The internet is full of advice for the novice, and one popular tip is the 3-2-1 method for cooking ribs. It says you should cook a slab of St. Louis cut ribs for 3 hours, then wrap it in foil for 2 hours, then take it out of the foil for 1 hour.
I think 2 hours in foil is waaaay too long, especially if there is liquid in the foil. I think anything more than 1 hour softens the meat too much and makes it mushy. Start with 1/2 hour and go no longer than 1 hour as you experiment.
Experiment until you and your cooker get it the way you like it best. Your mileage might vary. These are guidelines not rules.
1 hour outside the foil in indirect heat to firm the surface until ready
1/4 hour with sauce over direct high heat.
The Texas Crutch: Wrapping Meat in Foil to Tenderize and Moisturize
Called the "Texas Crutch" because some folks think it was developed there, practically all the top competitive barbecue teams use it. It halps make more tender, juicy, meat, that is not mushy, and unlike boiled meat, still tastes like meat. It also has the added benefit of finishing the cooking process. It works, but I must confess, I rarely use it. It is just too much bother for too little return. But if you are competing for that big prize money, go for it.
Here's the theory: We will seal the ribs in a vessel with liquid at a temp just above boiling. The liquid will bathe the meat in humidity and a bit of steam. It will moisten and tenderize the meat. Do this for too long, and you will extract flavor and cause the proteins to get their undies in a bunch, forming tight knots that will make the meat tough and wring out moisture. The liquid can be water, juice, wine, or beer. I like apple juice.
Ribs
1) Prepare a slab of ribs in the usual method: First skin 'n' trim, then rub. If you have a smoker, use it. If you have a charcoal grill, use this method, if you have a gas grill, use this method, if you have a bullet smoker like a Weber Smokey Mountain, use this method, and if you have an offset, use this method. Roast St. Louis Cut ribs meat side up, at 225°F for about 3 hours. If you are using baby backs, roast for 1 1/2 hours before using the crutch. Add wood smoke for the first hour only.
2a) The Texas Crutch with foil. Pull off a strip of heavy-duty wide aluminum foil about six feet long. Fold it in half until it is three feet long and make a canoe out of it big enough to hold the slab and so it will hold liquid without leaking. Place the slab on the foil, meat side up. Pour 1 cup apple juice into the foil but not over the ribs so you don't wash off too much rub. Be careful that the bones don't poke holes in the foil. It is important that the packet not leak liquid from the bottom, and that steam not be able to escape from the top.
2b) The Texas Crutch with a pan. Instead of using foil, you can use a pan. Place the slab, meat side up, on the bottom of a sheet pan, baking pan, or disposable aluminum pan. Pour in enough apple juice to cover the bottom about 1/8" deep. Tightly cover the pan with foil so it does not leak steam. I prefer this method because it is easy to puncture the foil with the bones.
3) Put the sealed meat back on the cooker at 225°F. After 30 minutes in foil the meat should be thoroughly cooked. Push it much beyond 30 minutes and you risk overcooking the meat and turning it mushy. Now open the package being extremely careful to avoid the hot steam that will escape. Remove the ribs, place them back on the grill, and cook at 225°F to dry off the surface and firm up the crust until the the surface has dried and they are ready. Click here to learn how to tell when ribs are ready. That may be as little as one hour or as many as three, sepending on the individual slab of meat, how accurate your thermometer is, and how steady you have kept the temp.
Pork shoulder (a.k.a. pork butt) for pulled pork, and brisket are thick cuts and take longer in foil. Personally, I never bother using the Texas Crutch on pork butts because if it cooked properly it rarely needs tenderizing. But I almost always use it on brisket, a tougher customer. I recommend 1 hour in foil for brisket.
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1 hour with nothing but rub and smoke
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