your Set-and-forget brisket video, what is the putty-type stuff that you use to seal the Tip Top Temp to the smoke stack?

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Dough

[@deletesoon70]

Thanks for this vid and your whole channel, this is great info. Over about 3 seasons, I've had results all over the spectrum from overdone dry to overdone wet to underdone dry to underdone wet, but I don’t always feel like I'm competent yet. I'm getting close, I know I'm eliminating variables within my control now anyway :)

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Alot of it is meat quality

[@deletesoon70]

Baby gnawing a bone, love it 😀

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Haha yea that was funny

[@whogivesacrapaboutastupidc2313]

I really appreciate that you are up in your youtuber game. The goofy song made me smile a bunch, I got bugs on my teeth....

[@gregthekegg817]

I tend to leave the membrane on when doing unwrapped ribs. Doesn’t matter if they’re being sauced or not, the membrane helps retain moisture/fat.

[@scottbakken8505]

SAUCE AHHH AHHHH! Well done sir.👏👏👏

[@aromachocolates]

HAHA! I never considered that the flying bikes in the Flash Gordon movie actually look a lot like treadmills! LOVE the music video! Flash Gordon is one of my favorite shows of all time. Great job!

[@MrDplewis2]

I highly recommend rib candy. I had the best ribs I ever when I tried it. They make several flavors. I used the cherry habanero.

[@lowdownone]

Rib candy is great. Apple Cherry Habanero is the way to go

[@treyscott4599]

This fool did the Flash Gordon remix 😂😂😂 good job

[@seanrogers4948]

This video was terrific!! SAUSE!!

[@BigJ78-]

Ha love that baby crushing that rib!!!

[@stewgilbert4090]

I've smoked ribs. But I recently got a rotisserie and I like the rotisserie just as well. There done over charcoal and apple chunks. I spray them ever hour. Its takes around 4.5 to 5.0 hours. Let them rest under foil and cut. They are juicy and fall off the bone.

[@michaelryker808]

Your Sauce music video kicks ass!!! Rock On 🤘🏼

[@irishmanwrx7715]

new friends are required lol

[@LumberjackPa]

3-2-1 and fall off the bone with a standard store bought sauce and rub seem to please my family and friends. Pull off the bone and bite off the bone for art's sake seem to get get less positive responses. Thanks so much for sharing and providing awesome content!

[@truckinlow1]

Love the Flash Gordon reference lol

[@michaelstewart3315]

I like to wrap in butcher paper with lard. Soooo freaking good

[@gardentogether9298]

sauce!!!!! Agghhhhhh lol love it!

[@scottprice1539]

I started using bacon fat rendered in the smoker before wrapping

[@mattcolley2438]

I had problems trying to get rib right, but have found a method that works every time: Salt and pepper only Smoke at 225 for c.3hrs Up to 275 for c.1hr, spritzing every 15mins Wrap in butchers paper with pork lard (preferably smoked) and finish at 275 for c.1hr or until they probe tender Can sauce or not, depending on preference Rest for an hour and eat on the same day All detailed in Mad Scientist BBQ's channel

[@joshgarey3162]

Here in Texas I get Franklin sauce in a jar at Heb. Cut it 50/50 with Kosmos apple habanero rib candy glaze. Brush and heat to get it sticky and have always gotten best ribs ever complimented. Rub with meat church holy gospel. It’s a simple recipe for home cooks but when cooked right the ribs are great.

[@sim672]

rub i use: 3/4c brown sugar, 1/4c blk pepper, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp dry mustard, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp cayenne, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp celery seed. everyone loves it or at least thats what they say!

[@blumpk1n973]

I would buy your souse single!

[@rowef]

You are great. Let’s start there. You over cooked the ribs. Most people like ribs that aren’t that well done. You know this. Take away an entire hour of cook time. Sauce on side for half of each rack. Keep making awesome vids. Love you.

[@pmc336]

The moment she called your rib dry…………lol

[@TotalState]

I wrap meat side down with a little butter, then unwrap, make a foil boat, and turn meat side up for 20 minutes or so to dry out the top and reset the bark. I find that straight smoke or meat side up the whole time dries them out too much. I also think that "perfect bark" is something us barbecue guys obsess over, but that normal people just want good tasting, tender meat.

[@TheDuganater]

Been watching occasionally and wasn't subscribed. Had to smash like and subscribe halfway through the Flash Gordon montage.

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Ahhhhhhh!

[@brianwalk108]

Exactly how much love did you add to the homemade sauce?

