started planning a chili party about 6 weeks ago for this past weekend, and in the meantime convinced the mrs. that i needed a smoker because i wanted to do ribs as well. My shiney new WSM showed up in late september, and I took it for a test run the next weekend. Did 2 racks of back ribs without much trouble, although the cooker seemed to run pretty hot; about 290 at the lid. I assumed I used too much lit charcoal at the beginning, and the ribs were room temp when I put them in the smoker. Regardless, they came out delicous after about 4+ hours, and I decided I was ready to up the ante for my party.
Well, that didn't work out so well. What seemed somewhat simple, i realized is much more of an art...BBQ has many variables, and I'm the first in my extended family to take this on as a new hobby (yes, another sheltered new englander).
Anyway, I packed 8 racks of back ribs into the smoker; and this time, i used cool water in an effort to keep the temp lower compared to the first cook, and i also put the meat into the cooker within minutes of taking it out of the fridge. This time, i used only 25 lit coals to get things going (mini minion i think)--again, trying not to cook as hot as the first time.
Unfortunately, my cooker never got above 190 at the lid, and after 4 1/2 hours, i had to pull the ribs and throw them in the oven for 90 mins at 310. A cop out i know, but i'm not licensed to serve sashimi, and my guests were getting sick of chili and were very ready for the ribs (I had been hyping them up for the past month).
8 racks were devoured in about 13 minutes, so I'm pretty sure they were tastey...but I'd like to think I could do a large cook as easily (and confidently) as the first, without using the oven as a crutch.
Here's what I think went wrong, and any other suggestions or observations would be greatly appreciated. I'm a newbie to BBQ and have no problem with criticism.
--too much meat and not enough air circulation?
--not enough lit fuel to start?
--water to cold for cooking on a cool day?
--skid that i had blocking the wind limited air flow into the cooker?
--meat too cold to start with?
and why did that first cook run so hot?? is it really from the heat reflection in a brand new WSM with so grease on the walls??
Thanks for the help.
dannyBoy
Well, that didn't work out so well. What seemed somewhat simple, i realized is much more of an art...BBQ has many variables, and I'm the first in my extended family to take this on as a new hobby (yes, another sheltered new englander).
Anyway, I packed 8 racks of back ribs into the smoker; and this time, i used cool water in an effort to keep the temp lower compared to the first cook, and i also put the meat into the cooker within minutes of taking it out of the fridge. This time, i used only 25 lit coals to get things going (mini minion i think)--again, trying not to cook as hot as the first time.
Unfortunately, my cooker never got above 190 at the lid, and after 4 1/2 hours, i had to pull the ribs and throw them in the oven for 90 mins at 310. A cop out i know, but i'm not licensed to serve sashimi, and my guests were getting sick of chili and were very ready for the ribs (I had been hyping them up for the past month).
8 racks were devoured in about 13 minutes, so I'm pretty sure they were tastey...but I'd like to think I could do a large cook as easily (and confidently) as the first, without using the oven as a crutch.
Here's what I think went wrong, and any other suggestions or observations would be greatly appreciated. I'm a newbie to BBQ and have no problem with criticism.
--too much meat and not enough air circulation?
--not enough lit fuel to start?
--water to cold for cooking on a cool day?
--skid that i had blocking the wind limited air flow into the cooker?
--meat too cold to start with?
and why did that first cook run so hot?? is it really from the heat reflection in a brand new WSM with so grease on the walls??
Thanks for the help.
dannyBoy
