BRITU Ribs


 

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.
 
What do you do when you've got the lit ready and you're going to start? Do you add the lit to the top of the unlit and immediately assemble the cooker? Do you use water? What temp water? Do you add the meat immediately?

Where are the vents when you first assemble? At what point do you adjust and what is your criteria for doing so?

Do you add fuel (lit or unlit?) during the cook because your temps drop? What kind of variances are you seeing that cause you to adjust?
 
Kevin - I should have mentioned all this in my first post, but it just slipped my mind.

Once the lit is ready to go, I dump it on top of the unlit in the charcoal chamber, along with the smoke wood. From there, I assemble the cooker, then go to my kitchen and fill up a gallon milk jug with water that is as hot as my faucet will make it (sorry, no temps for this). As soon as that is done, I take the lid off the cooker and pour the water through the top grate, which is still empty. I then put the lid back on, and fill the same milk jug up to about half full, again using water as hot as my kitchen sink can get. I repeat the pouring procedure.

I immedietley add the meat after adding the water. At this point, all my vents are wide open. During most of my cooks, the cooker manages to stall out around 180-200*. After about an hour at this temp, with all vents wide open, I add about 1/2-3/4 a chimney of lit charcoal. Usually 1/2 hour to 1 hour after this, the cooker comes up to the temp I want (between 225 and 250) and I start adjusting the vents from there. I can usually keep it between 225 and 250, but I end up changing the vents every 1/2 hour to every hour. These changes are always small; all the bottom vents typically go from 1/4 open to 1/3 open, and back and forth in that range. It keeps the temp where I want it, but I have to jack with it alot to keep the cooker from getting to hot or to cold.

As for my criteria for adjusting: If the cooker climbs above 250, I close all three bottom vents down some. If it drops below 225, I open all three bottom vents a little bit.

I hope this helps. Maybe there's some trick to it I've not picked up on yet, I don't know. Despite the slight frustration of checking it and messing with the vents alot, I really enjoy using my WSM.
 
All that helps.

Two things to try: First, try not adding the lit after the cooker appears to stall and see what happens. (Do this at a time when it doesn't much matter if the cook takes longer.) The dynamics in the cooker can vary, but often simply some additional time is needed to get over the hump, as it were, so that the rise in temp can start again.

Second, micro-adjustments should not be necessary to keep the temp in range. If you target 250 then figure 235/240-265/270 as a good range. If you hit only 225, say, make small adjustments to the vents so that temp will rise a little but then leave it alone. Allow at least 30 min for a vent change to reach its effect then, if you are, say, at 265, don't worry about it. If it falls over some time to 240 don't worry about it. If it rises, say, over 275 then you might need to close a bit but, again, allow a period of time to pass before you mess with the vents again. Small changes--even to target a temp range rather than a specific temp--should not be needed very often at all.

Meats that are being Q'd are pretty forgiving. Just as an example, I target ~300 for spares, ~335 for back ribs. (I use an empty foiled pan.) I'm mentioning this just to show that higher temps are perfectly fine--the cook will be shorter so gauge accordingly if your temps wander up a bit higher than planned. If you are using water and if the vent control is adequate, temps high enough to really be a concern are virtually impossible to achieve.
 
Kevin -

Thanks for those tips. I have had opposite problem where WSM seems to run hotter overall.
I tried shooting for 225 for a bunch of smokes since June when I got WSM but always went past real quick and then played yo-yo game with vents all open and all shut.

Did brisket on Saturday and did not make too many adjustments just let it come up slowly without adjusting vents. Cooked between 245 and 260 for several hours without any adjustments.

Your suggestions reinforce some of the things I did this last smoke. Thanks again.

Your comments are good for anyone with either hot or cold issues.
 
I'll echo the thanks, Kevin. I'm planning pulled pork sometime soon, so I think I'll try all of your suggestions on that and see how it turns out.
 
I echo the above advice.

In addition:

1) make sure you have minimal wind exposure. Wind is a huge killer

2) if you are stalling around 200'ish.... that kind of coincides with the boiling point of water. I won't say you have to use clay saucer or anything, but at this point your charcoal is fighting to boil water.

3) Just curious if you have tried something other then a cork. If just seems to me that plugging up 33% of your top vent might slow airflow that feeds the fire.
 
I always leave my lid off set about 1/2 inch when I first assemble and the temp will hit 250 in 15 minutes using 20 lit Kingsford. I have used my WSW about 10 times and the warmest outdoor temp was 40.

I also agree with Scooter that blocking the top vent is not helping.
 
Scooter and Curt may have hit something here...I recall reading a post about the new WSM that now not plugging up one vent made a difference. With the lid askew there should be no problem whatsoever getting up to temp providing no major wind exposure. I also switched to a sand filled clay dish years ago and while it ran a bit hotter, it was more stable. For running too hot, it is crucial that the temp be caught on the way up if doing MM (I only do MM). I close down vents at 190 or so. Otherwise, Kevin is spot on that these most meats are quite forgiving as to temp....absolutely do not be concerned about being 20 degrees or so off of target...relax, leave it alone...enjoy the day...it is only bbq.
 
I have yet to plug the top vent with a cork. I just got the cork last Saturday, after the cook was pretty much done. No one in my family drinks wine, so I was waiting to get one from my best friend, who's currently dating a wino and has plenty of extra corks laying around.

My plan for the cork is to actually set it right on the cooking grate itself, with a probe stuck through it, and then run the wire from the probe through a Guru eyelet.

