First Cook on Char-Griller smoker - Mixed Results!

[HempKnight]

I finally got my first cook under my belt yesterday! I cooked two racks of ribs and a whole chicken spatchcocked.

I started the smoker using a chimney of Royal oak lump charcoal from Wal-Mart. Once it really got going, about 25 minutes I added it to my charcoal basket. I threw on a piece of apple wood and really let it catch before closing the lid to the firebox.

I injected the chicken breast heavily with a cajun-garlic butter as well as the thighs. My wife bought me a ThermoPro TP20 so I placed a probe in the thick part of the breast and the other on the grate probe holder to monitor the BBQ temp. I removed the chicken at 165° and placed it in a foil container and wrapped it over in foil to let it rest.

I prepped the ribs the way I normally do. I removed the membrane and then rubbed them down with a bit of olive oil . I covered them liberally with a low salt all purpose rub on all sides. I placed on the smoker on the far side of the grate away from the firebox.

I held the temp steady at 270° - 275° for the entire cook, but my ribs did not turn out the way I hoped. The chicken was wonderful, but unfortunately the ribs were quite dry... I was very disappointed in the quality of them. I thought I was doing things right, not sure where I screwed up.

 

[JCAP]

How long did you cook the ribs for and how did you test for doneness?

 

[HempKnight]

They cooked in total for about 5 hours @ 270°-275°. They seemed to be fork tender when I removed from the smoker. I wrapped them in foil after I removed from smoker and let them rest.

 

[JCAP]

Did you temp them or bend test them? Maybe the didn’t smoke for long enough to pull off the bone right.

 

[HempKnight]

Did you temp them or bend test them? Maybe the didn’t smoke for long enough to pull off the bone right.

I did not temp them, but I did do the bend test. When picking them up in the middle they did bend down at the ends, with a wide U defintely did not bend into a ^ .

 

[HempKnight]

They were extremely dry

 

[JCAP]

If they weren’t falling off the bone and still tasted tough/dry then I wonder if they weren’t completely done yet. What was the temp of the smoker where the ribs were (where was the probe in relation to the ribs)?
I guess the ribs themselves could also have been the culprit.

Others with more experience might be able to help more. Or just throw some more on!

 

[gmc2003]

Glad to hear the chicken came out good. As for the ribs - the bend test: pick the ribs up between a 1/3 to 1/2 way down. They should fall freely to at least a 45* angle from the edge of the tongs. The more they fall the more FOTB they should be.

Chris

 

[doughboyb]

Maybe I missed it, but what kind of ribs were they? I've always had good luck with spares in my offset, I've never liked baby backs. Not enough fat and they seem dry..

 

[HempKnight]

Glad to hear the chicken came out good. As for the ribs - the bend test: pick the ribs up between a 1/3 to 1/2 way down. They should fall freely to at least a 45* angle from the edge of the tongs. The more they fall the more FOTB they should be.

Chris

Ok they did not bend that much. I have a feeling they didn't smoke long enough

 

[HempKnight]

Maybe I missed it, but what kind of ribs were they? I've always had good luck with spares in my offset, I've never liked baby backs. Not enough fat and they seem dry..

These were baby back ribs. My wife bought them for me at the market. I will definitely give spare ribs a try next time.