Can’t Figure it Out

[mordecai]

Hey everyone, I’m trying to help my parents out. They are using an Old Smokey electric smoker. They have made ribs a few times and literally all of the seasoning and sugar ends up in the pan at the bottom. The ribs are completely flavorless.

I’ve recommended a few different things to try but nothing really seems to work.

I myself use a Bandera offset smoker. I only use lump charcoal and have gotten pretty good at ribs. So they try mine when they visit and rave about them.

I don’t think you can ever really replicate the kind of flavor, smoke, and bark, from a charcoal smoker and an electric smoker exactly.

But for whatever reason all of their seasoning ends up at the bottom of the pan. My dad claims he is smoking at 225 for 2.5 hours. Don’t know how accurate that is.

Any ideas I can relay back to them to help solve the issue. They do coat the ribs in mustard to help the seasoning to stick but it all just seems to wash off while smoking. He’s also tried smoking with no water in the pan. Thought being the ribs are steaming too much and washing the seasoning right off.

Thoughts?

 

[radioguy]

Check temperature with an accurate thermometer. You may be way hotter than you think.

RG

 

[schlotz]

Direct from the manufacturer's site:

"The Electric Smoker has a flat top, so juices drip right back onto the food."
"Also, the top seals tightly during cooking to keep smoke and flavor inside reduce cooking time."

I think that pretty much spells out the problem, no air flow!

Personally I'd throw it out and get something better, OR you might try drilling a few small holes in the lid and one in the bottom.

 

[mordecai]

Thanks guys. This gives me another direction to send them in. Appreciate the feedback!

 

[crazzycajun]

The steaming like you and Schultz mention would be my first thought. Have you tried a binder such as mustard or oil to help the rub stick?

 

[zwiller]

Direct from the manufacturer's site:

"The Electric Smoker has a flat top, so juices drip right back onto the food."
"Also, the top seals tightly during cooking to keep smoke and flavor inside reduce cooking time."

I think that pretty much spells out the problem, no air flow!

Personally I'd throw it out and get something better, OR you might try drilling a few small holes in the lid and one in the bottom.

+1. The claim seems like BS to me. WRT electric smoker competing with offsets, you better be on your A game to compete with a MES and AMNPS. I didn't think it would be possible for it to be that good, but it is.

 

[smokerjim]

like mentioned maybe check the temps, 2.5 hours at 225 doesn't sound right to me, did he ever try putting the rub on the night before and don't use mustard, not really familiar with that style of smoker but I use a mes 30 with amnps tray and never had that problem.

 

[SmokyMose]

A lot of mysteries here. No way are ribs going to be done in 2 1/2 hrs at 225. There must be a temp issue. Maybe they're just getting done so fast that the rub just dries up? I don't use mustard or anything like that and the rub doesn't fall off. Maybe they're using too much?
I also wonder why you're cooking with charcoal in an offset instead of wood....

 

[mordecai]

I usually use that Royal Oak lump charcoal. I’ll toss in some raw apple chunks every hour. My bandera is a small offset I got at Academy about 12 years ago. Don’t think it’s a true stick burner even though it does have a small offset firebox.

 

[TxStorm72]

Hey everyone, I’m trying to help my parents out. They are using an Old Smokey electric smoker. They have made ribs a few times and literally all of the seasoning and sugar ends up in the pan at the bottom. The ribs are completely flavorless.

I’ve recommended a few different things to try but nothing really seems to work.

I myself use a Bandera offset smoker. I only use lump charcoal and have gotten pretty good at ribs. So they try mine when they visit and rave about them.

I don’t think you can ever really replicate the kind of flavor, smoke, and bark, from a charcoal smoker and an electric smoker exactly.

But for whatever reason all of their seasoning ends up at the bottom of the pan. My dad claims he is smoking at 225 for 2.5 hours. Don’t know how accurate that is.

Any ideas I can relay back to them to help solve the issue. They do coat the ribs in mustard to help the seasoning to stick but it all just seems to wash off while smoking. He’s also tried smoking with no water in the pan. Thought being the ribs are steaming too much and washing the seasoning right off.

Thoughts?

Hello there.

I just bought me an Old Smokey Electric grill for the very first time just 2 weeks ago, and the very first thing that I tried to smoke on it was a rack of pork spareribs. Long story short, they turned out great and had lots of flavor. I was happy with the result. Here is what I did:

On the day before I smoked the ribs, I trimmed the meat of excess fat and then I used a rather generous rub consisting of brown sugar, pepper, paprika, salt and garlic powder. The ratio was 2:1:1:1/2:1/2. I then wrapped the ribs in foil and put them in the fridge overnight.

The next day when I got ready to grill I loaded up the wood tray with mesquite chips, put the loaded tray on the burner, then i turned the Old Smokey up to high and let it heat up for 30 minutes with lid closed. While that was happening I took the ribs out of fridge to let them warm up a bit until the 30 minutes was up. I then stood the ribs up on a rib rack that I modified to fit inside of the Old Smokey and I put that rack full of stood up ribs right on the bottom rack just above the drip pan. I closed the lid and let them ribs cook for 2 hours on high. I sprayed them at the 1 hour mark with apple cider vinegar/liquid smoke solution.

At the 2 hour mark I took the ribs out, sprayed them again, then I lathered them with BBQ sauce. At that point I wrapped them up tightly with foil and I stood them back up into the rib rack and put them back on the bottom rack to cook for 2 more hours. It was also at this point when I put a pan of beans on the top rack to heat up. I used Bush's baked beans with a little bbq sauce and brown sugar mixed in for that.

When that 2 hours was done I turned on the kitchen oven to broil, I turned off the Old Smokey and I took the ribs and beans out. I then opened up the rib foil packs, I brushed on more bbq sauce that I just heated in the microwave, then I put the ribs under a broiler for about 5-6 minutes to let the bbq sauce carmelize. I did the same with the beans.

When that was done i took the ribs out, loosely covered them with the foil, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then I sliced the ribs up. Time to eat!

 

[Bearcarver]

Never had these problems with my Electric Smoker.
Here's a Rack of Spares & a Rack of BabyBacks, below with all the details of how I did them:
Pork Spare Ribs
Baby Back Ribs

Bear