Smoker tips?

I just smoked some more ribs. And a tri-tip.

They turned out pretty good. I am rapidly discovering that smoking is a delicate balance of time, temperature, chips, and moisture. So, as I go forth, any tips from those that have gone before me?

Whatever you do, dont rush it.

It made me laugh when I read the thread title and your user name.

tgarza said:

It made me laugh when I read the thread title and your user name.

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I didn't even realize that.

At least I'm not following my dog around with a baggie...

tgarza said:

It made me laugh when I read the thread title and your user name.

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that was my first thought too

For ribs I do what's called the 3-2-1 method.

After removing the membrane, coat the ribs w/ cheap yellow mustard and then sprinkle on a good amount of dry rub.

Cook the ribs indirect for 3 hours at 225*, rotating them about half way through.

Wrap the ribs in foil and place a few generous splashes of applejuice in the foil and put the ribs back on for 2 more hours.

Remove the foil and cook for 1 more hour, applying any sauces as they near the finish. Or spritz w/ applejuice, applejuice cidervinegar mix.

Yes, this comes to 6 hrs. And you can usually shorten the 3 stages but it's best to allow for extra time if needed. If you cook at 250* or more, you will have to adjust for this.
Use the best lump coal you can find and sprinkle a few chips in w/ them.

I was noticing that smoking dries the meat. I've wrapped meat in foil before on the BBQ, and it made a huge difference in the juiciness. Sounds like that may work just as well in the smoker.

So much to learn. So much to try. Looking forward to making my own rubs!

I've used 2 different methods, I've smoked the meat (mostly pork butts or ribs) until almost done then wrap in foil, and wrapped it in foil and cook until done then open up the foil and let smoke. Both methods seem to work pretty good, but I've gotten to where I usually smoke then wrap in foil. I'll season my meat and put in an ice chest for the seasoning to soak in for at least over night, longer is better though. I'll take a couple of 2 L coke bottles and fill with water and freeze to keep the meat cool, but won't melt and rinse off the seasoning like regular ice would. I normally cook on a smoker made out of a large piece of pipe or large propane tank. I'll get the fire going and put the meat on and keep adding hot coals and strips of oak or hickory that have been soaking in water to produce the smoke. It has worked good for me.

Wrapped in foil doesn't allow the smoke to contact the meat; might as well use the kitchen oven.

I don't think it's the smoke that dries out the meat, I think it's long dry heat. People often brine turkeys and roasts, they sop the meat during cooking, they put a pan of water or beer in the smoker; but I think the best way juicy meat is to start with good meat - some that has quite a bit of fat and connective tissue.

A Boston butt is impossible to mess up and St Louis cut ribs are much more forgiving than baby backs. These are good cuts to start with. A brisket and tri-tip are much more unforgiving. Good luck and happy smoking!

Gravy said:

Cook the ribs indirect for 3 hours at 225*, rotating them about half way through.

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Indirect? I'm not sure I'm clear on this, and would rather ask than guess. I'm guessing you mean directly over the heat v. having a dish, box, whatever, between the heat and meat.

The first ribs were directly over the burner. The last set had a drip pan over the burner. I thought that, due to the low heat, it didn't matter?

Cheech said:

Indirect? I'm not sure I'm clear on this, and would rather ask than guess. I'm guessing you mean directly over the heat v. having a dish, box, whatever, between the heat and meat.

The first ribs were directly over the burner. The last set had a drip pan over the burner. I thought that, due to the low heat, it didn't matter?

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Indirect refers to not directly over the heat; the heat (coals, fire, burner) is off to the side. Food placed directly over the heat, even low heat, will dry out and toughen the meat. Think of cooking a roast in an oven vs. a low-heat skillet.

I use a 22.5 kettle charcoal grill, I section off about a third of the grate with some regular bricks. Then on the large side I cover with tin foil. The small side I use as my fuel area. I only open one vent at the bottom and that is on the fuel side, my kettle only needs about a fourth of the vent to run at 225 to 240 degrees. I sent a pan on top of the coals to provide moisture, I use apple juice or some other fruit juice. I use the mustard and rub method but I do not foil. Remember to open the top vent wide open, use the bottom vent to regulate the heat. Make sure to put the top vent on the opposite side of the bottom vent you have open, it will make the kettle cross draw and provide better heat transfer. If you would like some information on rubs let me know and I can post some for you. Here are some pictures that might help.

Cheech said:

Indirect? I'm not sure I'm clear on this, and would rather ask than guess. I'm guessing you mean directly over the heat v. having a dish, box, whatever, between the heat and meat.

The first ribs were directly over the burner. The last set had a drip pan over the burner. I thought that, due to the low heat, it didn't matter?

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On my BGE there really isn't a way to do completely indirect heat (and I don't have the plate setter accessory), so I use a double grate setup with a drip pan underneath the ribs filled partway with liquid (I've tried a few different liquids and I don't think it makes any difference. I'm now just using water). This does two things: first it creates steam to help keep the meat moist, and second it creates a thermal buffer that regulates heat to not too much more than the boiling temperature of water without impeding smoke. I've tried the wrap in foil technique and don't think it makes any difference, so I don't bother any more. This set up has worked very very well for me.

Paging Jim. Jim to the mess hall, please.

ouch said:

Paging Jim. Jim to the mess hall, please.

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Generally speaking "smoking" Or BBQing is cooking in a moist environment, surrounded by clean light woodsmoke,the flame/heat is far away from the food or indirect. Every type of cooker is going to require a different approach and technique. What is going to work on a BGE will not work on a whole Hog Pit, which is much different than a Little brown egg.

