Heads up: Your uncle's sudden grill advice can mess up your ribs

My uncle always jumps in to 'adjust' the charcoal right when my ribs are perfect, saying they need more heat. This happened at a cookout and the ribs got burnt on one side, totally uneven. I see this a lot with family, like when parents keep opening the smoker to check on things. It lets all the heat out and ruins the slow cook. If you have relatives over, set clear rules about who touches the grill. Maybe even give them a simple job, like prepping sides, to keep them busy. Lol, save your BBQ from well-meaning family chaos.

3 comments

3 Comments

leo6671mo ago

Watched my buddy Mike almost lose it last Fourth of July. His father-in-law kept poking the ribs with a fork to "test if they were done," letting all the smoke out every time. Mike had been babying those ribs for hours. They ended up tough and dry, like leather. He told me later he wanted to hand the man a beer and just point him at a lawn chair. Some folks just cannot leave a grill alone.

paulw661mo ago

But @leo667 what if they were still raw inside?

milabutler1mo ago

That bit about poking the ribs with a fork reminds me of my friend Dave. His cousin, who swore he knew grilling, kept flipping the burgers every 30 seconds because he thought they'd cook faster, just completely going against what @leo667 described. They turned out grey and weird, like hockey pucks on a bun. Dave now loudly announces the grill is a one person job before he even lights the charcoal.