A question about maintaining cooking temps

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bigwheel

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Hi there. Sure you get some differing opinyawns as there a lot of ways to skin a cat and a lot of theories on how to cook ribs. I'm not a big fan of trying to cook at anything less that about 250..actually prefer 260. Can you maintain those temps? If so give it a try. Cook meat side down until they are done..don't flip and dont spill the juice which will collect on the bone side. Now you can give the racks a spin or sideways scoot if you need to distribute the heat evenly. Test for doneness I use is to reach in and try to pull apart of coupla of adjacent bones in the middle of the rack. If the meat between the bones tears apart easily thats a clue they are done. Once they pass that test wrap em in foil and stick in an insulated box..empty ice chest etc with folded up newpapers on bottom and top and let them rest for an hour or two or three. Cook time usually runs between 4-6 hrs. depending on the size of the ribs..temps etc.

bigwheel
 
You will need to give a little info on the smoker. How many burners, what type of controls does it have to control the heat. I little more info here, and the folks here will have you up and running. Like bigwheel said, 250 - 260 degrees will work.
 
This?

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Just an idle thought but did it come with anything like an Owner's Manuel or something like that which might perhap give a person a hint on how you supposed to control the heat on it? Thanks.

bigwheel
 
Now I wouldnt personally want to fiddle with the exhaust..and since it runs on gas not sure how much I would want to fiddle with the intakes either. Them thangs can turn themselves into bombs purty easy. That is why my pride and joy runs on electricity. I think water is going to be your best pal on this deal. Do it come with a water pan maybe? If so are yall using it etc? Thanks.

bigwheel
 
The higher temp temp won’t make that much of a difference as far as the end product except that the cooking times will be shorter…the only other thing to consider is the dry rub you use…one with a lot of sugar might burn with the higher temps.

If you are looking for lower temps you might want to consider rigging some kind of heat sink like a water pan or some sand in a pan to help lower the temps in the smoker.
 
Yeah... I've fiddled around with doing cooks at the 350 range...instead of low and slow. You suffer a little on the texture of the bark, and there's a risk of it getting a little dry. The interior is still good, and you get the internal collagen break down that you need. If you inject the meat before you'll have better results.

So that's the cooker...Is that a thermo on the exhaust stack? If it is...don't trust that ! That's not the cooking temp.

It says it has a water pan in it.... What do you fill it with? Ever try sand instead of water? I swear by sand. (clean NEW playground sand...less cat turds in new sand.)
 
Well yall can fiddle with that cat turd infested sand all ya want..just give me a good old water pan into which goes H2o which is the scientifical nomenclature for agua. Hey since she lives around the Ocean maybe they can get some free sand and prob some free salt water. I would take the salt water. That prob give it a nice shrimpy flavor. The Ocean always smells like dead shrimp to me.

bigwheel
 
wittdog said:
The higher temp temp won’t make that much of a difference as far as the end product except that the cooking times will be shorter…the only other thing to consider is the dry rub you use…one with a lot of sugar might burn with the higher temps.

If you are looking for lower temps you might want to consider rigging some kind of heat sink like a water pan or some sand in a pan to help lower the temps in the smoker.
Didn't know you were such a gas cooker expert Dave! ;) :LOL:
 
Well sounds like the yankees has already got to ya on that Reynolds Wrap (New England Crutch) deal. You sorta remind me of a fella named Sapo. He come on here and axe for advice from folks then when he gets it..he does just the opposite. Guess it works. Good luck. Did you ever chew on the book covers when you was in school? Thanks. :LOL:

bigwheel


Newbies Wife said:
Ok, so here's the plan. I made up some Magic Dust rub today and the ribs are relaxing in the fridge. Tomorrow morning, I'll let those ribs sit out for an hour or so, then we'll get the smoker ready. Water in the pan, no sand this time. Then we'll let them cook as low as we can get them for 3 or 4 hours. Wrap them in foil and cook for a bit more. Does this sound right? Hope so. I'll let you all know the results. I'm a little far from the ocean, so shrimp-flavored ribs won't be on the menu.
 
bigwheel said:
Well sounds like the yankees has already got to ya on that Reynolds Wrap (New England Crutch) deal. You sorta remind me of a fella named Sapo. He come on here and axe for advice from folks then when he gets it..he does just the opposite. Guess it works. Good luck. Did you ever chew on the book covers when you was in school? Thanks. :LOL:

bigwheel

Pay no attention to the man behind the jug of Ezra. :LOL:

I hope the rub doesn't have a lot of salt, cuz letting them sit overnight may make them a lil ...well ... salty. I take my ribs right outta the fridge and throw em on. Hard to tell ya how to do ribs on a cooker that runs so hot....
How did you measure the temps on it?
 
Pigs On The Wing BBQ said:
wittdog said:
The higher temp temp won’t make that much of a difference as far as the end product except that the cooking times will be shorter…the only other thing to consider is the dry rub you use…one with a lot of sugar might burn with the higher temps.

If you are looking for lower temps you might want to consider rigging some kind of heat sink like a water pan or some sand in a pan to help lower the temps in the smoker.
Didn't know you were such a gas cooker expert Dave! ;) :LOL:

He's just an expert on gas. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
Pigs On The Wing BBQ said:
wittdog said:
The higher temp temp won’t make that much of a difference as far as the end product except that the cooking times will be shorter…the only other thing to consider is the dry rub you use…one with a lot of sugar might burn with the higher temps.

If you are looking for lower temps you might want to consider rigging some kind of heat sink like a water pan or some sand in a pan to help lower the temps in the smoker.
Didn't know you were such a gas cooker expert Dave! ;) :LOL:
I can cook inside the house you know.....We do have a gas oven :LOL:
 
Well I did a variant of the 3-2-1-1 method for years. Cept I didn't just foil I added some secret stuff like apple cider and brown sugar. The extra hour counts for the mandatory rest period..but sometimes they rested a lot longer than an hour. Drag em outta the hot box and outta the foil about 30 mins before turn in and slapped back on the fire where they got slathered up "ONCE" with Texas Rib Ranger Spicy Sauce mixed with a big dollop of Orange Blossom Honey. Let it burn in just a little..yum yum. If you slather mo than once it kills out the other spices. Old outlaw moss back comp cooker named Ray Batteron taught me that lesson. Found it to be true.

bigwheel
 
Well I been running around in my thong bikini bermuda shorts all day here in God's Country...Texas of course. Can't imagine how hot it be out in Sunny CA. Heard a rumor today Arnald is gonna be swiping yall's State Tax overpayment refund checks in order to pay off a few bills which the State Guv'ment has accrued. You heard that yet? Guessing it must be mainly bar tabs and Green's Fees. Whutcha think?

bigwheel
 
Well would admit to being willing to exchange bank accounts with the boy any old day. Just guessing I get the bargain on that deal. Sure glad for you to teach me how to pronounce his name in print..Ahurnald. Think I got it..thanks. Taking a wild guess your ribs was edible. Now is this hot or warm? BBQ is real hard to mess up. Can't actually recall any total disasters that I have had. Sure you can say the same. Just got a feeling down in my feeler:)

bigwheel
 
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