Serious question, heard a pitmaster in Memphis say they never wrap their ribs

I was watching a video from a guy at a joint called Payne's Bar-B-Q, and he said wrapping ribs in foil just steams them and ruins the bark. He said he cooks his ribs straight through for 6 hours, no wrap, no spritz. It made me question my whole 3-2-1 method. Has anyone else tried a full no-wrap cook on spare ribs?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_nelson401mo ago

I think the 3-2-1 method has its place but you're giving up texture for speed. The bark on a no-wrap cook really is a different level, I did a rack last weekend and the crust was way better than anything I got wrapping. I'm curious how you adjusted the temp or cook time to keep the ribs from drying out?

abby3082mo ago

Yeah wrapping is fine if you want tender ribs fast but you lose that bark. Try going no wrap for at least one cook, just keep the temp steady around 250-275 and let em ride. That crust you get is worth the extra time.

tarajenkins2mo ago

Totally agree with that pitmaster. Tried the no-wrap method last summer and the bark was way better, just a nice steady cook. Never went back to wrapping after that.