First time success!!


 
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John Bergan

TVWBB Member
After becoming impatient with Amazon.com's shipping delay, I cancelled my Amazon WSM order and picked up a WSM at the local hardware store. On Sunday, I tried the BRITU recipe, and they lived up to their name.

Using a candy thermometer through the top vent, the temp was pretty consistent, 235-260, with no spikes in temp. As it was my first time, I was probably a little overzealous with checking the thermometer, about every ten to fifteen minutes.

I picked up three racks of babybacks at the local warehouse club (BJ's). $3.99/lb seemed like a good price.

I did deviate a bit on the recipe. I had no cayenne or chili powder, so I used ancho chile powder.

I used about five chunks of hickory, they were a little bigger than golf balls but a little smaller than tennis balls. I would have like to use a combination of hickory and fruitwood (apple or cherry), but I can't find anything but hickory and mesquite chunks in the stores.

The ribs took a little over four hours. They were tender, not mushy/falling off the bone, but tender enough that it didn't take much effort to chew the meat.

Comments of those who ate the ribs:

"The best I've ever had"
"Quit your job and become a chef"
"They were soooooo good!"

Sides were the "enhanced" Bush's baked bean recipe (ketchup, mustard, molasses, brown sugar) and corn on the cob. Beer selection: Victory Hop Devil (from a great brewery outside of Philadelphia, PA).

The nice thing about BBQing is that I can get the WSM going, get my yard work done, with the occasional beverage and temp checking breaks, and dinner is ready when I'm done in the yard.
 
Glad to her about your sucess. I see alot of people having trouble finding wood. The best place i found to get wood is at smokingwoodchips.com
 
Just used my Weber smoker for the first time today. It was an unqualified success!
That said, there is no way I would have been able to pull this off without all of the
good information on this site. Just followed all of the instructions under "Usage Tips"
and "Firing Up Your Weber Bullet". Just did a simple chicken this time.
With the charcoal chamber only one third full I was able to keep the temperature
at 250 no problem. Actually it would have been hard to keep it any lower. The bottom
vents were closed for most of the time and when I did open them it was only to about
a quarter. The hot day (about 85 F), direct sun and shiny interior of the new cooker
probably contributed to that.

Next time I'll be cooking back ribs with maple wood. Lots of maple up here not much
hickory or mesquite.

Thanks again for all the great information and advice.
 
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