First Smoke in the 3, What will yours be?

[SmokedLoon]

The family was pulling for ribs so two slabs from Sam's Club Pork Emporium will get trimmed and salted in the morning.  I am going to try the Memphis Dust: A Magical Spice Rub.  http://is.gd/AhtIsi
If any on the list have experience with this "dust" let me know your thoughts.

For the record this smoker will never be used to harm a Loon.
Loons are enjoyed in Wisconsin just not on the dinner plate
http://is.gd/c7y3kg
All other critters are fair game.

With all the new SI3 owners what is your first smoke game plan?  I will come back and post my rookie pictures!

Matt

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[Kaz]

Seasoning is almost complete, we have 3 sams bb for tomorrow

[Smokin Texas Aggie]

I'll be doing ribs from Sam's as well. I was also going to make some Meathead Memphis Dust to use on them as well. Seems like we're on the same page! My #3 should be here Wednesday. I'll definitely be posting some pics. Good luck with the baby backs!

[mizzoufan]

I went crazy and planned a shindig for my birthday 2 days after my #2 arrived.  An 11lb packer brisket and 8lb Boston Butt.  Posting at 2am because the alarm on the Brisket went off (/sigh, why can't I be one of those "right back to sleep" people?).  Pork shoulder is sitting at 189 right now and seems to be in a stall (secondary?).

Lesson learned: Unless it's brisket for lunch and pulled pork for dinner, I won't be doing the two together again, there's just too much of a time difference.  I had wondered seeing all the ~1 hr/lb cooks on brisket, but the conventional 'wisdom' was still 1.5+ hrs/lb so I went with that.  I was just over 1hr/lb at 14 hours.

[SmokedLoon]

First smoke complete see pictures below ...8 out of 10. After what looked like a 3 hour stall at 150f I pulled the first rack at 6 hours 15 minutes and 167f after reading Divot Makers comment it is difficult to get an accurate read on ribs.  Toothpick in between bones said it was done. Technology can assist us but we should not forget to use our hand,eye,mind and nose to make the final call. Picture the pilot in the movies tapping on his steam gauges because he does not trust them...

No pictures of the first rack because the family was hungry.  They were good! Next time I am shooting for a 9.5/10 working my way up to the 10. Apple wood smoked steel head trout is my next critter of choice.

3.1Kwh consumed over 6.5 hours 42f outside. Steady wispy smoke off one 3 ounce plug of hickory shipped with the unit for 3 hours.  Nice equipment just need to get used alternate methods of determining when ribs are done. The thin end was a touch lean and dry yet I put sauce out on the side nobody used it. Meathead's Memphis dust is good give it a try!

PS the flap trimmed from the rack went in with the same seasoning one shelf lower and were equally as good as the ribs!

Regards,

Matt

[Barrel99]

Sounds great Matt! What temp did you smoke at? In my #3 at 235 it takes about 5 to 5.5 hours for a rack of St. Louis. A few more racks and you will start to know your smoker better. Also, I like Memphis Dust a lot. It is on the sweet side. Famous Daves rub, I buy on line, is very good as well. Good luck!

I put my meat on the middle of the shelf for better heat distribution. 2 racks, I put on the middle of the top 2 shelves.

[SmokedLoon]

I ran 225 except the last 30 minutes I pegged the dial at 250f.  The temp was very even the whole time.
I will try your rack distribution next time.

The analog mechanical thermostat did a admirable job given it's limitations.

Matt

[Barrel99]

As you use it more you will learn to trust it more. I measure my temp by dropping a Maverick probe in the vent making sure not to touch the meat. I have found this to be a reliable place to take the temp. Àlso you won't see the radical temp swings as much.

Running at 225 is probably why it took a little longer then mine. I haven't seen a difference at 225 to 235 with ribs in terms of tenderness or taste.

[Kaz]

The 2 racks of b&b's turned out pretty good yesterday. I placed them on the very top rack with the bbq probe centered between them. I started with the dial at 235 and the temp quickly climbed to almost 300. After keeping track for a couple cycles the dial was set at 208. This got me close to 235 with swings from 210 to 275. Does this sound ok, or is an adjustment or auber necessary before I try brisket.

[Barrel99]

Kaz, sounds like you are doing well too. Measuring the temp when you are first getting going is important to learn about how your particular unit is working. Placing the probe between the rib racks may have picked up heat from them giving you an inaccurate reading. The swings you had seem a bit higher then I get, but that may have been because of the probe placement.

As I said, I have tried many different tests and found the vent hole to be the most accurate for me. Most of the time now I don't even use the temp probe.  It's easy to just drop it in the vent hole if I want a quick check.

Also read this post to help calibrate your dial. But you have to be comfortable where you are measuring your temp first.

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1219.0

[SmokedLoon]

First Smoke was 2 racks of ribs! Turned out great.

Second tackled a 6.5lb shoulder for pulled pork 18 hours 6kWh the center finally reached 190f. Worth the wait yes.  Tender juicy and good!  Cold during the smoke but the shoulder did not care. Steady temps around 225f.

The SI3 and a single probe make it easy!

Regards,

Matt

[Barrel99]

Way to go Matt! A little patience is all it takes.

[Pork Belly]

Very nice, I hope you have leftovers.

Make sure you use a rack position as high as possible, the heat is more stable.

[SmokedLoon]

Thanks. About 2 quarts of left overs.  I will bias to the highest shelf next time.
I made a Siracha Honey/brown sugar Vinegar sauce for the side with some random super hot chili I have. A little goes a long way.

Now I see nearly all catsup and BBQ sauce is made with corn syrup.  I will have to make my own.  Any good formulas? I never ate Ketchup or Catsup before but it appears to be a foundation of many BBQ sauce formulas.

http://www.diffen.com/difference/Catsup_vs_Ketchup

MAtt

Very nice, I hope you have leftovers. Make sure you use a rack position as high as possible, the heat is more stable.

[DivotMaker]

Matt - nice job on the ribs!  Memphis Dust has a nice flavor, but it way too mild for my taste.  A quick "off the shelf" option is Famous Dave's Rib Rub - nice blend of sweet and sassy!

Did I read right that you've never had Ketchup???  How is that even possible?  lol.  Anyways, here's a ketchup/vinegar-based sauce that is my family's favorite!

St Louis-style BBQ Sauce

Give it a try, and let me know what you think!