Had a customer tell me my ribs were too dry, so I stopped wrapping them in foil after 3 hours

Switched to butcher paper at the 5 hour mark and spritzed every 45 minutes instead, now the bark stays crunchy and the meat actually pulls clean, anyone else ditch the Texas crutch for a different method?

4 comments

4 Comments

robin6281mo agoTop Commenter

Makes total sense, that foil wrap always killed my bark too even though everyone swore by it. Glad the butcher paper fix worked out for you, pulled clean ribs with crunchy bark is the dream.

olivia_moore1mo ago

Wasn't there a time when everyone treated foil wrap like the only way? I used to be all about the foil boat method myself, thought it was foolproof. But then I saw how much bark I was losing every time and switched over. The paper really does let the meat breathe while still keeping it from drying out, which feels backwards but totally works. Now I'm a butcher paper believer even though it took a couple tries to get the wrap timing down.

danielnelson1mo ago

Hold on now, I'm gonna go the other way on this one. I still foil wrap every time and I get a perfect bark and clean pull. I think the issue a lot of people have is they wrap too early or wrap too tight, they don't leave any air in there. I wait until the internal temp hits 165, then I wrap loose with two layers of foil and add a splash of apple juice inside before sealing it up. My bark comes out dark and sticky but not mushy, and I've never had a complaint about dry meat in 8 years of doing it this way. Maybe try adjusting your foil method instead of ditching it entirely.

torres.thea1mo ago

The 45 minute spritz is actually what sold me on trying this too. I use a mix of apple cider vinegar and a little bourbon for mine, keeps it moist without making the paper soggy. Took me three racks of baby backs to nail the timing, but now I can actually see the smoke ring through the paper instead of having it all steamed away.