Doing as told

[beecee]

Greetings from NC. My name is Bryan.  I have been smoking ribs and butts on a Weber grill for the past 5 months and finally decided to step up to an offset smoker.  I actually didn't just decide on the offset I was looking at craigslist for months for something of quality I could fix up and until recently was striking out.  Finally I was able to acquire a Brinkmann Cimarron that was not being treated kindly anymore. It's made of 1/4 inch steel, the firebox is welded,weighs about 225 lbs, and was only $75.  I brushed all the rust of it and its grates, reseasoned it with canola oil, and attempted my first smoke yesterday.  The ribs I cooked were the worst I've ever cooked and I needed some help so after joining a month ago here I am finally at roll call. 

Pics of the smoker before and after.

old.jpg

• beecee
• Aug 26, 2013

View media item 250374

 

[geerock]

Well you certainly brought that thing back to life. Hard to tell what happened to the ribs without more info, but keep in mind that those dial therms can be way off right out of the box, never mind a neglected one like that. But welcome to the forum. Plenty of good folks and good info here to help you get on track. All the best to you.

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Bryan! :welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 50,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 1,000,000 posts describing it! Yea that’s right over 1,000,000!

The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

We have an ”Articles” section that is full of great information about smoking to include a lot of recipes and instructionals. Check it out there is a lot to learn in there!

You might want to check out ”Jeff's Free 5 day E-Course”, it will teach you all the basics plus a whole lot more!

 

[hatebreed]

Welcome. Smoker rubuild looks great.

 

[radio]

Smoker looks good!  Too bad about the ribs.

If you don't have a grate in the FB, or if it's too low, that could be the problem.  Other than that, what Geerock said about the thermometer might be it.  I recently rebuilt a New Braunfels very much like your smoker and it cooks great!  I did seal the door and extend the stack down nearer the grate though.
 

 

[seenred]

Welcome Bryan!  Nice smoker...that's a good CL find!  Sorry to hear about your ribs...if you post some details about your cook over in the pork forum, we'll try to help you make sure the next ones turn out better.

Red

 

[beecee]

Thanks for the responses.  I am ordering a new Maverick remote thermometer.  I did extend the chimney down, I built a charcoal basket, and will probably try to extend the baffle and get some tuning plates.  My issue with the ribs were multi layer (all found after using the search box). 1. I added cold briquettes to my fire during the smoke.  I wasn't sure how this was done.  It did bellow out white smoke which concerned me right off the bat.  I will use lump in the future.  I wanted to start off with lump but had the kingsford left over.  2.  In order to keep the temp down there was a period where I closed off the firebox vent and left the damper at a 1/4 open I don't think there was enough flow. 3. Clearly the thermometer was not accurate.  I put the oven thermometer in there to help but it was too late.  4. I do have to seal off the doors and am currently researching the best way.  It doesn't leak that much but I still want it sealed.

All charcoal\offset newbie mistakes. As long as I learn...

I will re post this over in the pork forum though just to verify these are the culprits. 

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Smoker is nice and shiny now!

We love to see pictures of what you are cooking (or what we call q-views here at SMF).  To "upload the q-views" just follow the directions here and it will be easier. If you are using a cell phone, an IPad or a kindle, go to the main SMF page and click the Mobile button. Will make the uploads a bit faster too.

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums and some guidelines of how to interact within the forums. Off site links are not allowed here at SMF per Jeff. Not that you have done anything wrong....just a little bit of FYI for new members!

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat