Help! Gotta cook spareribs for father-in-law 2morrow!! question!


 
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jim_W

TVWBB Super Fan
I think I got the prep down, but the method for lighting WSM is in question. Cooking section recommends 1 lit chimney full with another on top of that. Vents at bottom closed and top vent open. Will this not put the fire out? I considered using Minion Method cause it is so stable for cooking butts. Tell me which one!!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif
 
Always leave your top vent open. It will be a rare instance that you will find it necessary to reduce it anywhere from wide open. The fire will not extinguish with the bottom vents totally closed. Several people here use the MM for every cook, but for ribs and anything else that requires less than about 7 hours cook time-- like ribs-- the standard method you described is just fine. Might want to re-read that article-- I don't think it's recommending closing the bottom vents for the entire cook. You will need to make some adjustment to zone in on your target cooking temp.
 
Hi Jim

I always used the Minion method before I started using the BBQ Guru as I found it easier to get control the temps at the beginning of the cook. You shouldn't need more than half a ring of charcoal and adjust how many coals you put on depending on the weather. How are you preping and are you gonna use foil or not?

Good luck 2morrow!
 
I have to disagree in this case. Jim is cooking for someone I'm sure he wishes to impress with the results rather than his cooker-firing prowess. I rarely see a first-time MM user get it right right out of the box-- too many lit coals, not enough lit coals, too much cold meat for the amount of lit coals, etc. Jim still has to perfect the art of vent management, and the effects of wind and sun on his cooker. The best thing a beginner can learn about BBQ is patience. An extra 30 minutes to get started cooking is not an unbearable thing.
 
Well, I guess it's up to Jim. My 1st attempt and every one after worked just fine for me when following Jim's method. I had tried the cooking sections metohd Jim described and always had to bring the temp back down after a temp spike and I think it's easier to raise the temp in a WSM than to drop it from around 350-375*. Sorry Jim, 2 completely different opinions here. Hopefully others will chime in here as well. Sorry Doug, we just disagree. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
No problem. I've just never found it a problem to do it standard. Light it up, fill the pan, assemble it, watch the temp go to about 425*. When it declines to 325 (in about 15 minutes) because the bottom vents are only narrowly open, remove the lid, put the meat on and close it back up. The temp quickly rebounds, usually to within 5-10* of target cooking temp. Tweak the vents a little one way or the other and walk away. Voila!

BTW, Jim, I did read where you had good luck (on a butt) your first time out using MM, but remember ribs have much less mass than a butt, so you'll have to adjust your technique to accommodate.
 
Sounds like a sound method to me ~ I hadn't experimented that much before trying the MM and once I did, I was hooked. Minimal changes due to weather conditions and amount of meat (to me anyway) and now with the BBQ Guru, wind is the only problem, yet it holds temp pretty well. Just start up with the MM, throw the meat on, close it up, turn it on and wait . . . . . Lots of time for honeydo's and the kids.

Jim, sorry this one's for your Father in Law ~ You really should have had more time to practice. Again, Good Luck

Oh, and there's no affiliation between me and the BBQ Guru.
 
thanks for the responses, Doug and Bill. I do wish I had a couple of practices on the ribs before now. My only rib cooking was on a brinkman offset, and I just happen to get lucky that time. Hoping the WSM will come through for me again and prove itself almost fool proof. I will post results 2morrow nite!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif
 
I vote for the Minion Method. I always use it, except when shooting for a really hot smoke, like when doing a turkey, and I've never had a problem.

It's been easier for me to control a cooler temperature, and you can start cooking sooner. I think using the Standard Method and waiting for all of the charcoal to get roaring hot, is a waste of good charcoal.
 
I also use the Minion Method every time. Although both methods do of course work, I find it's a lot easier to make your smoker hotter than to cool it when it gets too hot.
 
Doug
I find that for new cooks it is normally easier to control pit temps on the way up rather than bring them down. Jim only needs to hit a 4 hour window on finishing the ribs because he can always hold them that long in a dry cooler.
So Jim can always give the cook plenty of time to get the pit temp up. I would suggest you put the ribs on right from the very start and let the pit temp stabilize with the ribs cooking.

Doug your way works also, a lot of great ribs have been cooked as you describe.
Jim
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

 

Back
Top