I need some help!

[RRoffshore]

Hey guys/gals
I’m new to the forum and relatively new to smoking. I’m addicted! So quick brake down. I started for a solid year using a smoker box on my Weber grill and have profected my ribs on it and have been very happy. I figured I’d try a smoker so I picked up a Masterbuilt electric smoker. I seasoned the grill like instructed to. Did all the same steps I did with my ribs that I use to do on my grill... and I was very upset with my finished product. The ribs had a dark look, very tuff. I was using the temp on the top of my smoker. 225 for 5hr.... I’m wondering if the temp was 225 at the top and less in the middle of the smoker. I hope I can get them right. Hoping it was just a rookie mistake on a electric smoker.

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the forum. I'm not member of the electric smokers club, but from I remember reading the factory therm is usually off one way or the other. You'll need some type of after market therms to know your grate temp, and meat temps. We'll need more info to help you out with the "dark look" of your ribs. Could be something in your rub, could be they were burnt or it could be something else entirely.

Chris

 

[zwiller]

We like pics here. They really help with this sort of thing. My gut is telling me: oversmoked and under cooked. You want TBS.

Not my vid:

I highly recommend the AMNPS. Makes TBS set and forget.

225 for 5 hrs seems short. 3-2-1 is 6hr. My ribs are quote thick so I run 275F and most times need more than 6hr. The last part of the smoke is the critical where you are breaking down collagen and rendering fat and you may have missed it. I prefer to go by temps and use an instant read therm and aim for 200F ish. I smoke one day and then rest a day or so, then on the gas grill sear, sauce, serve.

 

[RRoffshore]

This is the only photo I have, this was 2hr in and honestly doesn’t look anything like the ribs I cook using smoker box on the grill... the over smoking makes sense. It recommend to add wood chips every 1-1.5hr and I think I did it every 30min because I wasn’t seeing much smoke at all.

 

[zwiller]

Looks like a little too much smoke to me. TBS is lighter than most people think would be ideal for smoking food. I never could get it with chunks and my gasser and WSM clone. AMNPS solved that. Did the meat shrink and pull back from bones? That's a good sign it broke down well. I would say the mistake to most common in all smoked food is pulling too early. Smoking food takes more time than many are prepared for. They are also worried it will dry out, but the opposite is true. Hang in there, you'll get it.

 

[RRoffshore]

Thanks for the info, on the grill with smoker box my ribs would pull away from the bone and have a very nice reddish look to them. These didn’t pull away much at all but I’m starting to think I over smoked them giving me the blackish burnt look therefore I took them off early. Sounds like a rookie mistake. I’m getting a temp gauge today and trying some chicken this afternoon.

 

[noboundaries]

If they were tough and dry tasting, they were undercooked. Black? Too many variables, but probably oversmoked.

Learn how to probe for tenderness to determine when they are done. Use a toothpick, double pronged fork, instant read thermometer probe, etc. When they are done, the probe should slip in with a little resistance for a "competition bite," or almost no resistance for a "fall off the bone" bite.

Those look like baby backs in the picture. I'm more of a spare rib guy myself. At 225F you should have been close to done. I suspect you were running a lower temp than the smoker was indicating. Pick up a $5 oven shelf thermometer at your local grocer and you can easily figure out what your actual shelf temps are for a given smoker setting.

 

[SonnyE]

I think all you need to do is a few refinements.
If your first attempt fails to your liking, Welcome to the human race and get in line. We all have our less than perfect moments. Ca-Ca occurs.
Try the 3,2,1, Ribs method.
Here is my first time, and all I could ever hope for. I and my dog both love this method.

Unfortunately, I live with a wife and extended Family that are not smoked meat lovers like me.
So narrow minded are they, I was told by the Wife and Daughter-in-Law, "DON'T mess with the Ribs!" :(
Apparently, I've painted (Or sauced...) myself into a corner. :oops:
But Gasser BBQ Ribs are what they like. I like falling off the bone, myself. They like to gnaw...

And Welcome to...

 

[gmc2003]

You can also use the bend test to tell when ribs are done. With your tongs pick the ribs up about a third of the way down. They should bend freely to about a forty-five degree angle. If going for FOTB ribs be careful using the bend test. You may not like the results - depending what's under the ribs when doing the test.

Chris

 

[SonnyE]

You can also use the bend test to tell when ribs are done. With your tongs pick the ribs up about a third of the way down. They should bend freely to about a forty-five degree angle. If going for FOTB ribs be careful using the bend test. You may not like the results - depending what's under the ribs when doing the test.

Chris

Like the hungry Family Doggy... :(
Then they'd be Dog-gone ribs....

 

[daveomak]

Sounds like the ribs may have been cold when put in the smoker along with too much smoke.. Warm the ribs, in the smoker before adding smoke... The dark color is probably creosote... Tastes like an ashtray... Too little air flow could be a problem also...
About 1/4 cup of chips every 1/2 - 3/4 hour works well... not much smoke = great flavor....
When I smoked this ham, I used about 20 grams of wood every hour... that's less than one ounce... I used dust made from pellets... Exhaust wide open for good air flow... Surface of the ham was dry/tacky once I formed the pellicle on the meat.. a dry surface is necessary... do not use water in the smoker... water and smoke make "acid rain"... bad tasting stuff.....
Here's the ham...

 

[RRoffshore]

So I got redemption!! Got a oven thermometer and gave bacon wrapped chicken Tits a try tonight. 3 hr at 225 adding minimal chips “ 1/4 cup every 45min” turned out AWESOME! Found out a roughly 35 degree temp difference from my rack to what the smoker was reading.

