Greetings from Michigan!
- Thread starter Pickle
- Start date
DivotMaker
New member
Hi Chris, and welcome to the club! You'll have lots of good times ahead of you with your #2! Here's a simple recipe for ribs:
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1184.0
I use 2 - 2 1/2 oz of wood for ribs, prep them, put them in the smoker, and don't peek until they're done! Lazy Q at its finest!
http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1184.0
I use 2 - 2 1/2 oz of wood for ribs, prep them, put them in the smoker, and don't peek until they're done! Lazy Q at its finest!
Sounds like a good first smoke! What temp did you set the #2? Did you pull them at 5 hours, or give them a little more time? With my #2, I set the smoker at 225F and let the babybacks go for 4 hours without peeking. After that, I pull them and rub on some BBQ sauce for the last hour or so. If at 4 hours the meat is starting to pull off the bone, then I let them go for another hour. If not, then I let them go for 1.5 hours...the key is seeing the bone to know that the meat will fall off!
A little practice and you will have them where you want them! Cheers
A little practice and you will have them where you want them! Cheers
I set it at 225 and let them go for 5-5:15 hrs untouched. I did not see any meat pulling from the bone, when I pulled them or after resting. I only used one piece of hickory, about 2" worth (the wood that came with the smoker), would that have any impact on it?
I'll try your method next time and see if they improve.
I'll try your method next time and see if they improve.
I see no issues with your approach; you do want a small amount of wood in the box, so I think a 2" piece would have been fine (although I now break these up so that all of the wood is used during the smoke). A couple of suggestions: try adding some BBQ sauce after the 4 hour mark, and you might want to try adding a small pan of water/apple juice/etc in the bottom of the smoker to add a bit more moisture. I actually use a small can with apple juice, although I think a small loaf pan might be better to distribute the moisture. A bit of experimentation and I think you will find what works best for you!
DivotMaker
New member
Chris - When I do baby backs, it usually takes 5:30-5:45. Any easy way to test for tenderness is to stick a wooden toothpick in the meat next to the bone, then gently pull away from the bone. If it moves easy, they're done!
Chris
I would add a little water pan/can.
I am a convert to Tony's (Divot) method and with the water in the smoker it adds to the tenderness. I go 5 1/2 hours no peek. I serve my ribs dry with sauce on the side. I will be firing up my #3 Sunday for some ribs. The temps here in Nj will be north of 60.
I would add a little water pan/can.
I am a convert to Tony's (Divot) method and with the water in the smoker it adds to the tenderness. I go 5 1/2 hours no peek. I serve my ribs dry with sauce on the side. I will be firing up my #3 Sunday for some ribs. The temps here in Nj will be north of 60.
DivotMaker
New member
Wow, Ed! Gonna be warmer than here in the south! We're supposed to get some snow or freezing rain this weekend! But....won't keep me from smoking something! ;D
DivotMaker
New member
Thanks Ben! You're making me blush. :-[
DivotMaker
New member
Good to hear, Chris! Hit us up with any questions!
Paul Case Luca
New member
Yes -4F for us but now I feel even better about the garage mods to install an oven hood. 
cwshiles
New member
The lowest temp I have smoked so far has been between 15 - 40 degrees. I do not have any scientific proof that there was an issue, but the colder it is, the harder the smoker will work to keep temp. Yes, the smoker is insulated, but just as your house thermostat jumps more when it gets colder outside, so will your smoker. The good news is that several others have been smoking at low temps or in the snow (including my ribs from 2 days ago) and I actually had the best results I have had yet. I did 2 chickens today that I just pulled out and ate and the temp here today was about 38 with A LOT of cold wind and they turned out great.
The only word of advice I would throw out is make sure you give yourself a little more time on the front of the cook so that you can make sure you can get done by your desired finish time. You can always wrap the meat or drop the smoker temp to 130 with the extra time you have. It will keep your meat warm and help the juices to redistribute into the meat.
Good luck!
The only word of advice I would throw out is make sure you give yourself a little more time on the front of the cook so that you can make sure you can get done by your desired finish time. You can always wrap the meat or drop the smoker temp to 130 with the extra time you have. It will keep your meat warm and help the juices to redistribute into the meat.
Good luck!
DivotMaker
New member
The coldest I've smoked (a turkey) was, I think, 9-degrees. These dudes are insulated well, just allow a little more time for it to get to temp. I'm toying with the idea of designing a custom insulated cover....more to follow!
