
This is very important for smoking ribs, because if any of the bones pierce the foil, it’s going to cause a leak, and slow down the cooking because he will escape. Use two layers of heavy duty foil and make sure that the bones are not sticking out. Most pitmasters wrap their ribs in aluminium foil rather than butcher paper. So by squirting the ribs with barbecue sauce, and gently spritzing should spread the sauce out evenly, without damaging your bark. We work so hard to develop that nice crispy crust on the outer layer of the meat, so I don’t want to brush any of it off.

I prefer using a barbecue sauce in a squirt bottle rather than using a basting brush. I have tried this method and believe it is the best way. Aaron will also spritz the sauce onto the ribs after he has basted. He believes the source will become too gloopy. Aaron Franklin will heat his barbecue sauce before basting the ribs. Once the ribs have reached wrapping stage, a common technique is to baste the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. The best spritz for ribs is apple juice or apple cider vinegar.Īpplying a barbecue sauce is an important step in smoking ribs. Not only will this prevent the ribs from drying out, but it will also prepare the ribs for the sauce. Malcolm uses two layers of foil to wrap his ribs, and usually likes to make a boat with the foil, and sauces the ribs before going back into the smoker.ĭid you know there’s now a meat thermometer with no wires that can control with your phone? Check out MEATER Spritz Before WrappingĪs the ribs are getting close to wrapping stage, it’s a good idea to spritz the ribs prior to wrapping. When I’ve seen Malcolm smoking ribs, he sets his smoker to around about 235° F. He’s looking for a nice mahogany color on the ribs before foiling. Malcolm also prefers to go by color rather than temperature when deciding to wrap. He usually starts checking the ribs 1 hour and 45 minutes into the cook. When Does Malcolm Reed Wrap Ribs?īBQ Guru Malcolm Reed wraps his pork spare ribs at around the 2-hour mark. Have you tried smoking a Wagyu brisket yet? You can get one delivered to your door from Snake River Farms.

Then he will spritz and sauce the ribs before wrapping in 2 layers of thick foil. When Aaron smokes ribs at 275° F, he’s usually happy with the color of the ribs at the 2-hour mark. I’ve watched Aaron Franklin smoke ribs several times, and he normally wraps about 2 hours into the cook. You may also notice some charring on some bones, but hopefully you’ve been rotating the ribs, so they have cooked evenly. If you’ve been using a nice cherry wood mixed in with hickory, the cherry will give you some extra color. Once the ribs have been sitting on the grill for about 2 or 2.5 hours, they will have developed a nice mahogany color. What Should The Ribs Look Like Before Being Wrapped? If you are smoking between 225° F and 275° F, it would be safe to wrap 2 hours to 2.5 hours into the cook. A better way would be to wrap the ribs by time rather than temperature. If you are uncomfortable, and don’t know what to look for, then it’s fine to measure the internal temperature of the ribs. This takes time and practise, but once you have smoked a few racks, you will know what to look for. Wrap By Look, Not By Time or TemperatureĮxperienced Pitmasters wrap their ribs, judging by the look rather than temperature or an exact time. The cook time can also help you decide when to wrap. Rather than wrapping according to temperature, it is best to wrap ribs by the color. However, temperature is not the best guide. Should you go by temperature, time, or look and feel? I wanted to find out the answers to these questions, so I asked the barbecue gurus these questions and many more.īy the time ribs have reached wrapping stage, the internal temperature should sit around 150° F, or higher. But knowing when to wrap can be a be confusing. If you wrap the ribs too late, you may end up with a dry or charred rib rack. If you wrap too soon, you won’t get a nice bark, or as much smoke flavor. Timing is important when wrapping smoked ribs.
