#2 just shipped & on its way!

[bbqnewbie]

Yes, it's on its way and I'm excited.  Have spent a good four+ hours previously looking over the forum and reading endlessly.  I understand it comes with a small sample of hickory wood chunks - is it just enough for the seasoning? 

In any event, here are our "preferences" - so maybe a little guidance from you all could help.  We LOVE applewood bacon flavor and have only recently sampled a few fabulous ribs home-smoked with the same type of wood (though they used applewood pellets in their Traeger - it's due to that that we have started this endeavor) - so am assuming for the beginning to use apple.  From just a few previous experiences, we do not prefer a STRONG smoke flavor and not a heavy black, crusty bark on our food.  (Maybe we're just gringos at this point.)   The bark I've sampled in the past (on steaks) to me was very dry, almost-dusty,  and reminded me of charcoal crust - perhaps it was overdone and not what "real" bark is about. Left black powder all over my mouth.)

My DH loves ribs and tri tip - not so much pulled pork and brisket (as I love all of these).  Our first attempt will def. be either babyback ribs (most likely) or spare ribs from Costco (thickest babybacks I've ever seen and our favorite!).  I know I've seen some remarks that babybacks are too lean but I've not found that.  Moist meat, no matter what kind, is our preference and objective.  I'm thinking to use 2 smallish chunks of applewood for our 1st try and perhaps a little tray with apple juice in it - both on the bottom?  Season w/a rub over night, assume 4 hours or a little more to smoke at 225 F.  We DO like a light coating of sweetish bbq sauce to cook on over the last hour, say, so put that on during the last hour of smoking? 

So, does this sound right?  Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!

One other question I DO have is when I want to cook a brisket, HOW does one plan ahead so that it will be "ready" at a certain time (say 6 PM) so it's hot and fresh for company and still very moist?  Seems there can be great variables as to when it's ready and I'd prefer to not serve "warmed-over" meat.

Thank you all.

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[swthorpe]

Welcome aboard!   You will have many happy smokes with the #2...I know I do!   The hickory dowels that you get when the smoker arrives should be more than needed for the seasoning...I think they recommend two dowels for seasoning, and if I recall, I think I got four with the package.   As for the ribs, try the apple and see what you think.   I do baby back ribs a lot, and they typically take about 5.5 hours at 225-230F to be perfect.  I remove them after about 4 to 4.5 hours, apply BBQ sauce and put them back for the last hour.   Others simply put them in and use the "no peaky" method for 5.5 hours and then remove.   For my folks, they like the BBQ sauce added before the smoke is complete.  I use hickory for ribs, but it is a bit stronger in smoke than the fruit woods, so you might want to try the apple first.  Another good choice is cherry wood.   Let's us know how you make out!  Cheers!

[Barrel99]

From just a few previous experiences, we do not prefer a STRONG smoke flavor and not a heavy black, crusty bark on our food.  (Maybe we're just gringos at this point.)   The bark I've sampled in the past (on steaks) to me was very dry, almost-dusty,  and reminded me of charcoal crust - perhaps it was overdone and not what "real" bark is about. Left black powder all over my mouth.)

Heavy black crust on a steak sounds like hi-temp cooking either overdone or too much rub. Not so good either way. A good bark doesn't have to be black, although it can be. It is generated from the heat on the rub. Too much sugar can cause a very dark bark. Bark should be a little thick, but not to the point that its powdery or very crunchy (I happen to like a little crunch). Of course over cooking is not good either. Sounds like you are ready to go. Good Luck and welcome!

[NDKoze]

Welcome from ND Arline!

You have asked several really good questions. Here are my comments:

If you do not like strong smoke flavor, any of the fruit woods like apple, cherry, peach, etc would work very well. Cherry is one of my favorites and pairs really well with the hickory dowels from Smokin-It.

My guess is that the bark that you had previously was overcooked. The bark that I get on my smokes is dark, but not carbon. It is chewy and sweet and is like candy to me.

Your hubby may change his mind when he tries the pulled pork and brisket from your Smokin-It smoker.

Costco and Sam's Club are my go to places for meat as I have found their meat superior to my other options. The baby backs at Costco are really good. But I actually prefer the St Louis Cut that they have. These are basically spare ribs with the riblets cut off. I find them more flavorful with less fat. But either way both options from Sam's or Costco are hard to beat.

If you don't have a digital scale, I would get one. They are relatively cheap at Wal-Mart type stores. I typically use 2.5-3.0 ounces of wood for ribs and poultry and 5-6 ounces for butts/briskets. For the water pan, a mini-foil pan with Apple juice or beer pushed right up against the smoke box is a great addition. As far as time goes, this is where some personal preference comes in. If you like your ribs fall off the bone, your probably looking at 5-6 hours for baby backs and 6-7 for spares/st Louis cut. If you like a little more chew off of the bone, it could be 1-2 hours less. I typically like mine somewhere in-between. I like a little chew, but my bones are usually pretty empty when I am done.

Using some plain old yellow mustard as a binder before you add your rub will help create the bark and not add any mustard flavor. I usually like sauce on my ribs too, but I prefer to throw them on a cookie sheet after adding the sauce and then under the broiler in my oven for 5 minutes or so until the sauce starts to caramelize. I prefer this as it is a lot easier for me to clean my cookie sheet than the smoker grates. but either way works well for this.

[jcboxlot]

#1 on that one, says it all

[DivotMaker]

Welcome, Arline!  Glad you found us!  Since Gregg pretty much covered it, I'll just recommend reading these two topics:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2078.0

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=2151.0

And, I will add my 2¢ on bark:  What you are talking about is not "bark;" it's char.  If you over-cook something on a grill, it burns, and creates a blackened surface known as char (char-broiled).  Yes, char is not very tasty, in large doses!  "Bark" on true BBQ is not char.  The sugars and spices in the rub, combined with the "pellicle" of the meat, undergo chemical reactions (like the Maillard Reaction), and create a chewy, tasty, surface on the meat.  The bark is my absolute favorite part of the pork butt or brisket, and also ribs!

Here's a great article on it, from Meathead over at AmazingRibs.com.  Great educational site!:

http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/bark.html

[bbqnewbie]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond and your well-wishes.  I see I have more reading to do!  Expecting it to arrive this coming week!

[BedouinBob]

Welcome from Colorado Arline. I love tri-tip too but I'll bet your DH will come around to brisket in the SI.