First Ribs on ATC


 
B

Bob Ketchum

New member
I've done ribs about 6 times on my 22" WSM. I've added a Pitmaster 110 to help on overnighters. I thought ribs would be a good start because I am so comfortable with the results. I followed the setup on the Pitmaster website, with the upper vent open about 1/8". Ribs in 6 hours were great. Much better temp control allowed me to get tender moist ribs. Problem? Well I had just a hint of a chemical off taste with a dry rib. I don't know the cause. I am thinking: 1. with the upper vent closed down that far it gave me more of a smolder. 2. The fan stirs up charcoal ash and that circulates through the smoker. There was no ash residue however anywhere on the pit. Also, I used water in my pan. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks
 
I have a BBQ Guru.

The upper vent closed as you describe it stifles air circulation and could cause problems.

The on my Guru the fan does not blow directly into the bowl, it has a diverter that circulate the air around the bottom of the bowl. Maybe that could help.

Water in the pan is a no-no. Water is used to help stabilize the temperature swings. That's the purpose of your 110.
 
I would bet $50 on creosote build up due to the exhaust vent being closed so much. That thing needs to be open or you'll get exactly that issue.
 
Thank-you for identifying the taste and also the recommendations. Next cook I will open the upper vent up to about 1/2 and see if that does the trick.
 
Yep. The top vent should be open. Stoker setup vids show that you should close it to 25%. I've always left it fully open with no issues.
Basically, the pit needs to breathe bottom to top.
A worse problem is when creosote builds up on the inside of the lid and flakes off onto your meat. Just give it a visual and scrape anything flaky you see before your cook.
 
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