On some of the BBQ forums there are threads thousands of posts long about small differences achieved in the same exact cooker!

As a rule of thumb I would look for a 16-18 inch separation from the heat source to the grill surface. A water pan or pan of sand in between the meat and the heat is also a good option. As illustrated above cooking the food offset to the fire is very popular in the Weber type grills.

The single most misunderstood recommendation I read all the time is soaking wood chips, You want thin blue smoke- free of creosote and turpentine, both are by products of incomplete combustion of wood. Wet wood does not burn cleanly. It smolders, making white smoke.

The foil debate is long and hard,we are not going to resolve this here, but I do not foil anything.

Time and temps- The meat is done when its done- let the meat dictate the terms. Most BBQ needs to reach a temp of 195-205. An icepick or probe is a great tool to check your meat. It should go in like its going into butter. Time and heat is the only thing that will break down colagen and connective tissue.

Grill Temps, Low and slow is the Mantra of BBQ cooks around the world-However a word of caution. The danger zone for food is over 45 degrees and under 145 degrees. Most cooks agree that you have less than 4 hours in that zone before you are creating a health issue. I recomend a BBQ temp of 245 or so to minimize the time the meats are in the danger zone.

Have fun!

danek said:

Wrapped in foil doesn't allow the smoke to contact the meat; might as well use the kitchen oven.

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The meat only takes on smoke up to a temperature of about 140 degrees, IIRC. After that it really doesn't matter what you're cooking it in. I'll still leave it on the smoker, but if I'm getting pressed for time I'll foil it up and throw it in the oven.

Brisket may be hard to mess up, but it's tough to do well also (which in my mind is the same thing). I've found it hard to find a full, untrimmed, brisket in my area. Mostly it's just the flat that has had almost the entire fat cap trimmed off. I've used fat back and/or bacon laid on top, with a mop, to provide moisture, but they just don't turn out the same as if I've got a nice fat cap that I can trim down myself, while still leaving plenty of fat on to melt into the meat.

Jim said:

The single most misunderstood recommendation I read all the time is soaking wood chips, You want thin blue smoke- free of creosote and turpentine, both are by products of incomplete combustion of wood. Wet wood does not burn cleanly. It smolders, making white smoke.

Time and temps- The meat is done when its done- let the meat dictate the terms. Most BBQ needs to reach a temp of 195-205. An icepick or probe is a great tool to check your meat. It should go in like its going into butter. Time and heat is the only thing that will break down colagen and connective tissue.

Grill Temps, Low and slow is the Mantra of BBQ cooks around the world-However a word of caution. The danger zone for food is over 45 degrees and under 145 degrees. Most cooks agree that you have less than 4 hours in that zone before you are creating a health issue. I recomend a BBQ temp of 245 or so to minimize the time the meats are in the danger zone.

Have fun!

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First off, I'd like to says thanks for all the help. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read and respond to this thread.

Next, the new questions! I've read that temperature is a better test than time (which is what it looks like you recommend). Do you pull the meat out when it reaches 095-205, or do you allow it time at that temperature?

When I don't soak the wood, the smoke is blue, but I wouldn't call it thin. It pretty much bellows out of that thing. Suggestions? While I'm asking, suggestions for wood?

Hopefully, I'll put some of these suggestions to use this weekend (Thurs-Fri for me).

Cheech said:

First off, I'd like to says thanks for all the help. I appreciate everyone taking the time to read and respond to this thread.

Next, the new questions! I've read that temperature is a better test than time (which is what it looks like you recommend). Do you pull the meat out when it reaches 095-205, or do you allow it time at that temperature?

When I don't soak the wood, the smoke is blue, but I wouldn't call it thin. It pretty much bellows out of that thing. Suggestions? While I'm asking, suggestions for wood?

Hopefully, I'll put some of these suggestions to use this weekend (Thurs-Fri for me).

Click to expand...

I always let the meat rest off the cooker after it reaches the desired tenderness. (Not temperature) 2 hours or more.

If you are getting too much smoke, can you use less wood?

Are you getting the cooker up to temps before adding the wood?

Any nut or fruit tree wood is OK, What are you going to cook? Hickory, Apple, Cherry, White Oak are all good choices.

Jim said:

I always let the meat rest off the cooker after it reaches the desired tenderness. (Not temperature) 2 hours or more.

If you are getting too much smoke, can you use less wood?

Are you getting the cooker up to temps before adding the wood?

Any nut or fruit tree wood is OK, What are you going to cook? Hickory, Apple, Cherry, White Oak are all good choices.

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So, look for tenderness to tell if its ready, and check temperature to make sure its safe?

I'll try less wood this weekend, and see how it works. I have been putting in the wood when starting the smoker. Should I wait? I figured it would burn less if it heated gradually.

I was going to try tri-tip again, since they always have it at the meat lab and it's really reasonably priced. But, you never know for sure what they'll have. Its a little of a crap shoot (not to say they have any bad meat - everything I've gotten there is great).

The thing about temp and slow smoked BBQ is the meat gets well over safe temps by the time it is tender enough to eat. The USDA says pork is safe at 160*, but for proper ribs or butt you need to get the meat to plateau at about 180-185* and sit there for a long time to let the collagen melt. So by the time it is tender enough you're long past any danger of undercooking. As I understand it the best use of a thermometer for BBQ is to monitor the temp to make sure the meat stays at the plateau temp long enough and pull it off the heat as soon as the temp starts rising again.