If in jQuery >= 1.6:
Use prop
as seen here: .prop() vs .attr()
$itemVariantRowRadio.prop('checked', true);
If in jQuery < 1.6:
$itemVariantRowRadio.attr('checked', true);
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6432246/radio-buttons-and-attrchecked-checked-does-not-work-in-ie7