3, 2, 1 Baby Back Ribs recipe left me with shoe leather

[Whjones71]

My first try at ribs on my new Traeger 575. They looked beautiful but were as tough as shoe leather. So disappointing. I wasted 6 hours of my life just to throw them away. Not sure what the hell I did wrong. Pretty devastated right now.

I can only assume I over or under cooked them. Followed the damn recipe from Traeger to a T. Wasted money and time.

Bill

 

[RayClem]

I never rely on either the Traeger RTD thermocouple that provides feedback to the controller or the internal meat probe. The thermocouple is placed an a single spot along the side of the grill. The temperature to which your protein is exposed will be either higher or lower than the thermocouple reading depending where it is placed side to side, front to back and top to bottom in the cooking chamber. It is best to measure the cook temperature using an independent temperature probe placed a couple of inches (not closer) from the protein. This phenomena is not isolated to Traeger grills, but is common to all pellet grills and to conventional offset smokers as well. If is something your learn to deal with as you use your grill

The procedure for calibrating your Traeger internal temperature probe is based on the temperature of an ice/water bath at 0 C/32F. That insures that the probe is accurate at that single temperature. However, when cooking, that temperature is useless. Also, for calibration, you need a minimum of two reference temperatures covering the ranges of temperatures you plan to measure. For cooking, that is normally 125F for rare steak up to 205F for things like pulled pork, brisket, baby back ribs and veggies like potatoes. Knowing that your probe is accurate at 32F is not very helpful if it is off by 10 degrees at the desired temperature.

While you can get expensive devices like Meater, Fireboard and Thermoworks Thermapen, you can find perfectly serviceable devices that are less expensive.

NEVER cook to TIME and TEMPERATURE as you might do when cooking in your kitchen oven. ALWAYS cook to an INTERNAL TEMPERATURE measured by a temperature probe you know is accurate. People think the 3-2-1 method for ribs means the job will be done in exactly 6 hours. Depending upon conditions, the job might take more or less time for each stage. During the 1st period, the internal temperature should reach 160-170F. If you wrap the ribs for the second phase, the internal temp should reach 205F +/- and the rib meat should pull away from the bone ends. You can add liquid at the time of wrapping so the ribs will be steamed. The final hour is simply to remove some excess moisture and reset the bark. If you apply sauce, you can do it during this time.

There are many methods for cooking ribs. Not all of them use wrapping. Check out a variety of methods and try several until you find the method that you like best.

 

[Whjones71]

As taught by our instructor at a Traeger Shop class, "Good BBQ is the result of a lot of bad BBQ". Coming from a famous Pit Boss, this was kind of sobering. I struggled with consistency, (after using the Traeger recipes) until that class. My learning curve is a lot flatter these days; experience is the best teacher after sitting in front of one with ample to share.

1. When you're learning a new recipe (sorry, this is grill does not have a Staples "Easy" button, as the ads would have you believe) always document what it says and how your results come out. Temps, times, etc. It may take a couple of tries, (learning isn't cheap, but constant failures are more so) but eventually, you'll find the sweet spot that has your grill turn out consistently excellent food - barring a bad cut of meat.

2. Prepare the ribs. Are you removing most of the excess fat and the clear membrane?

3. For the beginning smoke phase, I spray my ribs with apple juice every 30 minutes. Later, I make an aluminum foil pouch and fill it with some apple juice before sealing the meat inside.

4. Cook to temp. Always have a hand-held thermometer available. (I really like the accuracy of the Meater, but have had good experiences with the (cabled) iGrill from Weber. Two Traeger flip-out, digital thermometers died within two months, so I moved on to the two afore-mentioned thermometers on both of my grills.

Now that the pandemic seems less dire, I highly recommend attending a Shop class. They're not only a lot of fun, but you'll learn things that might take years to figure out otherwise.

Oh yeah, you get an excellent meal of each of the recipes taught in the lesson guide too!

Thank you for the good advice!

 

[Whjones71]

I never rely on either the Traeger RTD thermocouple that provides feedback to the controller or the internal meat probe. The thermocouple is placed an a single spot along the side of the grill. The temperature to which your protein is exposed will be either higher or lower than the thermocouple reading depending where it is placed side to side, front to back and top to bottom in the cooking chamber. It is best to measure the cook temperature using an independent temperature probe placed a couple of inches (not closer) from the protein. This phenomena is not isolated to Traeger grills, but is common to all pellet grills and to conventional offset smokers as well. If is something your learn to deal with as you use your grill

The procedure for calibrating your Traeger internal temperature probe is based on the temperature of an ice/water bath at 0 C/32F. That insures that the probe is accurate at that single temperature. However, when cooking, that temperature is useless. Also, for calibration, you need a minimum of two reference temperatures covering the ranges of temperatures you plan to measure. For cooking, that is normally 125F for rare steak up to 205F for things like pulled pork, brisket, baby back ribs and veggies like potatoes. Knowing that your probe is accurate at 32F is not very helpful if it is off by 10 degrees at the desired temperature.

While you can get expensive devices like Meater, Fireboard and Thermoworks Thermapen, you can find perfectly serviceable devices that are less expensive.

NEVER cook to TIME and TEMPERATURE as you might do when cooking in your kitchen oven. ALWAYS cook to an INTERNAL TEMPERATURE measured by a temperature probe you know is accurate. People think the 3-2-1 method for ribs means the job will be done in exactly 6 hours. Depending upon conditions, the job might take more or less time for each stage. During the 1st period, the internal temperature should reach 160-170F. If you wrap the ribs for the second phase, the internal temp should reach 205F +/- and the rib meat should pull away from the bone ends. You can add liquid at the time of wrapping so the ribs will be steamed. The final hour is simply to remove some excess moisture and reset the bark. If you apply sauce, you can do it during this time.

There are many methods for cooking ribs. Not all of them use wrapping. Check out a variety of methods and try several until you find the method that you like best.

Sounds like I'm better off returning the 575 Pro and buying the cheaper Traeger grill without wifi since all it's sending is erroneous data to your phone, and then invest in good temp gauges.

Bill

 

[Murphy's Law]

Sounds like I'm better off returning the 575 Pro and buying the cheaper Traeger grill without wifi since all it's sending is erroneous data to your phone, and then invest in good temp gauges.

Bill

I wouldn't say that. I have a Pro 780 and the ambient probe is off by 20 to 70 degrees depending on my set temp (20 at low temp and 70 at high temp). I use a Fire Board II for both my ambient and meat probe (I don't even know where the Traeger meat probe is since I've never used it).

With the WiFi capability I can still adjust my pit temp up or down until my Fire Board probe shows target temp. You're using the grill WiFi capability, just not the ambient probe for data. Basically, I don't care if my Traeger probe shows 240, as long as the FireBoard reads 225.

You can also go to warming mode (useful if you're at temp and can't run out to the grill right away), shutdown, etc. The Pro series also has a better controller than the other grills, as well.

As others said, get a good instant read, as well. And always cook to temp not time. Your ribs will be much better next time, guaranteed.

Everything takes time to learn. I just got an OONI outdoor pizza oven a few weeks ago and threw away the 1st 4 pizzas. Pizza went into the trash and we went to Old Chicago!

 

[Whjones71]

I wouldn't say that. I have a Pro 780 and the ambient probe is off by 20 to 70 degrees depending on my set temp (20 at low temp and 70 at high temp). I use a Fire Board II for both my ambient and meat probe (I don't even know where the Traeger meat probe is since I've never used it).

With the WiFi capability I can still adjust my pit temp up or down until my Fire Board probe shows target temp. You're using the grill WiFi capability, just not the ambient probe for data. Basically, I don't care if my Traeger probe shows 240, as long as the FireBoard reads 225.

You can also go to warming mode (useful if you're at temp and can't run out to the grill right away), shutdown, etc. The Pro series also has a better controller than the other grills, as well.

As others said, get a good instant read, as well. And always cook to temp not time. Your ribs will be much better next time, guaranteed.

Everything takes time to learn. I just got an OONI outdoor pizza oven a few weeks ago and threw away the 1st 4 pizzas. Pizza went into the trash and we went to Old Chicago!

