NEED food smoker HELP!!!!
- Thread starter meowzer
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meowzer
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391862
Might want to check the accuracy of the thermometer. Could have just been bad ribs but each time I've done them, even with the lower rack being over cooked they were pretty damned tender.
OK....can you check it with a meat thermometer?
Originally Posted by reefraff http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391862
Might want to check the accuracy of the thermometer. Could have just been bad ribs but each time I've done them, even with the lower rack being over cooked they were pretty damned tender.
OK....can you check it with a meat thermometer?
bionicarm
Active Member
I've never put my ribs in a pan while they were cooking. I get my coals to the point where the majority are red, and the temp is between 225 - 250. Then I just drop my ribs onto the smoker racks, put them away from the fire. I just check them every 30 minutes or so to make sure they don't dry out. If they look dry, I mop them with some marinade. After a couple of hours, I stick the meat thermometer directy into the meat. My wife bought me this nice digital thermometer that even has alarms when you hit a certain temp. When the ribs hit an internal temp of around 175, I wrap them up in foil and drop them back on the fire. I continue to cook them until they reach an internal temp of 190 - 195. You know the ribs are ready when you can take a fork and pull a piece of the rib off the bone. Most pork rib racks I cook usually don't take more than 3 hours before they're ready. Mainly because there's more bone than meat, unless you do baby backs.
bionicarm
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391873
Thanks Bionic.....good to know...for the next time
....MY smoker is an offset smoker....so there is no fire under the food though...does that matter?
That's how most smokers are built. Don't want to confuse you. My smoker has a offset fire box as well. What I meant by "putting the meat away from the fire" is if my coals start burning down to where the temp gets close to 200, I add more oak wood or extra charcoal to get the temp back up. When I do, a fire may start back up. On my box, the flames may push through the hole between the box and the main pit where I have my meat. If I have my meat too close to that hole, it can get a little more charred than I like. I actually put my brisket by that end because there's nothing better than "burnt ends" on a brisket.
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391873
Thanks Bionic.....good to know...for the next time
That's how most smokers are built. Don't want to confuse you. My smoker has a offset fire box as well. What I meant by "putting the meat away from the fire" is if my coals start burning down to where the temp gets close to 200, I add more oak wood or extra charcoal to get the temp back up. When I do, a fire may start back up. On my box, the flames may push through the hole between the box and the main pit where I have my meat. If I have my meat too close to that hole, it can get a little more charred than I like. I actually put my brisket by that end because there's nothing better than "burnt ends" on a brisket.
I've NEVER put any meat I am smoking in a pan. You want the juices and fat to drip off the meat and not have the meat sitting in it. I've also never attempted to check the temp of ribs. After a few hours on the smoker you will see the meat pull back from the ends of the bones. You can try grabbing one of the protruding bones with a pair of tongs and if you can wiggle the bone to the point where it seems like you can just pull it out without the meat coming with it, they are done. I've been doing my smoking on a Weber Kettle lately and not an offset smoker. Last batch of ribs I kept the temp around 300 the whole time and added soaked oak chunks to the coals at a rate of about 2 chunks per hour. When smoking for a long time you dont need a huge amount of actual smoke. Keeping a constant temp is more important than mass quantities of smoke. For something like ribs especially, where there is not a huge amount of actual meat, only keeping smoke on for about half the time seems to work nice and just have the heat going for the rest of the time with charcoal. You dont want to oversmoke (which is possible) to the point where you only taste smoke and dont taste the meat itself or the rubsauce that you used.
meowzer
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391952
Did I saw put meat in a pan? (I only do that with turkey) And that is to capture the juices for gravy.
OOPS....I guess I misunderstood
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391952
Did I saw put meat in a pan? (I only do that with turkey) And that is to capture the juices for gravy.
OOPS....I guess I misunderstood
Quote:
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391982
also keep in mind, ribs do dry out a bit, when smoked vs boiled.
I put a pan of water in the smoker under the rack where the meat sits the last time I did ribs a few weeks ago. They came out amazingly juicy.
Originally Posted by stdreb27 http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3391982
also keep in mind, ribs do dry out a bit, when smoked vs boiled.
I put a pan of water in the smoker under the rack where the meat sits the last time I did ribs a few weeks ago. They came out amazingly juicy.
slice
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392013
I put a pan of water in the smoker under the rack where the meat sits the last time I did ribs a few weeks ago. They came out amazingly juicy.
+1
Not ribs, but this is my usual setup. The fire is only on the left side.
Also, my personal opinion is to never ever pierce or inject a piece of meat. I believe injection wounds only serve as escape ports for all that juicy juiciness inside.
In general, I have no problems keeping ribs juicy.
Originally Posted by DragonZim http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392013
I put a pan of water in the smoker under the rack where the meat sits the last time I did ribs a few weeks ago. They came out amazingly juicy.
+1
Not ribs, but this is my usual setup. The fire is only on the left side.
Also, my personal opinion is to never ever pierce or inject a piece of meat. I believe injection wounds only serve as escape ports for all that juicy juiciness inside.
In general, I have no problems keeping ribs juicy.
slice
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392020
HMMM....So when I go to smoke my fresh ham....DON'T INJECT IT???? DON'T PUT IT IN A PAN????
so I just marinade it and rub a RUB onto the outside??
The pic above is the boston butt I talked about the other week. I only offer my opinions and look forward to you gaining practice and soon having your personal way of doing things.
The pic above is how I do roasts or hams.
My personal opinion is to not make an escape port for juices.
YMMV
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392020
HMMM....So when I go to smoke my fresh ham....DON'T INJECT IT???? DON'T PUT IT IN A PAN????
so I just marinade it and rub a RUB onto the outside??
The pic above is the boston butt I talked about the other week. I only offer my opinions and look forward to you gaining practice and soon having your personal way of doing things.
The pic above is how I do roasts or hams.
My personal opinion is to not make an escape port for juices.
YMMV
slice
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392020
HMMM....So when I go to smoke my fresh ham....DON'T INJECT IT???? DON'T PUT IT IN A PAN????
so I just marinade it and rub a RUB onto the outside??
Sometimes I only rub, no marinade. Sometimes I marinade and no rub. Sometimes I do neither, sometimes I do both.
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/386021/need-food-smoker-help/100#post_3392020
HMMM....So when I go to smoke my fresh ham....DON'T INJECT IT???? DON'T PUT IT IN A PAN????
so I just marinade it and rub a RUB onto the outside??
Sometimes I only rub, no marinade. Sometimes I marinade and no rub. Sometimes I do neither, sometimes I do both.
reefraff
Active Member
There isn't a 100% right or wrong way to do it. For ribs I don't use a pan. For large cuts I do because IME the meat wont dry out as much, I wait until there is an hour or two to go and poke holes in the pan so the grease will drain off. . When we do brisket we trim off the fat but then lay it over the top of the meat. When it's done the slab of fat is like a piece of charcoal that just lifts off the meat. But all that grease draining through the meat adds a lot of flavor.
Another thing I didn't see mentioned is did you have a pan of water under the meat?
Another thing I didn't see mentioned is did you have a pan of water under the meat?