A judge at the Kansas City Royal said my ribs were 'mushy' and it totally changed my prep

Elliot Hart · 2026-03-10T06:00:15.029414+00:00

I entered my usual baby back ribs last year, and one judge wrote on my score sheet 'great flavor, but texture is mushy, no bite'. I realized I was wrapping them in foil for way too long, like 3 hours! Now I only wrap for 90 minutes max, and I check for a clean pull off the bone, not fall-off-the-bone. The difference in my last cook was huge, they had that perfect tug. Has anyone else gotten feedback that made you cut your wrap time way down?

hunt.nora7mo ago

Actually, that long wrap is what gets you that super tender texture a lot of folks love. Fall-off-the-bone is the goal for plenty of eaters, not just competition judges. My family complains if the ribs have any tug at all, they want that meat sliding right off. Sometimes those contest rules are for a very specific style that doesn't match real world backyard eating. A three hour wrap might be perfect for your own crowd.

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sean_torres717mo ago

Yeah but that mushy texture is a real turn off for me.

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sethhernandez7mo ago

Hunt.nora has a point about the real world. Most people I know would call fall off the bone ribs a huge win, not a problem. Getting a note from one judge seems like a pretty small thing to totally change how you cook for your friends.

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