Ribs when done

Flesh thickness can vary across the same cut of meat, and you can never be too sure! We love the toothpick test because it leaves your meat looking great without creating any real damage on its surface. If you would prefer to rely on simple target times and temperatures like you would with an oven, then you can simply go by this rule. If you are cooking baby back ribs then aim for between 3 to 4 hours.

If you are cooking St Louis ribs then you will need a bit longer, at about 5 to 6 hours. After this, cover the rack in BBQ sauce and then cook over high heat for a further 10 minutes so that the sauce can sizzle and work its way into the meat. Cooking this way allows pork ribs to slowly come to ideal internal temperature, before then blasting them with heat to get them over the finish line. Just as the name suggests, this test involves getting a small chunk of the meat from the grill and tasting for its readiness.

The Taste Test is a great way of whetting your appetite as you wait for the main meal. Also, there is no wastage as you get to eat each piece you taste. The down side here is that you run the risk of eating uncooked meat. This method relies on plain sight, but is widely used by experts who claim that the meat pulling back up the bone of the rack is a good indicator of doneness. The glaring problem here is its unreliability.

This could mean that the meat is overcooked when you serve it. Also pay attention to the absence of any deep pink spots, as these indicate blood spots. However, all meat closer to the center should be tan or white.

Set your grill or smoker to degrees Fahrenheit. Louis style ribs. If desired, apply a layer of your favorite barbecue sauce and allow the meat to cook over high heat for minutes longer. For this test, use a small sharp knife to separate one of the rib bones from the rest of the rack.

Grasp the rib in the middle taking care not to burn yourself and give it a quick sharp twist. If most of the meat falls off the bone, then the ribs should be done.

The connective tissues in the pork should have broken down by now, meaning that the meat should slough gently away from the bone. Another less aesthetically pleasing technique is to cut into the rib rack and take a quick peek.

If the meat is white around the edges and either white or tan toward the center, then the ribs should be ready. Your wristwatch is enough. But, as I said, sometimes you may get the ribs slightly undercooked and sometimes overcooked if you rely only on this test. This is the most delicious method to determine the doneness of your ribs.

Anyway, take a suitable kitchen knife , follow A and B , cut a small piece from the thickest end, and eat the meat to check if your ribs are done. In this test, your tongue will give you the next direction whether to put the ribs back in the smoker or pass to the dining table. Some expert cooks opine that the bones start peeking out and one-quarter of an inch from all the bones becomes visible when the ribs are done.

See the last test. This is more or less the same as the bend test. Anyway, most of the beginner BBQ enthusiasts follow this method, and their ribs taste great-. Did you know that a toothpick can help you check if ribs are ready to eat? This is the easiest method out there for checking the doneness of ribs and other cooked meats. This test gives off the most accurate result without creating any real damage on the surface of your ribs.

Take a toothpick, follow A , be careful not to burn your fingers, and gently poke the toothpick into the several parts of the meat between the bones. Your ribs are done if the toothpick slides in and out easily with nearly no resistance. There are a thousand and one options to cook ribs. Why should you cook your ribs past done? The long and short rib of it is that it provides the collagen and fat in the ribs to melt and render giving you a tastier and more tender outcome. The other tests are open to interpretation and take practice to perfect.

How do you make sure your ribs are perfectly done? Share your secret technique, favorite rib recipe, or just your success stories on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram, using the hashtags BBQRibs and NapoleonGrills.

The Bend Test Carefully pick up your ribs using tongs or heat resistant barbecue gloves. The Test of Time Leave your ribs be.