Hi Guys! I've been lurking on this site, and Amazingribs for about 2 year. I have learned ALOT and I'm ready to learn even more! I completed my very first smoke on my very first smoker last week.....and I think I'm addicted!! I had my heart set on a pellet smoker, but I decided to start my BBQ voyage with something a bit more cost effective...behold my Smoke Vault
Assembly was a piece of cake. I got a great deal on i. It did show up with a couple of minor dents in it from shipping, but it adds character. I got it outside (the wife said no smoking in the living room) and seasoned it up. Operating the Vault was easy, and with the help of my new igrill2, holding a steady temp was no problem. I REALLY want to do a brisket, but I decided for my first cook I would do a couple of racks of St. Louis style ribs, and a whole chicken.
I whipped up a batch of Meatheads Memphis Dust rub and got to work. The night before my cook I applied a thin coat of oil and the rub to the rib. I wrapped em in seran wrap and let them marinate overnight in the fridge. The following morning, I went to work on the yard bird. I wanted to leave it whole, so I tried my hand at the spatchcock. Pretty simple and presentation was gonna be awesome! I decided on using half hickory and half apple wood for my cook. Some prep pics:
I set my Smoke vault up at 225, and in went the ribs. After a couple of hours, they looked like this:
Time to throw in the chicke. After 2 more hours I couldn't help but peek
A total of almost 6 hours of smoking, and I was like a kid on Christmas! I think I did pretty well for my first cook!
I decided to keep one rack dry, and sauce the other.
Needless to say, I was in hog heaven! The ribs were amazing and the chicken was awesome! I tried to keep it simple for my first smoke. This weekend I want to do the same cook, but I'm going to try and wrap the ribs with apple juice for an hour, and I want to brine tje chicken first. What do you guys think?
Assembly was a piece of cake. I got a great deal on i. It did show up with a couple of minor dents in it from shipping, but it adds character. I got it outside (the wife said no smoking in the living room) and seasoned it up. Operating the Vault was easy, and with the help of my new igrill2, holding a steady temp was no problem. I REALLY want to do a brisket, but I decided for my first cook I would do a couple of racks of St. Louis style ribs, and a whole chicken.
I whipped up a batch of Meatheads Memphis Dust rub and got to work. The night before my cook I applied a thin coat of oil and the rub to the rib. I wrapped em in seran wrap and let them marinate overnight in the fridge. The following morning, I went to work on the yard bird. I wanted to leave it whole, so I tried my hand at the spatchcock. Pretty simple and presentation was gonna be awesome! I decided on using half hickory and half apple wood for my cook. Some prep pics:
I set my Smoke vault up at 225, and in went the ribs. After a couple of hours, they looked like this:
Time to throw in the chicke. After 2 more hours I couldn't help but peek
A total of almost 6 hours of smoking, and I was like a kid on Christmas! I think I did pretty well for my first cook!
I decided to keep one rack dry, and sauce the other.
Needless to say, I was in hog heaven! The ribs were amazing and the chicken was awesome! I tried to keep it simple for my first smoke. This weekend I want to do the same cook, but I'm going to try and wrap the ribs with apple juice for an hour, and I want to brine tje chicken first. What do you guys think?
