first time smoking beef ribs and temp won't stay up. HELP!

[thsmormonsmokes]

A no-weld expanded metal basket is pretty easy.  Some people bend theirs into shape.  I tried that but my expanded metal was too heavy of a gauge to do that very well.  4 hours later and a destroyed pair of gloves and a little blood donated to the cause, and I had a "basket" that probably wouldn't have held much charcoal even if I could have fit it into my firebox.  

So all I did was measure the dimensions, then cut 5 square pieces of expanded metal, one for each side of my basket.  Then I used tie wire to hold it together and assembled it in my firebox.  You have to be careful to wind the tie wire tight and keep twisted part facing up or it can hang up the ash pan when you try to remove it to dump ashes on a long smoke.  Other than that minor issue, this was a much more simple way then bending it into shape, or welding one (which I also tried unsuccessfully).  Here's what my final product looks like:

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• thsmormonsmokes
• Aug 17, 2012

 

[cliffcarter]

@ Cliffcarter, so instead of using the mods, just go with the grates and chimney stack extended down? Won't that cause uneven heating in the smoke chamber? Figured the Cowboy was pretty cheap after going through 20 pounds of the stuff for one 6.5 hour smoke. Won't be using that stuff again. Any recommendations on what to use that's available in the Midwest?

 Yes, it probably will, but that can be used to advantage. My advice is based on experience with a Chargriller, which is similar to your Brinkman. Not seeing how you actually installed your baffle/tuning plate and your complaint of no heat despite adding what should have been adequate charcoal led me to give that advice. Here's my point- "uneven" heat through the cook chamber is better than no heat. Remove the baffle and build a fire with 2 chimneys of charcoal, leave the intake vents on the firebox wide open and see how long it takes to get to 250° with your temp probe in the center of the cook chamber. Once you get to 250° close the intake completly and see how the temps change. If temps drop to 225°, open the intake and bring them up again. Play with it to get a feel for how your offset works. IMHO no offset will be a "set and forget" type of BBQ cooker, it will need tending, it's part of the enjoyment I get from cooking.

I notice you state that you have extended the chimney stack down- if you went down to grate level you need to bring it back up to between 4 and 6 inches above the cooking grate for it to work properly IMHO.

You should be able to get Roal Oak at WalMart

This is the set up I use on my CG. I do not have any baffles or tuning plates, I simply make sure that my fire does not go out. I cook mostly with wood and maintain temps in the center of the cooking chamber between 250° and 275°, more or less. I have learned to obsess less about cooking temps, I just make sure not to add too much fuel and keep a clean burning fire.

I get to cook on what amounts to 3 cooking zones- the wings are nearest the firebox and cook quickly, the 1/2 chickens are in the near half to middle to take advantage of the slightly higher heat and the ribs are farthest away, this works like a charm for me.

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• cliffcarter
• Aug 17, 2012

 

[mnsmoker76]

Thanks cliff, I'll give those suggestions a try.

 

[mnsmoker76]

Mormon, what gauge metal did you use? I finally found some 3/4" 13 fudge at the supply store. Everyone else had the 1/2" 18 gauge, which in my opinion, was not heavy enough.

 

[mnsmoker76]

Frosty, thanks for the advice. I did make sure to Spritz them every then added apple juice to them when i foiled them. I think that helped, too.:yahoo:

 

[thsmormonsmokes]

Mormon, what gauge metal did you use? I finally found some 3/4" 13 fudge at the supply store. Everyone else had the 1/2" 18 gauge, which in my opinion, was not heavy enough.

I grabbed the only expanded metal the local metal retailer had on hand.  I don't remember what gauge it was for sure but it's heavy stuff.  I'm a desk jockey so I'm out of my element when you start talking about fabrication issues.  But to look at the stuff, I'd guess it's 1/8" thick if that helps.  It's quite a bit heavier than anything I've seen in Home Depot or Lowes though.

 

[smokinhusker]

Great looking ribs!