[@jw4295]

I smoke for uncovered for 4hrs. Wrap for 1 hr. And Presto! Great color, great smoke flavor abd tender. The 321 method is too fall off the boneish for me. I like sweet ribs. I do however love the presentation of just salt and pepper. It tastes just as good. Smoke on smokers

[@jonbuettner270]

How do you know when the bark is set?

[@prollynot8417]

Noti gang! 🔥

[@norcalniner]

4:55 Amazing!!!!!!

[@AV8R_1]

I’m about to try a $150 freezer burned Prime brisket.😡 not happy they screwed the packaging.

[@stevebaker9283]

Do you have any recommendations on where I can buy splits in Calgary?

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

Wood depot

[@stevebaker9283]

@@SmokeTrailsBBQ thanks!

[@RichWyatt1]

I can't use msg some friends and family are allergic to it get major migraines

[@bigernbladesmith]

Either I make awesome ribs or horrible ribs. On the bad ribs I can't seem to get all the fat to render. I'm very inconsistent. It's a crap shoot to which one I end up with. Still can't figure out why. Doing ribs tomorrow too. Wish me luck.

[@SmokeTrailsBBQ]

God speed!

[@thatwhitem4]

Song montage A+ amazing. I cook a bunch of BBQ and hate doing taste tests with people. All of a sudden people become these overly critical BBQ taste masters that critique your food to death acting like they know everything about exactly how BBQ should taste, texture, tenderness, etc. LOL And these are the same people who will bite into a McDonalds plain cheeseburger and be like "Oh myyy gawwwd this is the most delicious thing in the world."

[@aquaticbob7595]

You sure that was MSG you were using?

[@johnpena89]

The unwrapped ribs try spritzing with your sauce and add a little apple cider Vinegar and see how that does

[@williampope4937]

Maybe try to confit the ribs instead of sous vide?

[@jameelyounis4893]

There is rib pullback, then there is ribs that simply declare independence from the bone!!!

[@OmarM8055]

nice!!!!!!!!! RIBS are the best , keep it up , Let US know or update us on ur perfection to ribs MAN !!!

[@alanbalcom9654]

Is "pull-a-party" a thing with ribs? 🤣🤣🤣

[@chriseh09]

Two words.....”Dry Brine”! I dry brine my ribs overnight, smoke at 250/260 and foil boat them until around 195+...... I don’t sauce.

[@michaeldruce4536]

I love you man. I really do 😋👍👌👌👌

[@dls4878]

No disrespect at all! Huge fan of the channel. Just soooo weird seeing MSG being promoted these days.

[@zachhardman6937]

Because there is nothing wrong with it. There have been multiple scientific studies showing no deleterious health effects (except for those with drastic glutamate sensitivity, which would suck because a lot of the best foods have a lot of glutamate.)

[@dls4878]

@@zachhardman6937 Guess I will need to do more research! Thanks!

[@sfelmey]

SPG is the best rub, IMO. Let the meat shine, not the rub. Also, for me, hanging ribs over coals and wood makes the best tasting ribs.

[@AV8R_1]

Why is every BBQ channel hocking this magic spoon cereal? It seems odd they would choose BBQ channels to sponsor.

[@zachhardman6937]

Because keto folks likely overlap with barbecue folks.

[@AV8R_1]

@@zachhardman6937 fair point.

[@marckrummenacher9446]

Your talents are wasted cooking mate singing is definitely your secret talent 👌

[@Djsmartguy]

No offense those ribs (raw) looked low quality...also the bones were shining through... I had a bad batch of ribs before they were so low in quality they'd curl up as they cooked... came out dry

[@brandtmiles2373]

Have you ever tried fully sous vide ribs? It takes A WHILE (like 24 hours), then you sear and glaze before serving. It's a great way to have ribs on demand, like in a restaurant setting, but it's impossible to get any real smoke flavor no matter how much liquid smoke you use in the cook.

[@thepixelw4rrior644]

You can sauce me any day!

[@85transam]

lmao

[@janelove6291]

👍😋

[@davo912]

I know what i Learned from the video..that you didn't cook the ribs very good.. dry.lol

[@studnougat]

Yeah your awesomely terrible song performance is perfectly titrated for my age and sense of humor. Laughing to tears over here in Texas.

[@barbru3598]

Over the top antics! almost stopped watching and unsubscribed. I enjoyed the rest.

[@100smp]

Fake new- ribs are easiest food..

[@chipsammich2078]

First