From what everyone here is saying, I may switch to a clay saucer here soon. A 14" fits pretty well into the water pan, correct?
 
Yes, 14" fits great. It may also be stamped with 36 - the is the metric size...I fill mine with sand and the stability is great. Just line with HD foil and clean up is a breeze, so much easier than dealing with the dirty water. Give us an update on how the next cook goes. The lid offset trick works great...I found out by accident.
 
And this is just the kind you'd get at Lowe's or Home Depot to put a flower-pot on, correct? Something simple and generic like that?
 
I put a pizza stone in the top of my water pan. Covered with foil it makes easy clean up.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris W.:
And this is just the kind you'd get at Lowe's or Home Depot to put a flower-pot on, correct? Something simple and generic like that? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That is correct.
The one I got @ Lowes had a Made in the USA tag,
avoid the Dollar store ones which are imported from China.

Tim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by curt van:
I always leave my lid off set about 1/2 inch when I first assemble and the temp will hit 250 in 15 minutes using 20 lit Kingsford. I have used my WSW about 10 times and the warmest outdoor temp was 40.

I also agree with Scooter that blocking the top vent is not helping. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I'm not concerned about blocking one of the vent holes in the top. I use a silicone plug therm to monitor lid temp. (The only time I bother monitoring grate temp is for bacon and similar lower temp cooks.) Draft development is more than adequate with two vent holes available.

I agree that cracking the lid a little (or the door, if the door is installed upside down, as I leave mine) can push temps higher sooner, and I do this myself once the temps rise to the point where they slow, usually the upper 200s. Most of my cooks are with an empty, foiled waterpan because most of my cooks I prefer to do at 300-375 -- temps that are not possible with a Minion start without additional air. I'm not big on pushing the temp up quickly (unless I am short of time) so I don't do this grom the get-go -- but it certainly works, whenever you do it. As Don notes, some care needs to be taken when going this route lest you push higher than you want, and then are left to try to get the temps down again. Still, a MM start (with or without water or clay--or nothing in the pan at all) makes this much easier -- and much easier to control.
 
I think the top vents affect higher elevations more then they would you guys. K's probably right, although I used to use the hole for the pluggin therms in but it really did affect me somewhat I can only assume because I live in the mountains at 6300-6400 somewhere in there up on a hill. So have fun w/ your ripe tomatoes and sunshine and such Kevin cause I'll be right behind you in about 3 or 4 months!! (or more
icon_frown.gif
) Don't worry about me getting gross stuff at the store...
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Quite right. Draft is the key and in higher elevations you need all the draft you can muster, in most cases, because there is less oxygen to begin with.
 
Chris, I finally had what I thought to be a low temp problem on my last brisket smoke. After adding lit charcoal a few times, I was getting very frustrated and finally decided to measure the cooking grate temp. The lid thermometer that came with my 18.5" was reading like 200 to 210, and I couldn't get it above that. I placed two oven thermometers on my cooking grate and realized that the cooking grate was actually at 240 to 250.

I'll be keeping an eye on the two temps for the next few smokes to check for lid temp accuracy and any trends. Just another consideration.
 
I did another batch of BRITU ribs yesterday, this time using a clay saucer instead of water. I also had finally got some drill bits and a cork, so I placed my probe therm on the grate. I was quite surprised with the results. When the lid therm read 225-250, the grate was over 300. However, it was off near the edge, as my rib rack takes up most of the room on the top grate.

I wasn't pleased with the ribs this time; they came out way too dry. I know it's always said that the water pan adds no moisture, but I know someone posted a thread awhile back about how he thinks it does. Right now, I'm inclined to believe with him, and will be going back to a full water pan my next cook.

I was pleased with how the cooker came up to temp this time though. I used some of Kevin's advice, and was able to hold it where I wanted for quite awhile. The lid temp did jump over 300 once, but a small adjustment brought it back down to 245 pretty quick.
 
Success in endeavors often comes a piece at a time -- so a good cook you had.

Temps near the edges of the grates are often significantly hotter than more interior temps because of how the air flows. Temps taken in more interior areas can be more accurate but (and this is a significant butt) can be skewed lower if the probe is placed near the meat, especially at the beginning of the cook when the meat is cold. Both of these issues are why I don't bother taking grate temps. If I am wondering what the cooking area's temp is (I rarely care but am asked sometimes so will check) I simply hang a remote probe through the hole. (Use a digital, tip-sensitive probe. Skip the bimetal analogs.)

Water in the pan does not add moisture to the meat, but it does add moisture to the air. This can reduce the evaporative pressure at the meat's surface. 'Way too dry' suggests overcooking. If the meat was tender, i.e., if it was chewable, came off the bone well, etc., but lacked moistness it cooked too long. Moist and tender is a product of the type of meat relative to time relative to temp. It is not merely relative to time as is so often assumed. Within reason, one can cook at a range of temps. As an example, I cook babybacks at 325-375, use no water, and obtain moist and tender ribs; ditto with spares that I cook 25 degrees lower. Because the meat mass is smaller and thinner (than, say, a butt) higher temps are no problem as long as one understands two things: that finish time will be significantly less, and that the 'done window' will be significantly narrowed. I am not advocating that you or anyone else ups your/their rib cooktemps, just that it is easily done -- if one keeps in mind all the variables at play.

No matter at what temps you choose to cook, ribs are done when they are tender yet moist, not by some notion of time.

Try with water again using what you learned on this last cook; try without again as well, after that. Play with both approaches and see where your preference lands.
 

 

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