First smoke on WSM 18.5 - Spare Ribs


 
M

MatjazKocijancic

New member
Hi everyone,

as promised, here is my report on my first ever smoke... You can check out the pictures here http://imgur.com/a/OIodu

And I also have many many questions..:)

TEMPERATURE

I started the cooker with aprox. 6 pounds of briquettes(all hot) which I figured would be enough for the slab I was cooking, since many people report using very little charcoal for a single slab. It al started out good when I assembled, I filled the water pan about 3/4 with warm water and closed the lid(bottom wents closed 100%, top open 100%). Got a spike to about 380 and waited for it to come down to about 300. Added the meat. Then the temperature started dropping steadily and when it came to about 200 I started panicking and opened some of the vents to get it back up. But as soon as I got in the 250 range I closed the bottom vents and it started dropping again. So for the first 3 hrs I had to keep a good eye on the temp...

- I figured out I probably started with too little charcoal.. I added about 10 lit briquettes twice later on in the cook to keep the temp up... but I managed to keep it in the 220 -260 range throughout.
- Should I have been more relaxed about the temp and wait longer to make all the adjustments regarding the vents and adding fuel? (I was being real patient and didn't open the lid once in the first 3 hrs and also not during the 2 hrs of foil)
- My charcoal was poor quality - even on the eye, compared to Kingsford it looked inferior, but I also noticed that the little lumps were dying out pretty fast. Will have to fing something better in the future. Cant get Kingsford though :/
- I was surprised at how well the cooker temp responds to vents being opened or closed. I guess it is up to the cook to make it stable :)

SMOKE

Since I got my thermometer early, I didn't have the time to get some apple wood. Unfortunately you cant get wood chunks in stores in Slovenia and also not online... I went with 2 chunks of beech wood which is used in Slovenia for cold smoking charcuterie. It has really strong flavor so I only added 2 chunks.

- When the chunks started going there was alot of smoke - I couldn't figure out if it was too much, since it seemed pretty heavy coming out of the vents. I googled some pictures and it seemed to look the same so I just let it be.. How can I tell if there is too much smoke? I also read on a couple of occasions thet only blue? smoke is good...

- Alot of smoke was coming out the side of the lid - Is this normal for first cooks until the WSM is seasoned?
- I felt like the cable from the temp probe was "breaking" the seal of the lid, but strangely it was not there that the smoke was leaking out, but rather on the other side.

RIBS

Ribs turned out great for my taste and everybody loved them. They had a nice smokey flavor, not overwhelming, the rub formed some bark and the homemade sauce I applied lightly towards the end of the cook complimented them nicely. I think they could be a little more tender. In some parts the meat kinda pulled of the bone, but on others you had to put in some work :)

- I foiled the ribs and kept them in the foil for 2 hrs
- My main question is, ater the foil, if you let them go for another 2 -2,5 hrs instead of 1, will the meat get tender, or will it dry out? (which was my main concern).


Otherwise, I am very happy with the results, the cook kept me busy all day but I absolutely loved it! Cant wait to do it again!

Thank you in advance for any advice and have a great day!

Matjaz
 
Everything looks fantastic and it sounds like the ribs were very close to perfect. What a great first cook. As far as your question about the ribs after the foil I would suggest to use a toothpick to probe between the bones about every 15 minutes until it goes in very easily.

Also on the temp spikes and drops, I picked up a tip here on tvwbb that has helped me. When I put the WSM together and the temp gets to around 175 I close 2 of the 3 bottom vents completely and only use the one remaining vent to adjust. I try to make sure the vent that I keep open for adjustment is away from the prevailing wind. I hope these suggestions are useful to you.
 
Matjaz;
First, I complement you on your command of English. I truly admire those who are proficient in a more than one language.

I have the 18.5 WSM and have found that using the "tin can minion method" allows me to gain control of the temperature right at the start:

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?388...Pepper-Stout-Beef&highlight=tin+minion+method

Using a small amount of live coals brings the temperature up slowly and I adjust the bottom vents to control the heat right from the start.

FWIW
Dale53
 
As everyone is noting , your first cook was good. Your guests were happy and you liked the ribs. That is great. Success!

just a few thoughts...you said you started with 6 lbs briquettes " all hot" ....next time try this....fill the charcoal ring nice and full with UNLIT briquettes ....then dump a small chimney of LIT over that.... or go with the tin can method that robert mcgee provided the link to....this is the method i use and it works beautifully .

start with the top vent open and the bottom ones just cracked open a bit. I think your fire will come up slower that way. Also when the cooker hits a temp that you like(like 250) don't shut the bottom vents completely ( that smothers your fire) just close them a bit at a time.

disregard the smoke that's leaking out of the lid (that don't mean a thing. You got plenty of smoke) if your fire is hot , your smoke is good. I've never seen any blue smoke coming from my WSM , but maybe I'm color blind.:)

danny b's suggestion about vent control is also a good one. I do that quite often if its windy.

you are on the right track , brother. Keep reading this forum and keep cooking. Use that toothpick test to tell when the meat is done. Good luck , man.. :wsm:
 
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