Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 3 & 3D - The Big Brother => Topic started by: KAG on July 23, 2015, 09:29:49 PM
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From what I have been reading with the SI#3, each rack is close to 3.5lbs so.....5-6hrs at 225F? Or since it's analog....235F?
I wanted to do bacon on a stick but with a new smoker I will just use my dry rubs. One with a coffee rub and the other a molasses rub. Both racks will get finished sauced the last hour with a heavy on the Makers Mark, bbq sauce I mix up. Plan to use Pecan
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Spares will take you around 6 hours, most likely. Smoke them at 235, and make sure you use a water pan, on the floor of the smoker. Start checking them, with a toothpick, at 5 hours. If it goes in easy, and the meat pulls sideways easy, they're done! If not, give them another 20-30 min and try again.
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Hey Keg, When you insert the tooth pick put it between the bones. And when you pull the meat if it breaks the meat is not done. And like Tony says go another 20 to 30 mins. and recheck. Also after you sauce just leave them in the smoker about 30 mins. Any longer and the sauce will turn the bark to mush. This I did on my first rack of ribs, that bark just slid off when I cut the ribs. And was a gooey mess reason I left them in too long. I took some ribs to my Dad's and we talked for a little while. Did not think this would mess the ribs up. It is better to pull and wrap in foil for a rest.
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Just prepping.....
Bourbon & Blackstrap Molasses baked beans simmering with thick cuts of pork loin that will get shredded up tomorrow for our BBQ. Baked beans are always better if cooked the day before then added to the smoker with the St.Louis style ribs. Of course smoked mac & cheese then watermellon for desert
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That's looking good, KAG! :P
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Way to go KAG! Some seriously delicious looking eats you got there.
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I too am doing 3 slabs of St. Louis ribs in my new/used #3 tomorrow. I am going with maple and cherry woods. But, will start a new post in the am. As going to use the Auber just for temps. and time, no food probe in ribs.
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Well since I do not have an Auber I will use my digit probe to give me idea of how hot the SI#3 is. Plan to just lay on the top rack. I will check them at 5hrs and then wrap them and back in for another hour....that's the plan.
Also going to use my AMZ pan and see how it does in the SI3
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Good luck
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Plan to just lay on the top rack.
KAG...I don't know if you mean you plan to lay the probe on the top rack, but if that is true, you will want to attach the clip for the probe to the rack rather than laying the probe directly on the rack. By laying the probe directly on the rack, you will see very high temps as it will be measuring the heat of the rack rather than air temp in the smoker.
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Hey Steve what if you do not have a clip for the probe? How would you then attach it to the rack. Rick whom I purchased the #3 from said he just used to place the probe a couple of inches from the meat on the top rack.
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I guess if you could dangle it down so it hangs from the rack, that might work. I think I read here somewhere that someone ran the probe through a piece of wood and then hung the wood clip on the bottom side of a rack.
I have run into problems if the temp probe touches the meat or the rack, so I try to keep it away from both.
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I plan on ordering a permanent mount sensor for the #3 this week. Which will fix this problem. Thanks for the tip, right now it looks to be running fine. I am doing ribs at 235 degrees and has not varied at all. I did see it jump up to 237 when I remember to add the bread pan half full of apple juice. It was right on the drain board where I added the juice this morning. It was only an hour late getting into the #3. I am glad I remember to add the wood to the box and foil the top of the box and floor of the smoker. ::)
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Sounds good, Bill! I knew when I had messed up with the probe and started getting wild readings. The frustration then is that you have a probe that can't be trusted for the rest of the smoke! Truth be told, though, I now really don't use the probe for the temp inside the box; I just use the meat probe and trust that SI is doing its thing correctly on the set temp.
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Well in they go. I just dropped the probe down through the smoke hole.....the probe is almost 10 inches long so it's basically dangling between the top and 2nd rack. Did use my AMZ tray loaded with Pecan on the bottom and set the smoker at 230F but will adjust in in hour or so. Did not set a water pan to wet smoke, wanted to see how it does out of the box. Previous electric never had to add a water pan and never an issue with dry meat so plan to just see. If they look dry when I pull them in 5hours to wrap I will add some bourbon/apple juice to the foil wrap. They have been setting sealed in a long tupperware containers for 36hours in my garage frig.
The top ribs are Blackstrap molasses and rub. The bottom ribs is my coffee rub and molasses.
I did foil the lid to the fire box and put a large bakers sheet just above it to catch most of the drippings. We will see how it works.
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So the AMZ tray won't stay lit so put wood chunks in the fire box.
