Chris W.
TVWBB Pro
So over the weekend I smoked four slabs of BB ribs, using the BRITU rub. They came out wonderfully (sorry, no pics this time). Due to having two less people than I thought attend dinner on Saturday (4 instead of 6), we had massive amounts of left-overs, which were taken to my parent's house on Sunday, along with some pulled pork. It was all enjoyed muchly.
Everyone loved the ribs. Even I was impressed, and I was expecting something really good. This was, by far, the best smoke ring I've ever gotten on anything I've smoked.
I used RO lump for this, as I had just gone through a bag of Good Ones lump. I've got two bags, plus about 1/10 a bag, of RO lump left. I think after I've used this I will go back to the original K. I like the way lump smells when it's lit, but I think I like the consistency of K better.
One thing I did learn from this cook - I honestly think my WSM runs cold. I minioned it with a 3/4 full of lit, and it seemed to run cold. Every cook I've done thus far (this was my 4th), I've had trouble keeping temps around 250 dome temp (I haven't measured grate temp yet - I just got a wine cork and probe therm though, so that's next cook). I've added charcoal every time. It took me around 2 hours to get to 225 this time, which I'm sure helped with the formation of the awesome smoke ring, but I think I need to start adding more charcoal at the beginning. This is also part of why I want to go back to K, at least for awhile - more consistent temps/burns.
Now, going through four bags of lump has yet to discourage me with the WSM. I will definitely keep using it. I have yet to really experience, however, the "stable" temps of the WSM. Every cook thus far, I've checked temps every half hour, and usually every hour there's quite a change, enough of one for me to mess with the vents. Maybe it just takes practice to learn where to set the vents, but so far this has been the most frustrating part for me. I think it's a fairly minor complaint, but I'd really like to learn how to do this. Hopefully by the end of this year I'll have it figured out.
Everyone loved the ribs. Even I was impressed, and I was expecting something really good. This was, by far, the best smoke ring I've ever gotten on anything I've smoked.
I used RO lump for this, as I had just gone through a bag of Good Ones lump. I've got two bags, plus about 1/10 a bag, of RO lump left. I think after I've used this I will go back to the original K. I like the way lump smells when it's lit, but I think I like the consistency of K better.
One thing I did learn from this cook - I honestly think my WSM runs cold. I minioned it with a 3/4 full of lit, and it seemed to run cold. Every cook I've done thus far (this was my 4th), I've had trouble keeping temps around 250 dome temp (I haven't measured grate temp yet - I just got a wine cork and probe therm though, so that's next cook). I've added charcoal every time. It took me around 2 hours to get to 225 this time, which I'm sure helped with the formation of the awesome smoke ring, but I think I need to start adding more charcoal at the beginning. This is also part of why I want to go back to K, at least for awhile - more consistent temps/burns.
Now, going through four bags of lump has yet to discourage me with the WSM. I will definitely keep using it. I have yet to really experience, however, the "stable" temps of the WSM. Every cook thus far, I've checked temps every half hour, and usually every hour there's quite a change, enough of one for me to mess with the vents. Maybe it just takes practice to learn where to set the vents, but so far this has been the most frustrating part for me. I think it's a fairly minor complaint, but I'd really like to learn how to do this. Hopefully by the end of this year I'll have it figured out.