Baby Back Ribs - Maiden Voyage Of The Newbie Smoker!

[swamp puppy]

Just burned in the new MasterBuilt 30" and have a rack of ribs that had been destined for the ol' grill that are rubbed up and have a new destiny as the test product for my first adventure in smoking.

Confidence is high since i have basically been doing this on the grill forever and a digital smoker should make it easy for a hack like me. ;)  lol.

At any rate, this being my first attempt, Pics will follow as well as an honest self critique on how it all ended up.

 

[rbranstner]

Are you doing the 2-2-1 method?

 

[les3176]

Good luck let us know how they turn out!!

 

[mballi3011]

Now if you have been looking for the how to's here you should be fine. If you happen to have a question we are here 24-7

 

[SmokinAl]

Good luck my friend. I'm sure it will all go well. Looking forward to the Qview.

 

[swamp puppy]

Ok, not sure what ya'll are talking about with this Qview thingy...so hopefully the good old fashioned way of inserting pics with IMG tags and a URL work.

First off,  Ribs came out pretty darn good.  A lot more moist than off the "Q" and definately got more of the mesquite flavor.  I tossed a little water in the pan in the smoker which i assume is what helped with the moistness of the meat?  I may not do that again as i do tend to prefer a drier rib.

And now...  the "money shots"

 

[scarbelly]

They look like they came out great - congrats

 

[cycletrash]

Looks like they came out pretty good... so the new smoker will be paying out more dividends

 

[theracenut]

Looks like some good ribs. You know you are now addicted to your new hobby. Have fun with it, I do.

 

[SmokinAl]

Nothing like a successful smoke on your first try. Your hooked now. Repeat after me "My name is swamp puppy & I am a smokeaholic". Welcome to the club!

 

[johnvh]

How about some details?

What did ya put on them?

Cook temps and times?

I have not done ribs yet, but love them and like to try it.

Thanks

 

[tyotrain]

That Q looks tasty.. great job and congrats on new smoker

 

[fpnmf]

Looks good!!

  Craig

 

[swamp puppy]

How about some details?

What did ya put on them?

Cook temps and times?

I have not done ribs yet, but love them and like to try it.

Thanks

This was a pretty basic run and i was kind of time constrained, so i didn't go "all out" on them.  I used a basic Cajun/Pork rub that i bought as a pre-mix and added that about 2 hours ahead of time and let sit in the 'fridge.   Got the smoker fired up to 225F (based on a number of online posts/recipies i read) and waited for the mesquite to start smoking.  Added the ribs, waited for the temp to recover to close to the 225 mark, then set the timer for 2 hours.  Added about a 1/2 load of new chips about half way though which probably wasn't neccessary (still new at this remember).   After the smoke i pulled them out and slapped them on the grill which was running around 275F and kept them on their just long enough to get a nice BBQ sauce basting cooked on.  for the sauce, again, nothing special.  Jack Daniels store bought i think it was.

The only thing i think i  would do different next time would be to make up my own rub and maybe not put water in the smoker's water pan. 

 

[johnvh]

Ok cool, thank you!

 

[realtorterry]

Ok I know your new, but I gotta ask, why only two hours in the smoker?

You could of just wrapped them in foil with a little apple juice or whatever you like. Put them back into the smoker for a couple more hours & you would not believe how tender they are! Then finish on the grill if you want the marks or carmelization? Just wondering??

 

[swamp puppy]

Ok I know your new, but I gotta ask, why only two hours in the smoker?

You could of just wrapped them in foil with a little apple juice or whatever you like. Put them back into the smoker for a couple more hours & you would not believe how tender they are! Then finish on the grill if you want the marks or carmelization? Just wondering??

Well,  like i mentioned, i was time constrained.  I did get the smoker fired up until about 5:30pm and pushed it about as long as i could without starving me and the girlfriend to death.  lol.  Since this was pretty much a trial run for me i was happy that i got them in and out of the smoker without having the night end with me calling Domino's for Pizza.  I have a pork loin and may get some more ribs that i will run through when i have more time and will try letting those go for 4 hours or so and see how that rolls.

 

[realtorterry]

I must of missed the time constrant, but I get. I had to call dominos a few times meself!!

Good luck with the tenderloin. They're delicious

 

[swamp puppy]

i usually do the loins in the crock pot and make pulled pork out of them.  Not sure exactly what direction i am going to go yet with the smoker.

 

[skully]

i'll take the top left 1....mmmm.....looky good for sure, do some more....peace