Think I forgot a Basic Move in all the Excitement of a First WSM Cook...


 

Jack Henry

TVWBB Member
First, thanks to all for the great discussions on these boards. Have really learned a lot. I've been cooking with sub-par equipment for a couple of years now, and made the WSM investment about two weeks ago.

First cook was baby backs. Around 35 degrees with light snow today, no wind. Smoker ran well. Didn't use water. Used (I think) a standard method for lighting the fuel (full unlit chimney with three pieces of apple wood, covered by 3/4 lit with a fat piece of cherry). Smoker ran around 230-250 for three hours at the lid, I foiled them for an hour, and the put them on for about another 45 minutes, sauced and pulled them after another half hour.

Ribs were just to my liking. Nice meaty texture, not falling off the bone, but a bit of snap. Good smoke ring and taste was fantastic. I'm really impressed by the way the WSM holds a temp!

Problem was, as you may see from the pic (which is really blurry, sorry), the bottom was totally charred! I usually use a rack, and maybe that was the problem, but I think I also should have thought enough to flip the **** things to meat side down at some point... Right?

Here's the pic if it works:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6710/1000538.jpg

So, flip? Rack? Less sugar in the rub?

Thanks!
 
I'd guess that it's the sugar in the rub. However, you said you didn't use water. Did you use the pan? I use the clay saucer so it provides a heat shield (indirect cooking). If you didn't use a pan, that may be why the ribs were darker than you would have liked. At a minimum, if I didn't use water I would use the pan and I would foil the pan leaving a small gap (air gap) between the bottom of the pan and the foil. This would buffer the heat coming up from the coals.
 
Hi Jerry,

Yes, had a foiled pan in there. Didn't try the air pocket that makes sense. I'm going to track down the clay saucer you mentioned this week.

So, folks don't usually flip the ribs on the WSM at some point? Maybe after the foil for the last hour? Although, I think the foiling may have contributed. When I pulled them from the foil, there was a fair amount of char. Maybe it was the sugar in the apple juice...).

Thanks!
 
I don't flip ribs - and I cook 100? higher than you - and always use an empty, foiled pan.

If the ribs were charred when pulling from the foil the process would had to have started before foiling. Charring would not have occurred in the foil at those cooktemps with liquid in there.

Table sugar will not even caramelize at the temps at which you were cooking, let alone burn, but it does melt. Darkening occurs as smoke particulates stick to it. Darkening also occurs due to the cooking of the rub components (and some darken more than others), and due to browning that occurs due to the Maillard reaction at the meat's surface.

Adding additional sugars during the foiling process (the apple juice) and yet more in the sauce will contribute to further darkening after the ribs are removed from the foil because of the fructose and because of the color of the juice and sauce.
 
Actually Jack they don't look that bad. You said the taste was spot on, correct? Other than maybe putting them in the foil a little sooner I wouldn't change a thing if you liked them.

Tip: Foil the ribs when they are almost the color you want them to finish at. Darker is better. A deep rich mahogany color is what I shoot for before I foil.
 

 

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