Dinner for two


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Guest

Guest
I bought a new WSM yesterday, and I am trying to learn how to use it. I promptly bought 2.2 pounds of spareribs and rubbed them with Texas BBQ rub. However, I could not find any recipes for smoking small quantities of meat. Therefore (and here is where I probably made my mistake), I went with an excellent description of smoking spareribs that I found on this website and simply cut it down. Thus, I only cooked the ribs for 3 hours and they were not done.

Can anyone offer any suggestions as to how long to cook small quantities of food, as in dinner for two?

Jerry Choate
 
Hi Jerry,

I smoke one rack of baby backs, at 225 which take even less time than spares, and they usually take me 5 to 5 1/2 hours, without using foil.

I cook for one or two also. I live full time in an RV, and my refrigerator and freezer space is very limited. So, I can't "load up the smoker" with a lot of stuff, to take advantage of the unused smoker space.

Seems like I'm using a lot of charcoal for one rack of ribs. I'd be interested too, in any advice for smoking small quantities.
 
Think of it this way-- if a rack of spares was six feet long and still the same width and thickness as a regular rack, it would take the same amount of time as a regular rack of spares. Therefore, if the rack is smaller weight-wise than the usual 20-or-so inches long, it will still take a similar amount of time to cook. Am I making any sense? I guess I'm saying you can't expect ribs to be done in a so-many -minutes-per-pound length of time like you can for a solid piece of boneless meat.

My advice for those cooking for only a few people is to start with ample fuel, close the vents when your cook is complete, and keep the unspent fuel for the next cook.
 
Hi Jerry,
3 hours is too short if you want to do it "low and slow". You're lookin' at probably 7 hours or so for spares. Take Doug's advice and save the unused charoal for another day! If you close the vents (including the top) you will snuff out the fire plenty quick, and you can recoop the unused fuel the next day.

I haven't noticed much of a decrease in time for small batches. It takes some time to break down connective tissue and render fat. Make the most of it, throw another rack or two on the pit and invite the neighbors over!

P.S. I know you just brought it home yesterday, but don't be afraid to drill a hole in it! A thermometer is a welcome addition for a new WSM!

Welcome to the forum!

-Rich
 
There should be no appreciable time differences between small batches of meat and large batches of meat.

As has been mentioned, cooking for 2 will take the same time as cooking for 20.

I cook 2 racks of ribs quite often and it still takes 6 hours.
 
I can't imagine a less expensive way to smoke food outside.
I also used my brand new WSM on Sunday; fully loaded with 2 racks of spare ribs, 1 5lb pork shoulder, 2 butterflied chickens and 1 6lb brisket. I started using a heaping full charcoal pan and the minion method.
I smoked the ribs for 5 hours, chicken for 4 hours, pork and brisket for 8 hours. It was amazing how juicy and tasty everything was
but next time I will add at least 2 hours cooking time to the ribs and brisket to improve tenderness. I was able to keep the temp. (cover) at 250 the whole time. I used approximately 15-lbs of charcoal and had enought left to smoke a 6-lb turkey breast on Monday. As Sam's sells 48lbs of Kingsford charcoal for $9.99, this works out $.21/pound or $3.12 for 2 days of smoking.
Needless to say,I am very impressed with my new WSM!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top