Hello everyone!
I just received a 18.5" last week after reading the great information about it on this site. I got a chance to fire it up on Sunday and try out some spare ribs. I had told my wife that I didn't want to make a big production out of the first cook in case the food didn't turn out well, but that didn't stop her. She invited her family and my family over, and after a few people couldn't come, I ended up cooking for 7 people.
I cooked 4 slabs of spares using the BRITU rub (with 2/3 of the salt that the recipe calls for). I used the minion method and used 2 pieces of oak and two of apple. I threw the ribs on at 11:30, took them off at 3 to foil with apple juice, and took them out of the foil around 4:30 and put them back on the smoker to finish, pulling the ribs off the top grate around 5:30, and the ribs off the bottom around 6.
To get a good comparison of sauces, I sauced some ribs with KC Masterpiece w/ honey (the sauce for the BRITU recipe), other ribs with Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy, and other ribs with a slightly modified version of the No. 5 sauce from the sauces forum, where I used the BRITU rub, a little extra brown sugar, a bit of honey, ancho chile powder, and a bit of cayenne.
Results were excellent. Everyone said the ribs were the best they had ever had. There was a great smoke ring, and great smoke flavor. They were very tender, but not mushy, and the No. 5 sauce was a hit. Ribs sauced with the No. 5 sauce went the fastest, and everyone said it was their favorite sauce.
So, thank you all for all of your great advice on this site. It has been extremely helpful in making some of the best ribs I or any of my guests have ever eaten. I did have a couple of questions:
1) I opened the cooker to turn the grates 180 degrees after 2 hours to avoid hot spots. When I opened it, it appeared that sooty water had dripped from the lid onto the ribs on the top grate. I wiped it off and didn't notice any problem with the taste afterward, but has anyone else had a problem with this before? If so, how do you avoid it.
2) I used the new Kingsford briquettes for my cook. After about 4 hours, I couldn't get my temps over 200 (on the built in thermometer) even with the vents wide open. I ended up having to take the middle section off and stir the coals because I think the ash was keeping the fire from getting hot. Is there a way to avoid having to do this? My next cook is going to be overnight pork butts and I'd rather not be getting up every 2 hours to make sure I don't need to stir coals.
Like I said, the ribs were fabulous, and I have everyone on this site to thank! I forgot to take pics, but I'll have to remember that for next time.
Thanks again!
Nick
I just received a 18.5" last week after reading the great information about it on this site. I got a chance to fire it up on Sunday and try out some spare ribs. I had told my wife that I didn't want to make a big production out of the first cook in case the food didn't turn out well, but that didn't stop her. She invited her family and my family over, and after a few people couldn't come, I ended up cooking for 7 people.
I cooked 4 slabs of spares using the BRITU rub (with 2/3 of the salt that the recipe calls for). I used the minion method and used 2 pieces of oak and two of apple. I threw the ribs on at 11:30, took them off at 3 to foil with apple juice, and took them out of the foil around 4:30 and put them back on the smoker to finish, pulling the ribs off the top grate around 5:30, and the ribs off the bottom around 6.
To get a good comparison of sauces, I sauced some ribs with KC Masterpiece w/ honey (the sauce for the BRITU recipe), other ribs with Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy, and other ribs with a slightly modified version of the No. 5 sauce from the sauces forum, where I used the BRITU rub, a little extra brown sugar, a bit of honey, ancho chile powder, and a bit of cayenne.
Results were excellent. Everyone said the ribs were the best they had ever had. There was a great smoke ring, and great smoke flavor. They were very tender, but not mushy, and the No. 5 sauce was a hit. Ribs sauced with the No. 5 sauce went the fastest, and everyone said it was their favorite sauce.
So, thank you all for all of your great advice on this site. It has been extremely helpful in making some of the best ribs I or any of my guests have ever eaten. I did have a couple of questions:
1) I opened the cooker to turn the grates 180 degrees after 2 hours to avoid hot spots. When I opened it, it appeared that sooty water had dripped from the lid onto the ribs on the top grate. I wiped it off and didn't notice any problem with the taste afterward, but has anyone else had a problem with this before? If so, how do you avoid it.
2) I used the new Kingsford briquettes for my cook. After about 4 hours, I couldn't get my temps over 200 (on the built in thermometer) even with the vents wide open. I ended up having to take the middle section off and stir the coals because I think the ash was keeping the fire from getting hot. Is there a way to avoid having to do this? My next cook is going to be overnight pork butts and I'd rather not be getting up every 2 hours to make sure I don't need to stir coals.
Like I said, the ribs were fabulous, and I have everyone on this site to thank! I forgot to take pics, but I'll have to remember that for next time.
Thanks again!
Nick