Well, despite some great advise from fellow smokers, I dove agressively into my first smoke. Yesterday, after a strong push from the wife, I decided to try 1) ribs 2) large ham 3) fatty... and happy to say each turned out fantastic. I have some pics I will post later after I resize them. Some observations...
1) 3-2-1 for the ribs was too much. Next time I will try 2.5 - 2 - .5-1. Tho they turned out great. Firm meat that stayed on the bone, tender, fairly juicy, beautiful ring... I really think 30 less minutes would contribute much.
2) I used the break-in/seasoning of the smoker for a reference point. That proved erroroneous. When full of meat, it burned MUCH cooler so it took me a bit to get the heat back up after preheating. Next time I will preheat to a much hotter temp knowing the load will knock it down closer to final temp.
3) The thermometer was off. Thanks to everyone who stated this in previous posts! It actually was incorrect on an increasing scale. The hotter it got, the more incorrect it was.
4) Smoking can be a family activity. My 7 and 9 year olds contributed much and were with me the entire way. They had a lot of pride at dinner knowing they contributed to the success of the meal.
5) Damn I am hooked. Cant wait for the next smoke and already searching for different wood types. I really want to try maple and pecan..
Thanks for all the help folks!!!
Paul
1) 3-2-1 for the ribs was too much. Next time I will try 2.5 - 2 - .5-1. Tho they turned out great. Firm meat that stayed on the bone, tender, fairly juicy, beautiful ring... I really think 30 less minutes would contribute much.
2) I used the break-in/seasoning of the smoker for a reference point. That proved erroroneous. When full of meat, it burned MUCH cooler so it took me a bit to get the heat back up after preheating. Next time I will preheat to a much hotter temp knowing the load will knock it down closer to final temp.
3) The thermometer was off. Thanks to everyone who stated this in previous posts! It actually was incorrect on an increasing scale. The hotter it got, the more incorrect it was.
4) Smoking can be a family activity. My 7 and 9 year olds contributed much and were with me the entire way. They had a lot of pride at dinner knowing they contributed to the success of the meal.
5) Damn I am hooked. Cant wait for the next smoke and already searching for different wood types. I really want to try maple and pecan..
Thanks for all the help folks!!!
Paul