So I had planned on mowing grass today but since it rained last night and most of the morning I had to find something to busy myself with....so out come the wings and ribs and into the smoker.
Fired the smoker up around 9:30 this morning and waited around for temps to come up...and they just wouldn't. I was hoping to see 300 or so for the wings but I guess the cooler, damp air with zero wind didn't help things. Temps never broke 250 (oven therm on grate) so I let them run a bit over 2hrs and then slapped in the oven broiler to firm up the skin. I didn't brine the wings, just dusted them with some Guajillo Chile powder I had (figured, hey why not...) and cayenne pepper. They turned out pretty good, nice smoky flavor with some subtle heat.
After that I figured the smoker was hot, there was no way the 3 racks I had were going to fit on there, it was close to noon and the yard was still wet....let's throw some ribs on.
I had rubbed them with some store bought rub (mix of Weber Memphis and Loveless Cafe, Cayenne)....this was all really spur of the moment cooking as I had planned all of it for Sunday. I used some Hickory chunks for smoke and Stubbs briqs for fuel....and I had been advised of the ash....and yes there was quite a bit at the end but my basket helped a whole lot.
I did the 3-2-1 method but had a moment of uncertainty...at the 2 mark, how much liquid should go in the foil?
This is prior to foiling --- and as mother nature would have it, things warmed up and the breeze picked up so my temps were climbing. Grate therm read 250 for the majority of the time
Ready to come off the smoker....slight glaze with some store sauce
The ribs were, eh, just OK in my opinion....not sure if it was my cooking, the meat or a combo of both. They were tasty, plenty of smoke and some heat from the Cayenne but they weren't fall off the bone and kinda tough. I did forget to spritz them during the last hour so that may be an attributing factor. The ribs weren't very meaty (Sam's Club pack), at least nothing like what I've had in restaurants. Time on the grill was right at 5:40, I pulled them a little early due to the higher temps. We ate most of them so they weren't wasted but I was hoping for better.
Any advice, comments, constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated!
Here's my home built basket...
And I had all my helpers helping...
Album here:
Fired the smoker up around 9:30 this morning and waited around for temps to come up...and they just wouldn't. I was hoping to see 300 or so for the wings but I guess the cooler, damp air with zero wind didn't help things. Temps never broke 250 (oven therm on grate) so I let them run a bit over 2hrs and then slapped in the oven broiler to firm up the skin. I didn't brine the wings, just dusted them with some Guajillo Chile powder I had (figured, hey why not...) and cayenne pepper. They turned out pretty good, nice smoky flavor with some subtle heat.
After that I figured the smoker was hot, there was no way the 3 racks I had were going to fit on there, it was close to noon and the yard was still wet....let's throw some ribs on.
I had rubbed them with some store bought rub (mix of Weber Memphis and Loveless Cafe, Cayenne)....this was all really spur of the moment cooking as I had planned all of it for Sunday. I used some Hickory chunks for smoke and Stubbs briqs for fuel....and I had been advised of the ash....and yes there was quite a bit at the end but my basket helped a whole lot.
I did the 3-2-1 method but had a moment of uncertainty...at the 2 mark, how much liquid should go in the foil?
This is prior to foiling --- and as mother nature would have it, things warmed up and the breeze picked up so my temps were climbing. Grate therm read 250 for the majority of the time
Ready to come off the smoker....slight glaze with some store sauce
The ribs were, eh, just OK in my opinion....not sure if it was my cooking, the meat or a combo of both. They were tasty, plenty of smoke and some heat from the Cayenne but they weren't fall off the bone and kinda tough. I did forget to spritz them during the last hour so that may be an attributing factor. The ribs weren't very meaty (Sam's Club pack), at least nothing like what I've had in restaurants. Time on the grill was right at 5:40, I pulled them a little early due to the higher temps. We ate most of them so they weren't wasted but I was hoping for better.
Any advice, comments, constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated!
Here's my home built basket...
And I had all my helpers helping...
Album here:
