Ssllooww cooking bbq/ribs

I have read all about the 3-2-1 method for ribs. I bet that would work good. I would like to share my way of smoiking BBQ. First I am not putting down any style, this is just my style. I have been smoking ribs/butts for 10 or so years and have used this same method. If you like fall off the bone ribs/bbq you will like this. (note this style is very tender.) Here it is...

1- Night before. prep your meat. Take off silverskin and put on your rub. I use season salt.

2-Fire up your smoker and get to 225. I use Hickory only.

3- Put butts fat side up and ribs meat side up.

4- cook meat until they reach the color you want. This usually takes 3-4 hours for ribs and about 5 for the butts.

5- mix up a spray bottle with 35% apple cider vinager,50% apple juice and 15% water. I also put a little season salt in it too. Spray the meat about every 45 min.

6- once the meat reaches the color you want, triple wrap them in aluminum foil. put 6 oz of the mop juice in each one.

7- Kick the temp up to 375 or so and let it fall back down to 225. Smoke for another 7-8 hours. for a total of 11-12 hours.

8- Drain and shred the butts and sprinkle with season salt. Drain the ribs and sprinkle with season salt. I like to dip the ribs in bbq sauce and eat with a banana pepper ring! Good stuff!!!! you will have to eat the ribs by pulling the meat off the bone!

I have been Q'ing all my life and been competing at BBQ for the past 8 years. Your method will work just fine. It will make very tender Que but what about the bark? You are basically steaming the meat in the foil, not cooking low and slow. You could get similar results in a crock pot. The meat will be tender but you will lack that nice firm bark. When I Que at home, I try to avoid using foil because I think nice flavorful and firm bark is a trademark of good Que. When competing sometimes I am forced to use foil because of time constraints. The foil speeds up the cooking process. Don't get me wrong, I am not critical about your method. It just doesn't fit my personal tastes but thats just my personal opinion. Lots of new comers will find your method to be quite helpful.

I will try this method but will remove from the foil about an hour before they're done and continue smoking them. I typically add sauce in the last 15 minutes or so and kick up the heat to let the sugar caramelize.

Yes, you are right, The ribs won't have the bark that you traditionally get but that's just it....with using straight hickory logs and braising them in the smoker it gives them a unique taste that is awesome! Maybe that's what is so good. You just can't find ribs like these. I also didn't say but sometimes I carefully put them back on the smoker out of the pouch to firm 'em up.

As for the butts...I still do get a pretty good bark. Not like one that's not wrapped, but there again, something different.

The next time you do some ribs; Try it, I think you'll like 'em! The next time I do ribs I will try the 3-2-1.

When you smoke the butts, how long do you smoke them? If you have all the time you want, do you leave them unwrapped the whole time?