First WSM Cook Completed - Notes & Questions

[Guest]

Hello all!

I just fired up my WSM for the first time this past weekend and cooked 3 babybacks from Swift in Cryovac from Costco. I followed the BRITRU recipe except for the following:

> I added more rub than a 'general dusting'
> I decreased by half the amount of salt
> I spilled water from my pan in a newbie panic attempt to remove the foil when i noticed the water was building up under the foil. Probably 1/3rd of my standard method fire extinguished but I carried on...

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Here are my questions. I was able to maintain the 225-250 temperature for the first 4 hours according to BRITU. However, since I spilled water I was unable to get the temperature up to the 250-280 range after the fourth hour despite all bottom vents being open.

The ribs turned out very good, tender, flavorful and smokey (but not mushy much to the dismay of several onlookers), so I ask:

> What good does that last 2 hours do above 250F that can't be solved by keeping it under 250F? What's the difference between cooking 3 slabs of ribs on the top grate for 6 hours < 250 and for 4 hours < 250 and 1+ hours > 250? What's the reasoning in terms of the cook?

> I used to make my ribs on my Weber Proforma - very carefully - I think they came out more tender than in the smoker. For folks that pride tender (aka mushy) ribs on a smoker, what techniques are there?

Any help would be appreciated! I'm on a diet but bought the smoker for my fiances fourth of july birthday party (yep, she was born on that day!). So I've only been able to sample my ribs then give them away to charity ;( I'll have another chance to experiment before her birthday on Memorial day.

Any help would be appreciated! These folks like really really tender ribs! They aren't buying the 'tender but firm' paradigm I've seen throughout this forum so far.

Thanks,
-Willie

 

[Mark Etheridge]

Hi Willie and welcome to the forum!!

To answer your questions based on my experience,

1) I don't believe there is any noticeable difference in the two methods you describe. I've done BRITU alot and I've never followed the recipe in terms of temperature and have been very pleased with the results.

2) If your crowd wants 'mushy' (aka falling of the bone tender) ribs then the best way to accomplish that is to wrap them in foil for a couple of hours. You might also add a 1/4 cup of vinegar/oil baste in with it.

Now a question for you...you said...

"I spilled water from my pan in a newbie panic attempt to remove the foil when i noticed the water was building up under the foil."

Can you explain that a litlle more? The way it sounds, you lined your water pan with foil and then put the water in.
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!

 

[Joe McManus]

Willie,

Welcome! I'm sure you'll find your answers from the experienced Q'ers that hang out here.

Foiling your ribs should help. I recently did 2 racks of BBs, foiled one and left the other unfoiled. I got distracted with my guests and left the foil on for about 45 minutes longer than intended (close to 2 hours) and they came out so "tender" the bones wouldn't stay in. Not the way I like ribs, but my guests all thought they were the best ribs they've ever had. They tasted good, but I like to tug just a little bit.

I'm faced with the same dilema this weekend, I know my guests will like that over tender rib, but I also feel it's my duty to broaden their rib horizons!

 

[Jim Minion]

Willie
The BRITU recipe is not ment to produce mushy ribs. Competition ribs are not normaly taken to that point it is considered overcooked by many judges. Mark's suggestion of foil will get the job done.
Jim

 

[Jason M. Park]

Willie,

Don't think that BRITU is the ONLY way to make baby backs, it just happens to be one person's winning recipe from a competition several years ago.

As others have mentioned, most people like the "falling off the bone" tender ribs best, even though most of us Q'ers find those to be overcooked. It's kind of like the public preception of a big expensive gas grill to be the best thing you can have to cook on. We all know better. I say, make the ribs the way YOU like them.

 

[Guest]

Thanks all for the replies. Can't wait for memorial day for batch #2.

Mark - about the water pan. I had initially covered it with foil but didn't use the larger foil so I had a foil seam going down the middle of the pan. When I assembled the cooker and added water to the pan, it started collecting *under* the foil. I was afraid it was going to spill into the fire so I deftly tried to remove the foil entirely with tongs. What I ended up doing was spilling lots of water into the fire. Clearly some of the fire was immediately extinguished, but it lasted the 5 1/2 hours needed to get the ribs done - though i was unable to get the heat up after the 4 hour mark to the >250 F as stated in the BRITU recipe.

Thanks again!

-Willie

 

[Doug D]

I have two rolls of foil-- one wide heavy-duty, and one wide extra-heavy. Extra is for foiling and resting, regular heavy is for the water pan. If you use the length of one box to measure out a piece of the other, you will have a square that fits the stock WSM water pan perfectly for lining inside and/or out. Do the outside first, and then the inside to prevent wicking. You can get more than one cook out of the outside layer if you're careful removing the inside one when you empty it.

 

[Paul G.]

I've never felt there was a good reason for me to wrap the outside of my water pan. I use sand and wrap the inside and then have a layer over the sand which I replace after each cook. I remove the pan and leave it in my shed and my WSM sits under the carport.

 

[Cliff Hatch]

Paul, Ditto on the foil on the inside only. After reading all the posts for the past few weeks, I decided to go with sand for my first cook. Like you, I wrapped the inside only and then covered the sand with foil. Easy cleanup-no messing with water. You just have to shut down the vents early (which I didn't do soon enough -rookie move) to keep the temp down. Cliff