Newbie question re: babyback cook time


 
S

Sean Moore

New member
Giving the SMS its first run this Saturday. I've ordered a tru-temp thermometer, but have yet to receive and install it. So... I have a few basic questions. I'm planning to smoke 2 racks of babyback pork ribs and a half rack of beef back ribs. How full should I get the charcoal chamber? How long should the smoke take? Any tips for getting to the right temp and keeping it there? Many thanks for the help!
 
Welcome Sean,

If you're doing BB and Beef ribs you're probably looking at a 5 hour cook max. I assume you're using warm water, so if you're doing Minion Method (MM) to start I'd go with 3/4 full ring. You won't use it all but you won't run out either. When you kill your fire you can pick out any briquettes that didn't burn and use them again if you like.

Regarding getting the right temp. what temp are you shooting for? Start with all your bottom vents closed and as you approach your target temp start closing your vents a bit. maybe close them down to 1/3 open to start and then adjust from there to maintain your target temp.

Hope this helps, enjoy your cook!
 
I'd think you're going to want to try and stay closer to 225 lid than 210. Remember, your grate temp is going to be cooler than your lid. Mine runs about 10 degrees cooler.

Also, remember that a new WSM will run hot your first few cooks so don't be too worried if you have difficulty keeping your temps down.
 
All things considered, it went fairly well. The temp spiked at 250, but not above, and held pretty easily at 225 once I got it there. Of course, I opened the lid too often (forced as I was to check the temp on an oven thermometer just sitting on the top grate), and extended the cooking time needed as a result. I pulled half the racks off at 4.5 hours and the other half at 5.5 hours. While all were tasty, the latter were better, and I probably could have used another 30 minutes to an hour. The smoked flavor was fantastic, and just the right amount IMO. I used 3 baseball sized pecan chunks along with 3/4 ring of lump charcoal.

Thanks, Larry, for the help! I'm excited for next weekend to give it another go!
 
Excellent Shawn, glad to hear things turned out for you. So what's your next cook going to be?

I just picked-up some pecan myself, probably going to use it on a couple butts next weekend.
 
Probably more ribs so that I can calibrate times and temps on this new toy. I may experiment with other variables like wood chunks. I've got some alder chunk that I plan to use with salmon in a few weeks, but I'm also interesting in trying a variety of fruit woods with pork. I expect to get several cooks in that last around 6 hours before I shoot for something longer. I'm hopeful that I can mount the thermometer before this weekend.
 
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