First Smoke ever - today...


 
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Tom Ferguson

Banned
Inauguration Day for me and Rev. Black (my WSM).

For my first BBQ ever, I tried the BRITU. I stuck real close to the recipe Chris has on the site here, except I used Kosher salt.

I got the BBs at Sam's Club. The membrane came off pretty easily and they really didn't have much fat.

I messed up when I started up Rev. Black and left two of the vents on the bottom 100% open. The temp wouldn't come down at all.(Doh!) After I figured this out a lot of the water in the pan had evaporated, so I put ice cubes in the water that was left to bring the temp down. It took me a good while to get in the right temp zone.

After I put the meat on, everything held perfect. This thing is amazing. I didn't have to touch anything for the first 3 hours. It held between 225 and 230 the whole time. At the 3 hour mark, I opened Rev. Black up and turned the ribs. (I ended up rolling them so they would all fit on the top grate) 1 hour later I checked and they weren't quite ready. 30 mins later they passed the toothpick and the tear test so I pulled them, sauced them, and we had dinner.

Everyone thought they were great... except maybe me. Oh, don't get me wrong, they tasted really good, but I thought they could have cooked a bit longer. I think maybe 30 more minutes, or maybe foiled for a bit.

I'm going to call this first cook a success, because even though they weren't perfect, I learned several things that I won't forget. I was really nervous being a complete newbie, but this WSM is an amazing piece of equipment. Thank you Weber. Thank you Chris. And thanks to all of you who tolerated my pre-cook questions.

I guess I'm a hooked Q'er now. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Thats what makes the WSM so good. Stable and minor mistakes do not affect the finished product too much. Makes it fun don't it /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif .
 
Tom,
Amen Brother! Congratulations! You will always be your worst critic. The people that you let sample your fares will love it. Can I git a Witness?
 
Tom, what didn't you like about them? Too tough?

I think you'll find the majority here like ribs that require a slight tug, but come cleanly off the bone. There are a few that prefer them soft and "falling off the bone". If you like the latter then a proper foiling technique may be your answer.
 
I found them a little tough.

They might have had the right "tug", maybe I just prefer a little tenderer than most. I wouln't like them mushy, though.

I think the best thing for me to do is experiment a little more... next time I'm going to leave them on a little longer, and at the 3 hour mark, I'm going to foil one rack for an hour. I should have done that this time, but I was panicking because I screwed up the start time by running the WSM too hot to start. I didn't realize how forgiving the WSM is.

I could get hooked on this BBQ thing... /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Call me Huked on Q!
 
Congratulations, Tom!!!

Ehhh, we all get nervous during our first cooks (I'm probably gonna do the same when my WSM arrives)! Main thing is, what you ended up was indeed edible and cooked.. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Best wishes for continued success to you and the Good Reverend! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Mark /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Congrads on your first cook Tom! You'll find as you use the "Rev" more frequently, you'll become more comfortable on your cooking times. My BB's take between 5-6 hours, but I've had a few go a little longer.
What kind of wood did you use? My favorites are the fruit woods, but everyone has an opinion on that.
Welcome to "Q" world!
 
I used oak and cherry wood for the BRITUs. I got pretty good smoke flavor, but because of the screw-up at the beginning, I think they might have been too far consumed by the time the meat hit the WSM.

But its all good... the ribs were good and will only be better next time. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
Hey Tom,

Look at the bright side. Your first WSM cooks will beat most eating-out places right now.

I see a brisket/ butt combo in your future.
 
That's a winning combo Sonny also told me about. It's still a big hit at my place with the poker pals.
 
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