Father's day plan - beef spare ribs - need help


 
P

Pinny

TVWBB Super Fan
I'm gonna try my WSM for the first time on father's day with some beef spare ribs. There's a couple things I need help/advise with.

1. I went to Lowes and Home Depot. They only have Cowboy lump. I read here that it's not great but you use what you can. How much of the stuff do I want to use. I have never used lump before. Maybe 1 chiney full of unlit followed by 1/3 chimney lit and spread out on top of the unlit? Any other tips for the lump besides pack it in well?

2. I read here the best way to get the temps you want is to catch the smoker on the way up. I'm nervous as this is my first time so I'm gonna leave the vents half closed and gradually open them and close them till I get to 235. Is this a good method and is this a good target temp.

3. Less important than the ribs being perfect are them not being dried out. That being said is it safe to skip foiling them midway. The truth is I'm afraid of foiling them because it will probably neccessitate having the cover off for a good solid 2 minutes which will raise my temps alot.

4. Finally, having never used the WSM before, I still think I want to use an empty water bowl based on what I have read here (convenience and uses less fuel). The only thing is that this is gonna be my first cook ever. That being said, do you think it's ok to skip it, or should I use it as a safety net.

That's all for now.

Thanks!
Pinny
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Pinny B.:
I'm gonna try my WSM for the first time on father's day with some beef spare ribs. There's a couple things I need help/advise with.

1. I went to Lowes and Home Depot. They only have Cowboy lump. I read here that it's not great but you use what you can. How much of the stuff do I want to use. I have never used lump before. Maybe 1 chiney full of unlit followed by 1/3 chimney lit and spread out on top of the unlit? Any other tips for the lump besides pack it in well?

Pinny you will need about half of a charcoal ring of coal. Cowboy is unfinished furniture scrap, not the best quality, but like you said you can make it work. Then start off preferably if you have it about 10 lit briquettes, otherwise 1/4 chimney of lit.

2. I read here the best way to get the temps you want is to catch the smoker on the way up. I'm nervous as this is my first time so I'm gonna leave the vents half closed and gradually open them and close them till I get to 235. Is this a good method and is this a good target temp.

After you pour your lit in leave all vents 100% open until you get a dome temp of around 175º, then close the bottom 3 by 75%. Beef ribs have a lot of fat and you want it to render slowly, so plan on a target cook temp in the 200º-225º range. Cook for 5-6 hours or until tender.

3. Less important than the ribs being perfect are them not being dried out. That being said is it safe to skip foiling them midway. The truth is I'm afraid of foiling them because it will probably neccessitate having the cover off for a good solid 2 minutes which will raise my temps alot.

Follow method above and skip the foil.

4. Finally, having never used the WSM before, I still think I want to use an empty water bowl based on what I have read here (convenience and uses less fuel). The only thing is that this is gonna be my first cook ever. That being said, do you think it's ok to skip it, or should I use it as a safety net.

With it being your first cook on the WSM, I would us water in the pan and see how that goes and base your following cook accordingly.

That's all for now.

Thanks!
Pinny </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
I'm with Larry on the whole shebang. One thing that people seem to miss: When you add the lit to the unlit at the beginning, immediately assemble the cooker, add the water (don't spill!), and load the meat right away--don't wait.
 
You already got great advice. I have used Cowboy before along with Fresh Market and they work fine. Kinda like publix soda compared to real coke, After you use it several times you will have something to compare it to.
 
I agree with Larry and Kevin. I'll add you can line the pan with Reynolds Wrap wide heavy duty foil. Remember to pack the lump when putting it in. You want to try to eliminate any big air gaps in the lump. If you have any really big pieces, lump breaks pretty easy. Good luck and take some pics alonmg the way.
 
Thanks for the the great tips - exactly what I needed. And I will definitely be sure to take lots of pictures.
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I'm so excited!
 
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