Well after ten years of suffering with apartment complex rule of no outdoor cookers, I have moved on. I picked up a 16" something or other charcoal smoker at the lumber yard on clearance (not worth it at full price but hey $10 almost cant be beat). Decided that ribs would "christen" it. Had a few concerns about the equipment and whether or not it would be capable of keeping temps, but I figured it would be ok first run and then I could modify as needed until I felt like stepping up to a different unit or building one (my preference would be homebuilt). Surprisingly enough to me, temp stayed great all afternoon, floating between 225 and 240, dependent on wind (using a probe, not the "lid thermometer" which never got above 125 lol). used the 3-2-1 and a "memphis-style" rub. I pulled off a small piece of skirt after 3 to taste test (family stopped by and wanted to taste). So far so good. After it was all done, they turned out just fine. Nice smoke ring, great flavor, and just firm enough to hold the bone. Overall, I am rather surprised that this el cheapo smoker worked as well as it did without modification. The only issues I had were that the chips I used burned over a little quickly so I had to change the packets twice (couldn't smell any smoke) and the charcoal pan is not big enough for a 6 hour smoke. I had to add to it twice, which was fine, but afterwards I noticed that the entire pan was full of ash, and the last set of briquets I put on were still intact aside from edge ashing. I did start to lose heat in the last 20 or so, which now I figure was due to the overabundance of ash with no real coals.
Any/all comments and or critiques would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry no pics for this one, but will work on some from the next one. The neighbors who had to smell it all day want some now too! Darn...
Any/all comments and or critiques would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry no pics for this one, but will work on some from the next one. The neighbors who had to smell it all day want some now too! Darn...