WSM 22.5 and Ribs 3-2-1


 
C

Cliff

New member
I made ribs this last weekend, using 3-2-1 method. It's my first time doing ribs, 4th smoke overall. When I take out the ribs to put them in foil, and again when I take them out of the foil, upon putting the lid back on the temperature spikes about 70-100 degrees.

I am using the minion method, 30 bricks to start, then about half full on the charcoal chamber of unlit bricks. Water pan full.

Anyone have this issue as well? A co-worker suggested that I use less charcoal. I understand that the air causes the coals to flare up, but I've heard nobody else mention this issue and it takes about an hour to drop back down to 225.

Appreciate any help.

Thanks!
 
for 225-250* I use 10-12 lit bricks. It takes a little longer to get up to temp but when I open the lid I don't have huge spikes. What spikes I do get I can easily control by closing top vent about 1/2 way. Also I never use water so that may change for you a bit with water in your pan.

When I am doing 3-2-1 I open lid and take all slabs off fast as I can onto a tray and close lid. Wrap them up and then place all back on..then when ready for last hr I remove them-replace lid-unwrap all slabs then place back on as fast as I can. I do try to limit the time my lid is off.
 
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Well For me 30 lit briqs are really too many. I usually lit only 12/14 briqs and I use the tin can Minion method. When I pull the slabs off the WSM for wrapping them I just close all the bottom vents and open the lid for the shortest time possible. When I unwrapp slabs I again close all the bottom vents and unwrapp as fast as possible if is 1 slab. If 2 or more I move away in the kitchen to do the dirty job.
 
Right on. I was a bit slow and had the lid off for a long time. And I'll definitely cut my lit bricks down. Thanks for the advice guys!
 
Your problem's already addressed, but first time ribs and only fourth cook on your wsm? You'd really benefit by smoking some st. louis spares with water in the pan at 225-250. You might just give it a try and see what you think. No spritzing or anything. It's a much more humid environment than most other smokers, and the added humidity and steam slows bark development and helps with cooking. If cooking only on the top rack you might turn 'em once or twice. Other than that, just smoke 'em to tenderness. You'll use more charcoal with water, but it actually speeds the cook up a bit if you keep the pan slowly simmering. Lots of folks, myself included, have tried all the others and still prefer this simple method when cooking ribs, particularly spares or st. louies, on the wsm.
 
My two cents -- I haven't had a spiking problem when removing any meat from the WSM. To the extent that the temp does spike, it'll settle back fairly quickly once I replace the lid.
 
Shut all vents about 5 min. before you plan to lift the lid, then get in and out as quick as possible. Once you are done inside, give it about 5 min and then you can probably set the vents where they were before you shut them.
 
Instead of taking off the ribs one at a time just remove the whole cooking grate. This will lower the time the lid is off. Do the same when having to check the ribs, unwrap or sauce.
 
Sounds like you're another few steps along your learning curve, and there are some excellent tips here. As the others have mentioned, whenever I lift the lid, it is a race to get it back on. I do like Hoss suggests. I set a tv tray with a baking sheet on it next to the cooker so that I can quickly pull the grate, put it on the baking sheet, and close the lid again.

On the 3-2-1 method, most folks I have run across end up doing something more like a 3-1-1 method. The few times I left the ribs in foil anywhere near 2 hours, they were falling apart when I took them out of the foil. Now I foil for an hour, take them out, and leave them on until they're done, usually around an hour.
 
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