My new #3 Huffin and Puffin!

[Barrel99]

I wanted a smoker I can literally set it and forget it. I found it!

Got my #3 set up, not much to it, and seasoned it. Everything working fine. I have smoked using other less expensive smokers before, so I knew what I wanted in taste.

Put in 2 racks St. Louis ribs and rib tips. Used light brown sugar rub for 36 hours, was supposed to be overnight but ended up waiting a day. Then added Jeffs Rub before putting it in the smoker (no mustard). Used the Bradley racks on top shelf and second from top shelf. Maverick near Smokinit probe just for fun.

Put 2 pieces of hickory blocks from Home Depot, 2 oz and 1.5 oz chunks, in middle of box. No water.

Turned it to 225. Started smoking in a few minutes. But, then it huffed and puffed white clouds for awhile. Eventually calmed down and smoked some smelly white smoke. Thought it ruined the meat but it didnt. Finally slowed to a continuous light white smoke but without much of that nice hickory aroma.

Never again opened the door for 6 hours and 20 min. Ribs were done with a deep dark bark.

The best ribs I ever made ... Juicy, beautiful, tender, perfect smoke, and delicious. Wife and family agreed.

What a great smoker! First time I ever smoked that I didn't stink from the smoke.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Barrel, congrats on the #3!  What you experienced was wood combustion.  The "big box" store wood is usually more dry than wood from BBQ suppliers, and is a little more prone to this.  Next time, wrap the bottom half of your chunks in foil, then place in the smoke box.

Just a couple of other tips, from what you wrote.  First, I'd recommend a water pan on the bottom of the smoker, next to the smoke box.  It makes a big difference with ribs, or anything else you want to keep moist.  The other thing is your amount of wood.  For 2 racks of ribs, 2-2.5 oz is plenty.  Your first 2 oz chunk would have been enough - crazy how little wood it takes in these smokers!

Sounds like you're off to a good start!  Head over to the Introductions section, when able, and tell us about yourself!  Also, a first name and town in the signature line of your profile is nice, too!

 

[Barrel99]

Hi Divot,

Thank you for the advice. Getting started with a new machine is always fun trying to figure it out.

I wanted a vanilla start to get a baseline to start with. So no water. Next time though definitely. The wood I will try foiling like you suggest. I have read about that technique but had to try without it first to see what happens. Yuk! I have to have that sweet smell or I am not happy. Maybe some better wood as well. The smoke flavor was good, but might have been too much if the wood burned correctly. So I will cut back on that as well when foiled.

I am interested to see how pellets work as well. Might start a pellet thread.

Thanks again.

 

[swthorpe]

The Home Depot wood chunks, and probably true for other big box stores, tends to be very dry and ignites easily when the smoker is ramping up to temp.  The heavy white smoke is an indication that the wood caught fire, and the huffing and puffing soon follows!  Several of us have tried other wood providers, like fruitawood, and they seem to have good moisture in the wood to prevent combustion.  I also keep my wood in a plastic container with a wet rag to try to maintain moisture.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Arnie,  a baseline is always good!  Lots of discussion on pellets; go to the "What Wood Do You Use" section and do a search on pellets.  I only use chunks, so I can't comment on them.

I buy most of my wood at fruitawood.com and mainegrillingwoods.com; both are very good, and have a great selection.  Even with good wood, the foil on the bottom helps, especially with that big 1200 watt element - that sucker gets really hot, at first!

 

[Barrel99]

Couple questions about foiling the chunks.

Regular or heavy duty foil?

Do I cover the chunk completely with holes on top or just put a piece on the bottom of the chunk?

Thanks

 

[DivotMaker]

Arnie, I use HD foil for everything - the regular stuff isn't worth the money, for me.  You don't cover the entire chunk; just tear off a piece that will cover about half of the chunk, then place it foil-side down.  Think of it as a little foil boat for your wood!

 

[Barrel99]

That's what I will try then. HD foil and only cover part way.

Thanks Tony.

 

[NDKoze]

Just an FYI, that you can an 18" wide 500' long roll of foil at Sam's Club for $19.99. It's hard to beat that.

 

[Barrel99]

Thanks Gregg. I have been using that for years. Can't beat it. We use it for everything.

 

[DivotMaker]

The big giant roll of 18" plastic wrap is the deal, too!  Can't find long plastic wrap in the grocery stores.

 

[Barrel99]

Yes, we use the plastic wrap as well. All the warehouse stores carry both. Really good to have.