First try results with NexGrill barrel offset smoker from Home Depot Pork Baby Back Ribs

[Chuck_406]

Hey everyone, I'm new here.

I decided to buy a Home Depot NexGrill barrel offset smoker. After a lot of research I bought it expecting the worst due to it's hefty cost of $149 lol. Peeled the silver skin off, and used a cold water rinse. I used brine of 1/4 c white sugar and 1/2 c Kosher salt with water to cover the ribs in a roasting pan and let them soak for 12 hours. Dried them off the next morning, then used a scratch rub and let them sit in foil wrap for 6 hours.

Seeing how this grill was new, I burned out impurities for half an hour and essentially had a preheat, then put a water dish in. I couldn't get the grill above 150 degrees after that and was scratching my head. I moved the dish to the extra rack above the main grates (and offset hole on the other side of the metal) and became stable at 200 but couldn't get it to go more even with all the vents open and the chimney half throttle. I decided to place charcoal on the other side of the offset in the main chamber after bringing it to white ash in my chimney fire starter. I was able to maintain 225-250 no problem with far left vent nearly closed and the firebox completely closed. I figured it leaks smoke so circulation shouldn't be an issue.

Total 5 hour smoke used three 3/4 full chimneys, and a bag of leftover apple chips, with apple wood chunks refilled every 30-45 minutes. I wrapped four-half racks around 2.5 hours.

My wife and mother said they were the best ribs they ever tasted. I usually made fall-off-the-ribs in the oven, but it's getting warmer outside so don't want the house hot. I left one-half rack un-sauced. The three other racks went in the oven high broil for 4 minutes using Kinder's mild BBQ. The smoke ring I am most proud of.

 

[forktender]

Those look killer, nice work bruth'a.

The H2o you added was it boiling water? If not that is why you couldn't get the smoker up to temp always add boiling water to your water pan.
Cold water in a smoker is a no, no unless you want super low temps.
The ribs look great, I love the smoke ring I bet they taste great.

Back in the day I dated one of the Kinder girls in high school in the 1980's her Grandfather was John Kinder the man could BBQ and butcher a hog, lamb, beef or deer with the best of them. I love the old Kinder's tee shirts they said "You can lick our chops, but you can't beat our meat" I still use the Kinder's original marinade on Chicken, Tri tip and Ball tips to this day and I absolutely love Kinder's original BBQ sauce it's my go to sauce for everything "Q" related. If you haven't had it on thinly sliced Ball or Tri tips cooked hot and fast over real oak wood coals do yourself a favor and get you some. Slice it as thin as you can the thinner, the better it melts in your mouth. My favorite is the Ball tip, way better than the Tri tips in my opinion. Cook it over direct Oak wood coals flipping it every minute or two until it reaches 125* internal set it aside for 15 minutes next to the grill to keep it warm then using your sharpest carving knife damn near shave it into super thin slices cross grain of coarse. Then take a whole loaf of real sourdough french bread and slice it length wise cover it with the shaved meat covered in Kinder's Original sauce then add grilled onions grilled with a little Worcestershire sauce on them, mushrooms and provolone cheese and drizzle a little Horsey sauce over them.
Horsey sauce= (mayo with horseradish, black pepper and salt mixed in about 50/50 with copped chives).
That right there is better than any cheese steak I ever ate in South Philly.
Dan

 

[Chuck_406]

Those look killer, nice work bruth'a.

The H2o you added was it boiling water? If not that is why you couldn't get the smoker up to temp always add boiling water to your water pan.
Cold water in a smoker is a no, no unless you want super low temps.
The ribs look great, I love the smoke ring I bet they taste great.

Back in the day I dated one of the Kinder girls in high school in the 1980's her Grandfather was John Kinder the man could BBQ and butcher a hog, lamb, beef or deer with the best of them. I love the old Kinder's tee shirts they said "You can lick our chops, but you can't beat our meat" I still use the Kinder's original marinade on Chicken, Tri tip and Ball tips to this day and I absolutely love Kinder's original BBQ sauce it's my go to sauce for everything "Q" related. If you haven't had it on thinly sliced Ball or Tri tips cooked hot and fast over real oak wood coals do yourself a favor and get you some. Slice it as thin as you can the thinner, the better it melts in your mouth. My favorite is the Ball tip, way better than the Tri tips in my opinion. Cook it over direct Oak wood coals flipping it every minute or two until it reaches 125* internal set it aside for 15 minutes next to the grill to keep it warm then using your sharpest carving knife damn near shave it into super thin slices cross grain of coarse. Then take a whole loaf of real sourdough french bread and slice it length wise cover it with the shaved meat covered in Kinder's Original sauce then add grilled onions grilled with a little Worcestershire sauce on them, mushrooms and provolone cheese and drizzle a little Horsey sauce over them.
Horsey sauce= (mayo with horseradish, black pepper and salt mixed in about 50/50 with copped chives).
That right there is better than any cheese steak I ever ate in South Philly.
Dan

Thank you for the tips and kind words.

I did use cold water and that makes sense with the boiling water making all the difference. The smokiness of the meat was very good. My daughter doesn't like ribs, even she was eating them. I tend to only smoke ribs using three separate recipes as my process.

I tried a Boston butt on my father-in-law's vintage MasterBuilt vertical smoker that was converted to propane (he was in the propane business) and that worked extremely well. The bark on that meat was insanely thick (even cracked a tooth lol), but the meat inside was to die for.

I do grill burgers weekly (always with Kinder's Buttery Steakhouse seasoning). Occasionally chicken wings, but more so I tend to bake them. Pork chops I always brine so they don't dry out on the gas grill.