I'm a new smoker!

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jefmker

Fire Starter
Original poster
Sep 11, 2006
32
10
Lenexa, KS
I've posted a few things last summer when I got my first smoker. Told my wife I wanted to be a 'smoker' and she got a little upset until she relized what I was talking about. I first got a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker that I modified with the vent on top. Liked it and then said if I want to be a real 'smoker' I need to stop using electricity so my dad gave me an old Brinkmann Smoke-grill cast iron vertical smoker that i've been using.

I've done ribs, jerky, brisket, pork, so far the pork and brisket have been the best. Don't care for the ribs and jerky to much.

Thanks for everyone's input so far, appreciate it.
 
Welcome back to SMF ... we need to work on the rib problem ... just what is it about ribs you don't like sir?
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Welcome to the forum. Please feel free to share you smoking adventures and also to draw from the knowledge of some mighty friendly folks on the forum.

Bill
 
Theres' nothing quite like a good barbebcue rib. You should give them another chance. Just what are you looking for in particular?
 
Okay, let me correct myself. It's not that I don't like ribs, I just don't like the ribs that I smoke.
I'm born and raised in Kansas City, home of the greatest ribs in the world, sorry anybody from the Memphis area, but its true :-)

I've tried smoking pork baby back ribs several times just not that good. I'm using the 3-2-1 method. I smoked some on Sunday and did the following:
1. set smoker at 225 and left for 3 hours. used apple chips for first 2 hours. had my vent open about half way.
2. removed and wrapped in foil with about a shot of apple juice in each pouch.
With my MBE I have to cut the ribs in half in order for them to fit.
3. cooked for another 2 hours at 225.
4. removed from foil and cooked for an additional hour.

The first pic is my smoker of the valve, with the blue handle up it's completly open, horizontal it's completly closed. So for the first 3 hours I had it at half way open. When placed in foil had it pretty much closed the whole way. The last hour it was pretty much open.

The second and third pic is the ribs. You can see they have a very pale/opaque color to the meat. The also have an aroma I believe from the apple juice that is just horrible, I mean I shouldn't really be able to taste any apple juice at all correct? My father-in-law cooks them on his charcoal webber, no smoke and they come out great, nice deep red color to the meat. Mine just look and taste like crap.

Well after I typed the above realized I can't put pic. on. Mine are to big, need to figure out how to make them smaller. Once I get this figured out, i'll post them.

Thanks
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I'm sorry your ribs haven't turned out as well as you would like. Are you using a rub on the ribs the night before smoking or are you applying the rub just before smoking them? I have done ribs on several occasions...they have always turned out wonderful.

My first ribs were baby backs, since then I have always used spare ribs. I have also used the 3-3-2 method...the only difference is that I used Hickory...just straight hickory.
 
Welcome back, jefmker. If you're doing baby backs the 3-2-1 method is a bit long. You may want to revist the Pork section and read about the Modified 3-2-1 method.
 
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