 

[daveomak]

Cool... I'm glad you had some success.... Hang in there... It only gets better....

 

[TomKnollRFV]

The sensors on a MES are about the middle of the unit by the by. I prefer the middle-high position for any thing like ribs because it's the 'most accurate'. I try to avoid the top rack for things that aren't overnighters.

Honestly, I ditched baby backs, St Louis cut spare ribs are by far better..and I'm still working on my rib game, but if you keep having problems, use St Louis style spare ribs, see if you have better luck with them.

*It's also getting colder out, so keep in mind every time the smoker is opened, it does that much longer to bring back up to temp!*

 

[noboundaries]

RRoffshore, those little oven thermometers are invaluable for telling you what's going on in your smoker, grill, or house oven.

Honestly, I ditched baby backs, St Louis cut spare ribs are by far better

My wife was a big baby back rib fan. I never was. They're more expensive and less forgiving. She now loves spare ribs. If you shop smart for spares, you can get WAAAAAY more meat for a lot less money to use in a variety of ways. BBs sell in my area for $2.99/lb, minimum, and it isn't unusual to see $4.99-$5.99/lb.

I only buy untrimmed spares 98% of the time, and only pick up the St Louis cuts when they are on a deep sale. Untrimmed go for $2.28/lb not on sale, $0.98-$1.78/lb on sale, usually about every two weeks in my area. I'll stock up when I see 98 cents per pound or less, but I rarely see less.

An untrimmed rack is usually around 6-7 lbs, and it isn't unusual to see 8-9 lbs. One time I saw a 10 pound rack! I'm still kicking myself for walking away from that 10-pounder because I had 6-8 racks in my freezer. I went back, but it was gone.

 

[zwiller]

It's a market thing and tons of variation. BB often run cheaper than untrimmed here. Also very interesting you mention weights! Mine are HUGE. Don't recall the sizes but all ribs here are 2-3x thicker than shown on TV ads. Half rack of BB and I am stuffed. That's why I am using IT method. I think I needed like 8 hours last run...

 

[SonnyE]

Warm the ribs, in the smoker before adding smoke...

Good idea Dave.
Any suggestions for an ideal temperature before adding smoke? (Roughly...)

I've never warmed anything, and it may explain some sorted results.

 

[daveomak]

Above ambient temp... about 100-130F smoker temp to dry the surface for ~1/2 hour... then start adding smoke... A wet surface + smoke makes acid rain... an acrid, foul tasting layer...

 

[tallbm]

Hey guys/gals
I’m new to the forum and relatively new to smoking. I’m addicted! So quick brake down. I started for a solid year using a smoker box on my Weber grill and have profected my ribs on it and have been very happy. I figured I’d try a smoker so I picked up a Masterbuilt electric smoker. I seasoned the grill like instructed to. Did all the same steps I did with my ribs that I use to do on my grill... and I was very upset with my finished product. The ribs had a dark look, very tuff. I was using the temp on the top of my smoker. 225 for 5hr.... I’m wondering if the temp was 225 at the top and less in the middle of the smoker. I hope I can get them right. Hoping it was just a rookie mistake on a electric smoker.

Hi there and welcome!

Glad to see you had success. Many MES (Masterbuilt Electric Smoker) users here. There are a few quirks to work around with the MES but once you do you can really make amazing bbq! Here are some things to know when owning an MES

1. The Smoker therm probe and Meat probe are always off. I often recommend a good Dual (or more probes) wireless digital thermometer so you can measure the temp of the smoker at rack level as well as the Internal Temperature (IT) of the meat. I like the ThermoPro TP-20 but other thermometers with 2 or more probes will work. They aren't cheap so feel free to ask for a dual or better for Christmas or buy one in fa few weeks when everything goes on sale. The temp measurements are a must!
2. Leave the top vent wide open all the time UNLESS you are trying to get the smoker to get hotter faster. Once you hit temp then keep it wide open.
3. Don't add water to the water pan. The MES is super insulated and there will be enough moisture from your meat to not need water which will just mess with things so not needed in an MES.
4. Wood won't burn well in the MES unless you are around 220F or higher with the smoker temp. Most of us MES owners use the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker (AMNPS) tray which burns wood pellets or dust and will produce PERFECT smoke for up to 12 hours. This thing is awesome and really gets you to a set and forget setup. Some people put the AMNPS inside the MES (40 inchers) some use Mailbox Mods so the the AMNPS is outside of the smoker. If you have a 30 inch MES or live at a high altitude then you may be limted to the 3hour Tube version of the AMNPS.
5. Understand you will have temp swings instead of the temp holding near the number you set
6. Your smoker may not get to the top temp of 275F since the built in temp probe is junk. If you have major issues with swings or max temps there is a solution to rewire the smoker and use a 3rd party PID Controller to get almost perfect temps
7. Oh and chicken skin comes out leathery unless you smoke at higher temps like 325F and if your MES never even hits 275F then you are likely going to end up with leathery chicken skin BUT there are again ways to work around this like smoking the chicken and well before it is finished throwing it on a hot grill to finish cooking it and get the skin edible or even crispy in some cases :)

Phew, ok that should cover it. Take these MES quirks to heart and dance around them to produce amazing bbq!

 

[SonnyE]

I bet your fingers are tired, Tallbm.

Thanks Dave! That helps a lot to have target temps, and times to shoot for.

(Actually, forming a pellical on my Salmon seems to have improved it. Probably at least in part it gets warmed.)