2 racks of St. Louis Ribs....1st smoke
- Thread starter KAG
- Start date
DivotMaker
New member
Looks good, KAG!
KAG
New member
The overall finish was that I liked the bark, had a slight sweet caramelized chew to it. I like bark on mine. The bottom rack was more tender than the top rack of ribs. Found it more a kin to when I first started on a wood smoker years ago with temp management.
The digital temp probe was not very accurate as far telling what was really going on in the smoker. I think without an Auber there is a sharper learning curve to this smoker. Wood chunks did not seem to last the entire smoke with the chunks in the front seeming to burn more complete to ash and charcoal in the rear. But the meat did have a smoke flavor but not a deep smokey flavor. The top rack I thought was a tad dry with the bottom rack (2nd from top shelf) being moist. Next time I may try the 2nd and 3rd shelves.
I figure it may take a 1/2 dozen smokes to get it patterned out. Figure next time I will just long ways split a smaller piece of Mulberry stick and lay it in the fire pan vs small chunks. Although the thought of sinking another $250 into it to get decent temp regulation is not a prospect I look forward to I will probably brake down and do it later. Plus the added feature of higher temps when needed.
For a first time run in a new smoker the food was good, but just a C for quality I think. People thought the sweet chewy molasses bark was really good and it pulled away from the bone easily. Just being my normal critical self as I always want a better end product.
Thank you for all the help
The digital temp probe was not very accurate as far telling what was really going on in the smoker. I think without an Auber there is a sharper learning curve to this smoker. Wood chunks did not seem to last the entire smoke with the chunks in the front seeming to burn more complete to ash and charcoal in the rear. But the meat did have a smoke flavor but not a deep smokey flavor. The top rack I thought was a tad dry with the bottom rack (2nd from top shelf) being moist. Next time I may try the 2nd and 3rd shelves.
I figure it may take a 1/2 dozen smokes to get it patterned out. Figure next time I will just long ways split a smaller piece of Mulberry stick and lay it in the fire pan vs small chunks. Although the thought of sinking another $250 into it to get decent temp regulation is not a prospect I look forward to I will probably brake down and do it later. Plus the added feature of higher temps when needed.
For a first time run in a new smoker the food was good, but just a C for quality I think. People thought the sweet chewy molasses bark was really good and it pulled away from the bone easily. Just being my normal critical self as I always want a better end product.
Thank you for all the help
DivotMaker
New member
KAG, the ribs, for a first-effort, were a success. It won't take you long to get the hang of it. Don't over-think the need for absolute precision to convince you that you need it to cook great Q. While I love the precision of the Auber, I can smoke anything just as well in my #1 with the stock analog controller.
Here's my 2¢ on your first smoke: Wood is not supposed to smoke the duration of the cook. If it produced smoke for 5 hours of a rib cook, your ribs would be severely over-smoked. You didn't mention how much wood you used. I use about 3-3.5 oz for ribs, and they're plenty smoky. You may not have had enough wood.
Next, you opened the smoker to mess with the cookie sheet, and not sure how many other times. Next time, try to not reinvent the wheel; put your ribs in, with a water pan in the bottom, set your dial to 235. and keep that door closed. Start checking them about 4:45 in, and go another 20-30 min at a time until done. I know you said you've never used a water pan, but it does help.
We've spent the last few years (I'm talking about the whole group, here) trying to find techniques that work best in our smokers. I'm just recommending that you try to duplicate what many of us have done with success, and then go from there. If it doesn't work for you, then by all means, modify the techniques to what works best for you. You can produce some stellar Q in your stock smoker, it just takes some practice! Fortunately, this means you'll have to smoke more!
Here's my 2¢ on your first smoke: Wood is not supposed to smoke the duration of the cook. If it produced smoke for 5 hours of a rib cook, your ribs would be severely over-smoked. You didn't mention how much wood you used. I use about 3-3.5 oz for ribs, and they're plenty smoky. You may not have had enough wood.
Next, you opened the smoker to mess with the cookie sheet, and not sure how many other times. Next time, try to not reinvent the wheel; put your ribs in, with a water pan in the bottom, set your dial to 235. and keep that door closed. Start checking them about 4:45 in, and go another 20-30 min at a time until done. I know you said you've never used a water pan, but it does help.
We've spent the last few years (I'm talking about the whole group, here) trying to find techniques that work best in our smokers. I'm just recommending that you try to duplicate what many of us have done with success, and then go from there. If it doesn't work for you, then by all means, modify the techniques to what works best for you. You can produce some stellar Q in your stock smoker, it just takes some practice! Fortunately, this means you'll have to smoke more!
elkins20
New member
Hey KAG, do like I did for my #1. Occasionally go out the the Auber site and see if they are on sale. A couple of weekends ago they ran a sale on them. http://www.auberins.com/ For the #3 smoker you will need WSD-1500GPH also if you order from Auberins, you can get the permanent mount sensor for $2.00. I paid $178 for the pid on sale and $2 for the sensor. Just a thought and I know what you mean about laying out $200. But, after the fiasco I had with the Boston Butt a couple of Sat. ago. After Mass I ordered the Auber pid.