Ok, I see what you mean. I'll look up the Fireboard II

 

[Clint62]

I use wired probes and my meater probe. According to them, my traeger 575 runs about 20-25 deg cooler than what the traeger app temp shows. I dont see much bone pullback on your ribs, which tells me the heat was too low. Pullback should be evident at the 3 hr mark, and they should be poking out a ways after the 2nd round. Was there a chance your juice leaked out after wrapping?

 

[Clint62]

I have also noticed wild temp swings if the sun is hitting the smoker. On a 75-80 deg sunny day I park it under a shaded overhang. Just an FYI

 

[Murphy's Law]

Ok, I see what you mean. I'll look up the Fireboard II

Lots oF people here use an Ink Bird product, too. They are a lot less expensive and bought off Amazon. I gave one to my son in law, and he loves it. I have also used a lot of their stuff for home brewing and it's good, especially for the money.

 

[Whjones71]

Lots oF people here use an Ink Bird product, too. They are a lot less expensive and bought off Amazon. I gave one to my son in law, and he loves it. I have also used a lot of their stuff for home brewing and it's good, especially for the money.

The Fireboard and Meater probes are WAY more expensive then the Inkbird. I can afford any of them, but I don't want to waste money if the Inkbird does the same thing as accurately as the Fireboard and the Meater thermometers.

Bill

 

[Whjones71]

So I went out and bought an analog oven thermometer and hung it from the upper rack near the right side traeger ambient temp probe. It's about a 25 - 30 degree F difference between what the two say. I also laid the Traeger meat probe near the same location and that is indicating around the same temp as the analog oven thermometer. So yesterday when I thought i was smoking at 180 i was actually doing it at 150-155, then in foil at 225 I was actually only 195- 200. The internal temp of the meat would never reach where it needed to be for each stage. Ugh. Undercooked I guess.

 

[RayClem]

Sounds like I'm better off returning the 575 Pro and buying the cheaper Traeger grill without wifi since all it's sending is erroneous data to your phone, and then invest in good temp gauges.

Bill

It is not so much that the WiFi data to the app is erroneous than it is subject to interpretation. For example, i have learned that if I need to set my Ironwood controller to 450F if I want to cook at 400F. I set it to 325F to cook at 300F. If I want to cook at 200F, I can set the controller to 210F. Once you learn how your grill responds, it is not a problem.

Likewise, the Traeger internal probe is useful for telling you how rapidly your protein is increasing in temperature. Just do not rely on it as you sole judge of when your cook is done to your liking. Always confirm the temperature with either and instant read thermometer or another internal probe.

That being said, some people love the Traeger app and others hate it. Many people have had issues with the app causing the grill to malfunction. This is supposed to have been corrected with software updates. My grill was connected to my router and app, but I upgraded by router a few months ago and a not bothered reconnecting the grill. The app was never a big selling point for me as I rarely do unattended cooks. For some folks, feedback through the app might be indispensable.

 

[Clint62]

Only thing I use on the app is the heat control lol

 

[CMTiger]

Only thing I use on the app is the heat control lol

Heat control and shut down here.

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Making accurate temperature probes is a specialized skill that most grill manufacturers do not have. And good probes cost quite a bit. Most grill manufacturers buy cheap temperature probes from others to include in their products.

But there are grill manufacturers who do use the good probes. In particular, Yoder and Lone Star Grillz both integrate FireBoard into their products. The only problem is that they are way more expensive than equivalent Traeger grills. My Pro 575 combined with the FireBoard II system works very well and that combination is still cheaper than the above grills.

If you can get over this disappointment and purchase a good 3rd party probe system you will enjoy your grill for a long time. If you are interested, I wrote about the pros and cons of my grill after 6 months of use:

Six Month Review of My Traeger

I purchased my Pro 575 in the beginning of May of this year, so it has now been almost 6 months. I wrote up my observations soon after my first cook, so its time for an update. Overall, the Traeger has been phenomenal for what I wanted: low and slow cooking. It does everything I stick inside...

www.traegerforum.com

 

[Whjones71]

The Fireboard and Meater probes are WAY more expensive then the Inkbird. I can afford any of them, but I don't want to waste money if the Inkbird does the same thing as accurately as the Fireboard and the Meater thermometers.