Ribs not very tender after being smoked for 5 hours?

Question

I have a electric smoker with electric heat element at the bottom. A bowl above the element that you fill with water, pinnapple juice, orange juice etc to help flavor. The cooking temperature is 195 to 200 degrees f. I cooked 2 racks of baby back pork ribs for 5 hours. They tasted great but was not as tender as I thought they should be.
I have eaten ribs cooked by some of my friends that would fall apart without pre-boiling.
I was wondering if cooking them longer would have made them more tender? The ribs were not dried out, just not as tender as I would have liked.
Anyone have any ideas or solutions they would like to pass on for making them more tender?

Answer 1

The Secret to Cooking Great Ribs
Select a lean rib, cut off the visible fat.Remove membrane from ribs, We like our ribs lean , tender and beautiful. Cook 'em low and slow. Two pounds or less'll take 4 and a half hours at 225 degrees. In the smoker is best.

Lay ribs out til they're unfrozen. Put your Magic Dust on it, let 'em sit for half an hour, an hour, two hours. Overnight really is best.

Just lay 'em on your grill real nice. Put the ribs (or other meat) on the side that doesn't have the fire under it, we call the "hot and not." Place the ribs on a rack over a pan of water ( about 1" of water). Fire up the other side of your grill. Set your temperature to 200/225 degrees. It 's important to know where 225 degrees is on your grill or pit. A small oven thermometer will do just fine.

Put your wood chips on your fire side. Take a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, be sure to soak your chips (we like hickory), wrap them up real good and poke some holes in the top of your foil and then put them on your fire or coals. Now you're smokin'! Close your lid and leave them be. Don't be peaking. Just let them smoke. When ribs are tender and pulled back from the bone a touch, then and only then, is when we sauce 'em. Move ribs or meat to the hot side. Sauce 'em real good, bone side down first. Be careful not to burn 'em. When your ribs or meat get bubbly, not burnt, flip 'em. Sauce the other side 'til it bubble. This should take 3-5 minutes total. Remove from grill and enjoy!

When you are all done and cooled down, take your tongs and discard your foil package of chips in a metal container.

How should I put the sauce on the ribs?
The choices are dipping, mopping and brushing. Every chef uses a different way of slathering on their sauce. We like mopping, but feel free to experiment and use the method you like best. And, remember, you can always put some extra sauce on the side.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

How To Smoke Tender Ribs

Answer 4

You listen to old Nick B up above me there. He knows of what he speaks. And please don't ever boil your ribs no matter how many people tell you otherwise. You're doing nothing but making broth when you do & you can't put that flavor back into your ribs. You'll notice that everyone telling you to boil first will then tell you to soak em with sauce. A good side of ribs don't need to be boiled or sauced up. Don't get me wrong, sauce is great but it's not an excuse for poorly cooked ribs.
Sounds like your ribs just need a little more time in the cooker. Maybe you've got a little more weight there than before. Your temps sound right on, maybe go up to 225 with your old time of 5 hours.

Answer 5

I know you said you have had other ribs that were tender w/o being boiled first, but I would suggest you do that. You can also try soaking the ribs in the pineapple juice before cooking. Pineapple has an enzyeme that breaks down the fibers in the meat. Always buy the best quality meat you can afford and make sure you liquid never runs out.

Answer 6

When I cook ribs I put meat tenderizer directly on the ribs and bake them in the oven covered with foil. The way you cooked them sounds good, but I would think they have to be cooked more like 8 hours using that method. If they were not dried out, then they just weren't cooked long enough. You're making me hungry for ribs. lol

Answer 7

Smoked Pork Ribs
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Ingredients
2 racks pork ribs
House Seasoning, recipe follows
Jerry's Basting Sauce, recipe follows
Favorite BBQ sauce, if desired

Instructions
Prepare smoker to 250 degrees F. I use charcoal and wood chips such as
hickory.

Remove membrane from ribs if desired. Rub thoroughly with House Seasoning. Place ribs on smoker
grate and cover. Slow smoke ribs for 2 to 3 hours. Every 15 minutes brush ribs with vinegar
solution. We serve our ribs without sauce. If you like sauce cooked on, brush ribs with sauce about
15 minutes before they are done, turning often, watching carefully that the sauce does not burn.
Ribs are done when they are tender enough to easily pull from the bones. If you're not a sauce
eater, remove ribs, cut and serve with BBQ sauce on the side.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I always nuke the ribs before smoking them. Thus they are already halfway cooked when you put them in the smoker.
I can't tell you how long, because there are many factors involved, like size, type of marinade (if any), etc. It's a matter of trial and error.

Answer 10

haven't used an electric smoker, but on my "real" smoker, one where you use charcoal and or wood I smoke baby backs for 6 hours at 225 to 250, spare ribs for maybe 30 to 45 minutes longer.