Popping my WSM Cherry....& Concrete


 
J

Joe M. (Smokin' Joe)

New member
So this weekend I finally used my WSM that I got for Xmas. It was a learning experience but I am hooked. So the following are some lessons from a first timer.

-Never, ever, ever light your chimney starter on concrete. Scared the BeJesus out of me and the Dog.

-Keep it easy on the Cayenne Pepper when making the "Magic Dust"

-One unlit chimney starter topped by a 1/2 lit chimney starter does not cut it on a cold day....even in Miami (50)

-Ribs were juicy but not kept on long enough, you can tell by the bones in the pics

-Being a good cook and a good smoker do not go hand in hand.

-Also, I was losing smoke at the seal of the lid. is that normal?

Over all I gave my ribs a C+. I think the lack of heat to control was my first mistake. throw in the heat of the rub and there is room for improvment. They were great the next day and learning what I did I can't wait to do it again.

First%20Smoke
 
Joe, congrats on your first smoke. Glad you listed all the areas that went sorta wrong. You learn each time you cook. It'll get better and better after each smoke. I lose some smoke around my lid-no big deal. Once the grease builds up it should stop anyway
 
like paul said, not to worry about the smoke leaking around the lid. it will go away eventually.

the thing i had to learn about ribs that my dad taught me is 'ribs aren't done until they are done!' i learned to be patient and wait for that meat to creep down the bone.
 
Hey Smokin Joe - Good post and great pics. The best advice I got when I first arrived on this forum was when I thought my ribs were done, take off 1/3 and continue cooking for 30 minutes, then take off 1/2 of the remaining ribs and after 30 minutes the rest. Darned if they weren't right. The best was the last. I was pulling all my cooks off too early. Looking at your pics, your learning will be much shorter than mine. Welcome. Bob B
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Another Bob B:
Hey Smokin Joe - Good post and great pics. The best advice I got when I first arrived on this forum was when I thought my ribs were done, take off 1/3 and continue cooking for 30 minutes, then take off 1/2 of the remaining ribs and after 30 minutes the rest. Darned if they weren't right. The best was the last. I was pulling all my cooks off too early. Looking at your pics, your learning will be much shorter than mine. Welcome. Bob B </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Can you tell a difference in the tenderness of the first ones taken off compared to the last when you do that?
 
nice post. every smoke i do gets a little better than the last. its a huge learning process. also your dog looks exactly like my dog. What is that a lab/border collie mix?
Leif
 
Joe, A little trick I learned was take a tooth pick and after the meat pulls back from the bone insert the pick between a couple of ribs in the middle. If it goes in real easy your done.Or pick the slab up at one of the ends with a pair of tongs. If it bends over on itself and starts to rip you're done. The secret is to try to get it off before it rips. What I do is when they're to the point of being done take a nice finishing sauce like Blues Hog or something like that slather them and put them back on to glaze.
 
Hey Joe,
Good job. You can set the chimney on top of the charcoal grate to prevent any issues w/ the concrete. What are you going to try next? Ribs look good! Leave them on a bit longer next time for more tender meat.
 
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