re: Baby Back Ribs "Experiment" - Final Result w/Pics

At no time was I suggesting that this technique of making ribs would ever replace the traditional BBQ method with smoke.

With that said, here's my objective report on the process and how things turned out.

Next time, I'm going to back them off from the 48 hours. They weren't dry, but not as juicy as I'd expected or as I like them to be. Yes, you can hold things at the same temp for hours without overcooking them, but it will change the texture eventually. If it's timed right, this is a good thing because we've all heard what magic low and slow can bring, and this is the ultimate in low and slow. Collagen is broken down, fats in cuts like ribeyes melt in and around the meat, and a general tenderizing takes place. Even though it won't overcook, one of the drawbacks of leaving anything swimming too long is that any salt added to the protein before it goes into the bag has a better chance of curing and drawing out moisture, producing a drier meat. I'm going to either cut back on the time or cut back on the salt content in my rub.

The texture was spot on, and probably one of the best parts about doing it this way. Let's face it, baby backs can be a bit finicky since they're leaner than spare ribs, and I can achieve the same texture and consistency every time. Anyone who's BBQd baby backs has probably apologized to their guests at least once for them being too dry.

As previous posters have mentioned, paprika may add a smokey element, and there is paprika in my rub. I wanted to start with the basics this go, and then tweak in future attempts. I could envision liquid smoke or a bit more paprika. Although it didn't penetrate the ribs for smoke rings, the smoke from the grill was very much present in the flavor.

As for falling off the bone vs. having a bite to them, this was a happy medium. At no time while eating them did any meat simply drop off without my teeth gnawing it off, although the tenderness was incredible. This was awesome because I don't care for fall off the bone ribs. Crock pots can easily produce these.

One of the best things about this method is that I have three more portions waiting for me in the freezer at any time I want to start up the grill. I drop them directly from the freezer into the water bath, and again, the magic of convection works its wonder and will have the meat thawed, warm and ready for the grill even before the charcoal is ready.

The nice thing about this is that I could make batch after batch just as I have, freeze them, and in the future be able to feed a bunch of people from a kettle grill, whereas it can only hold 2 slabs the traditional method. I feasibly could take them out of the water bath and replace them with more from the freezer. Wash, rince, repeat for as many guests as you have.

Another selling point is that you can take advantage of anything on sale, and I mean REALLY take advantage of it. You can buy in bulk and either freeze it raw or cook it as I have, ice it down, then into the freezer so that you can have the meal at sale price any time. In my freezer right now are the three portions of ribs I didn't get to, duck breasts, duck confit, salmon, chicken, uncooked 2" thick bone in ribeyes, etc. The food saver has paid for itself already, and I can have any of these meals any time that I want, regardless if they're on sale or take 72 hours to cook.

As I've stated, this was my first attempt and will be tweaking the recipe slightly, but I was very happy with the result. I will continue to experiment with sous vide to see exactly which foods it's made for. Just as a non stick pan or a microwave are ideal for certain things doesn't mean that everything works with them. I'm anxious to find the hidden gems.