Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Not being one to leave well enough alone, I've gone back to foiling spares for my first two cooks on my new (to me) BIG WSM. After all, I'm finally back to a 22.5" grate and have enough room for THREE FULL-length st. louis slabs. First cook, the ribs were some of the best I've ever cooked, but this cooker has an extra top vent and I was amazed at how fast I was able to reach 275* (gauge). The ribs looked great some time before the two hour mark so I foiled them, so actual cooking temps were obviously well north of that.
Anyhow, yesterday there was a fairly brisk north that really put a damper on things and I couldn't get my temp north of 275* long enough to get bark soon enough for foiling. Yes, the problem was WATER in the pan, but the thing is, I can cook back ribs with moist heat at 250* and foiling seems to be a big help in achieving better tenderness. No problem with the back ribs in getting the color and texture I want soon enough with water in the pan.
Well, I've noticed that lots of bbq competitors recommend 250* for back ribs and 275* for spares, and I've also noticed that water pans seem to be more popular with MBN competitors (who primarily cook back ribs and no brisket). I'm reminded of something I read in "Smoke & Spice", by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, regarding water smokers:
"The most serious shortcoming pertains to traditional barbecue meats such as beef brisket and pork shoulder, which remain excessively fatty because of the added moisture"..."It (water) also adds considerable moistness to food, much more than you get from a water reservoir in a log pit. When you want a crisp, crunchy finish in a dish, you may need to cook without the water pan, or perhaps remove the pan during the last stages of cooking."
Bottom line is that I'll have my clay pot base in the pan next time I decide to cook comp-style spares, or brisket, for that matter. Besides, it's pretty inefficient to try to cook with water over 250*, and I'm gonna go through a lot more charcoal with this new cooker, anyway.
Anyhow, yesterday there was a fairly brisk north that really put a damper on things and I couldn't get my temp north of 275* long enough to get bark soon enough for foiling. Yes, the problem was WATER in the pan, but the thing is, I can cook back ribs with moist heat at 250* and foiling seems to be a big help in achieving better tenderness. No problem with the back ribs in getting the color and texture I want soon enough with water in the pan.
Well, I've noticed that lots of bbq competitors recommend 250* for back ribs and 275* for spares, and I've also noticed that water pans seem to be more popular with MBN competitors (who primarily cook back ribs and no brisket). I'm reminded of something I read in "Smoke & Spice", by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, regarding water smokers:
"The most serious shortcoming pertains to traditional barbecue meats such as beef brisket and pork shoulder, which remain excessively fatty because of the added moisture"..."It (water) also adds considerable moistness to food, much more than you get from a water reservoir in a log pit. When you want a crisp, crunchy finish in a dish, you may need to cook without the water pan, or perhaps remove the pan during the last stages of cooking."
Bottom line is that I'll have my clay pot base in the pan next time I decide to cook comp-style spares, or brisket, for that matter. Besides, it's pretty inefficient to try to cook with water over 250*, and I'm gonna go through a lot more charcoal with this new cooker, anyway.