The smoke turned out well. My brisket finished up earlier then expected but I was prepared. I had a hard time keeping my temp down around 260-270 where I wanted. It wanted to stay closer to the 300 range. This ended up working out fine. I took the brisket off and closed off all vents for an hour or so before firing it back up for ribs. Before adding the ribs i lit a half chimney of charcoal and put 3 chunks of apricot wood in there. I also cut the point off and threw it back on the smoker for about 45 minutes. I cooked my brisket in a pan so I saved the drippings (I strained this and kept it simmering on the stove). Once I took the point off of the smoker i let it rest for 30 minutes and then cubed it. I placed the cubes in the pot of drippings and let it simmer for another 30 minutes. Right before serving the brisket I drizzled the drippings over it. The entire brisket came out perfect with a nice smoke ring. My family really liked the burnt ends.
My ribs also did very well. Since my brisket finished earlier then expected I could keep my focus on the ribs. They smoked for 2 hours with apple juice spritzing every 15 minutes after the first half hour. They were then placed in a foil tent with my mixture of peach preserves and honey & brown sugar sprinkled over them. To go back I did use a rub on my ribs consisting of Smoked sweet paprika, chili powder, cheyenne powder, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, & brown sugar. The ribs smoked in the foil for another hour. I took them off and then mopped with my sauce for another 45 minutes. They were a little over done to me but the fmaily loved them. I probably should have pulled them off about 10 minutes earlier.
All in all it was a successful smoke for the family. I need to learn my vents a little better to control the temp next time but thats a minor error that i will figure out. I will try to post a picture tonight.
