Hello,
I am a new YS640 owner so was looking for some experience on cooking on the pellet and stick burners for that matter. I have followed recommended rib cooking technique from ATBBQ and cook for 4 hours at 225. My ribs have been perfect in tenderness and doneness. I've been reading about the 3-2-1 method where you cook low and slow the raise temp for the last hour. What if any improvement could I possibly get? Using the one temp method do people find they can add more ribs at any point in the cook since temp is constant which you can't with 3-2-1? I'm just thinking ahead if I need to do a big cook in the future (4th and Family Reunion).
--Chris
I have done both ways with mine and love them both ways! My girlfriend really liked uber tender ribs so I cooks some with the 3-2-1 method and she loves them! I don't raise the temp as others do in the last hours. Set it at 235-240 and get after it! If you like insanely tender ribs you'll like it. I'm going to experiment with this some next time and may do 3-1.5-1.5 to try and get bit better texture.
New to pellet grilling/smoking
YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
Depends if you like fall off the bone or not. I like mine with a bite to pull the meat off. I don't pan/foil my ribs. 240f the whole way through, light BBQ rub in the last 30 min. No spritz either.
Internal temperature of 190 to 192 for KCBS type ribs. The closer to 200 to 205 the more fall off the bone they will be.
Switching to 3-2-1 will destroy your bark. None to speak of. They will be so fall off the bone you can literally pull the bones out before you serve. My girlfriend LOVES them that way. I prefer a bit of a bite so we switch cooking styles each time. It's all in preference.
New to pellet grilling/smoking
YS-640 ON ORANGE COMP CART
If the outside texture of the meat is the main concern, i.e., hard "bark", then using foil is not an option no matter what you are cooking. Using foil will always soften the outside texture of the meat. Notice I did not say "ruin", I said soften.
The best part of cooking, is that you can do whatever you like. Take what someone else has done, and make changes to suit yourself. There are no rules or standards, except your own.
I have been cooking 2 hours, wrapped 1 hour then unwrapped for final hour. Sauce in last 30 minutes. I want to keep experimenting but too much ribs aren't good for my waistline, LOL
You hit the nail on the head with your last sentence. Keep experimenting until you find what works best for YOU or your family. I got away from foiling for many of the reasons listed above. I do not really look for bark but also do not like the meat mushy. My wife does like more of a fall off the bone variety than I do but there are small variables on each cook anyway so I just stay as consistent and simple as possible.
I have cooked form 180- 275, raised and lowered, foiled and not foiled, sprayed and not sprayed. In the end I have found for me staying at the set temp from beginning to end and basting the last 30 minutes gets me the mahogany look with the texture and doneness that pleases most. I usually shoot for around 195-200 internal or when you pick up half the rack and the other half nearly falls back onto the pit.
My basic rule of thumb is to not try to out-think the meat and cooker! When I raise and lower the temps during cooks especially during the winter AND foil, spray or what have you its just too dang hard to replicate that cook again...that's a lot of opening and closing the door!
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