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Guest
Guest
I just acquired a Weber bullet smoker and did a rack of ribs. Generally, I was pleased with the result, but I'm hoping somebody can answer a few questions:
1. Smoker runs hot. I started off by getting some coals burning, then I added unlit coals up to the top of the chamber. When just about everything was grayed over, I installed the middle section, added a full pan of water and put on the lid.
I measured the temperature using the thermometer that Weber sells for their gas models. I just stuck it through one of the top vent holes, so that the tip is a few inches above the top grate. Within seconds of putting on the lid, the temperature had climbed to about 400. I closed the bottom vents almost all the way, and it gradually dropped to about 320 and stabilized. At this point, I added 3 fist-sized pieces of soaked wood, which brought the temperature down to about 270. It stabilized there, so I put on the meat. The temperature didn't move much during the next six hours (although a little more than halfway through it started to climb again until I brought it down by added more soaked wood).
During the entire cycle, I had the bottom vents open only a crack. I was afraid to close them entirely, for fear of choking the fire to death.
Can anybody tell me why I couldn't get the temperature lower than 270?
2. Are these ribs done? After six hours, I took off the meat. Ribs are difficult to check with a meat thermometer, but I couldn't believe that six hours wasn't enough. Initially, I was surprised since the meat was still pinkish in places; however, the texture was that of fully cooked meat, so I assume that the pink color was a result of the smoke. However, one end of some of the ribs (the end which originally was near the spine) still had some unrendered fat, and the color made me wonder whether it was fully cooked. Is it possible that six hours was not enough? By the way, does anybody have a good method of getting a reading with a meat thermometer on ribs?
3. Water refills. Can anybody suggest a safe method of replenishing the water pan? Pouring water from a foot above the pan, into hot fat, seems pretty dangerous.
Thanks.
1. Smoker runs hot. I started off by getting some coals burning, then I added unlit coals up to the top of the chamber. When just about everything was grayed over, I installed the middle section, added a full pan of water and put on the lid.
I measured the temperature using the thermometer that Weber sells for their gas models. I just stuck it through one of the top vent holes, so that the tip is a few inches above the top grate. Within seconds of putting on the lid, the temperature had climbed to about 400. I closed the bottom vents almost all the way, and it gradually dropped to about 320 and stabilized. At this point, I added 3 fist-sized pieces of soaked wood, which brought the temperature down to about 270. It stabilized there, so I put on the meat. The temperature didn't move much during the next six hours (although a little more than halfway through it started to climb again until I brought it down by added more soaked wood).
During the entire cycle, I had the bottom vents open only a crack. I was afraid to close them entirely, for fear of choking the fire to death.
Can anybody tell me why I couldn't get the temperature lower than 270?
2. Are these ribs done? After six hours, I took off the meat. Ribs are difficult to check with a meat thermometer, but I couldn't believe that six hours wasn't enough. Initially, I was surprised since the meat was still pinkish in places; however, the texture was that of fully cooked meat, so I assume that the pink color was a result of the smoke. However, one end of some of the ribs (the end which originally was near the spine) still had some unrendered fat, and the color made me wonder whether it was fully cooked. Is it possible that six hours was not enough? By the way, does anybody have a good method of getting a reading with a meat thermometer on ribs?
3. Water refills. Can anybody suggest a safe method of replenishing the water pan? Pouring water from a foot above the pan, into hot fat, seems pretty dangerous.
Thanks.