Going to have to sort that one out later but will just do chunks for a while to learn this smoker. Maybe that in the SI3 the AMZ tray is strictly a cold smoking add on. From what I read......few have really ever needed the AMZ tray for decent smoke anyway
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KAG, the large baker's sheet between the smoke box and meat will probably play havoc with your box temp. We went through this a couple of years ago with a bunch of folks getting low box temps, and the only common thing was the use of a large drip pan. It seems to channel the heat up the sides, and makes the temp probe think the box is a lot hotter than it really is. I'll be interested to see how your results are, it you have a box temp probe near the meat. Most of us have found foiling the bottom is the best way, so there's no obstruction between the heat and the meat.
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When I added the chunks after an hour the digital temp was 197F and is located near the meat.
Interesting.......
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Hey KAG, My ribs are in and out now resting in foil, towels and a cooler. They cook in a little under 5 hrs. at 235. I love the #3 and the Auber. Now need to get off my lazy butt and do the Little Brother so both will be the same.
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When I added the chunks after an hour the digital temp was 197F and is located near the meat.
Interesting.......
Yep. 38 degrees below setpoint...sounds about right, with the big cookie sheet. Try just using foil on the bottom next time, and see if you get the same results. It just "tricks" the thermostat in a negative way.
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Pulled the bakers sheet and I will check the temp in an hour.
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Hey KAG, Here is my post with pictures at the end of the smoke, before putting them in foil as they will be dinner tonight with a baked potatos and fresh tomato slices from the garden. http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=3783.0
Hope yours comes out good also.
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Just sauced and wrapped, resting. Produced a decent candied bark
An Auber is in my future though.....of course just the first time actually using it but getting a stable temp is something I would like but that's down the road.
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Looks good, KAG!
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Looks mighty tasty...
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Well done, KAG! Looks mighty tasty!
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Way to go KAG! That got my mouth watering!
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Good job KAG! That's a tasty looking plate.
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The overall finish was that I liked the bark, had a slight sweet caramelized chew to it. I like bark on mine. The bottom rack was more tender than the top rack of ribs. Found it more a kin to when I first started on a wood smoker years ago with temp management.
The digital temp probe was not very accurate as far telling what was really going on in the smoker. I think without an Auber there is a sharper learning curve to this smoker. Wood chunks did not seem to last the entire smoke with the chunks in the front seeming to burn more complete to ash and charcoal in the rear. But the meat did have a smoke flavor but not a deep smokey flavor. The top rack I thought was a tad dry with the bottom rack (2nd from top shelf) being moist. Next time I may try the 2nd and 3rd shelves.
I figure it may take a 1/2 dozen smokes to get it patterned out. Figure next time I will just long ways split a smaller piece of Mulberry stick and lay it in the fire pan vs small chunks. Although the thought of sinking another $250 into it to get decent temp regulation is not a prospect I look forward to I will probably brake down and do it later. Plus the added feature of higher temps when needed.
For a first time run in a new smoker the food was good, but just a C for quality I think. People thought the sweet chewy molasses bark was really good and it pulled away from the bone easily. Just being my normal critical self as I always want a better end product.
Thank you for all the help
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KAG, the ribs, for a first-effort, were a success. It won't take you long to get the hang of it. Don't over-think the need for absolute precision to convince you that you need it to cook great Q. While I love the precision of the Auber, I can smoke anything just as well in my #1 with the stock analog controller.
Here's my 2ยข on your first smoke: Wood is not supposed to smoke the duration of the cook. If it produced smoke for 5 hours of a rib cook, your ribs would be severely over-smoked. You didn't mention how much wood you used. I use about 3-3.5 oz for ribs, and they're plenty smoky. You may not have had enough wood.
Next, you opened the smoker to mess with the cookie sheet, and not sure how many other times. Next time, try to not reinvent the wheel; put your ribs in, with a water pan in the bottom, set your dial to 235. and keep that door closed. Start checking them about 4:45 in, and go another 20-30 min at a time until done. I know you said you've never used a water pan, but it does help.
We've spent the last few years (I'm talking about the whole group, here) trying to find techniques that work best in our smokers. I'm just recommending that you try to duplicate what many of us have done with success, and then go from there. If it doesn't work for you, then by all means, modify the techniques to what works best for you. You can produce some stellar Q in your stock smoker, it just takes some practice! Fortunately, this means you'll have to smoke more! ;)
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+1
Use a water pan, don't peek. Sauce after 4 hours if you like. Esp with fall in winter keep the box closed.
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Hey KAG, do like I did for my #1. Occasionally go out the the Auber site and see if they are on sale. A couple of weekends ago they ran a sale on them. http://www.auberins.com/ For the #3 smoker you will need WSD-1500GPH also if you order from Auberins, you can get the permanent mount sensor for $2.00. I paid $178 for the pid on sale and $2 for the sensor. Just a thought and I know what you mean about laying out $200. But, after the fiasco I had with the Boston Butt a couple of Sat. ago. After Mass I ordered the Auber pid.