Very new need lots of help! :D

[gray848evo]

Hey guys.  I figured i join a forum since i learn more on a forum than anywhere.  I just purchased my first smoker.  well, the smoker 'n grill by brinkmann.  Bought an el cheapo just in case i don't like it.  Anyways, I have never smoked and rarely grilled.  But, i just love smoked ribs.  I smoked some beef ribs the other day and i burnt them.  Ugh, a full 6 hours of cooking and they got burnt.  I know my number one mistake was that it was too hot.  And, thats where i need help.  How do i tame the flame for the "low and slow." 

ANyways, i can't wait to learn lots!  I love my meats and want to do them right instead of burning them.

Thanks guys!!!

 

[seenred]

Welcome to the forums!  Glad you joined us.  You've found a great place to learn and share ideas on our favorite pastime...Smokin' and Grillin' great food!  Lots of friendly and knowledge folks here who really enjoy helping one another.  Just ask when you need help and you'll get plenty.  Smokers like yours can be mastered, but takes some time and patience, and may take some modifications to make temperature control easier.  I don't want to steer you wrong, as I don't use anything similar.  I'd suggest you take a look around the charcoal forums, read up on threads by others with your pit, and post your questions there. 

Good luck, and Happy Smokin'!

Red

 

[kathrynn]

to SMF!  We are so glad you joined us! Would you mind updating your profile to show the other SMF members where you are from?  Just might meet some new neighbors!

Jeff offers a free 5-day E-Course and its packed full of great information no matter what your experience level might be! http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse

If you didn't read the "Terms of Service" notes.....please do.  There are a few things that everyone should know about those pesky little rules before plunging into the forums. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/terms-of-service

If you need any help roaming around the forums....just holler!  Happy to help out!

Kat

 

[raymo76]

It's very difficult in my opinion and experience to really get consistent results with a cheap unit, not impossible but difficult. I hope you just continue to learn your smokers characteristics and maybe look into simple cheap modifications you can do to improve the reliability of your cooker to make smoking an enjoyable process for yourself.

 

[gray848evo]

I've only smoked once so it will take some time. I'll most likely be doing another set this weekend. :D

 

[s2k9k]

:welcome1: to SMF!!! We're happy you found us! You've come to the right place, we have over 45,000 members who just love to share their experience and over 900,000 posts describing it!
The search bar at the top can be your best friend when you are trying to find answers to your questions but you can still ask too if you want!

 

[hambone1950]

.  I smoked some beef ribs the other day and i burnt them.  Ugh, a full 6 hours of cooking and they got burnt.  I know my number one mistake was that it was too hot.  And, thats where i need help.  How do i tame the flame for the "low and slow." 

ANyways, i can't wait to learn lots!  I love my meats and want to do them right instead of burning them.

Thanks guys!!!

Hey man , welcome to the forum. You are right when you say you need to "tame the flame"
( I like that phrase ). But I'm going to stick my neck out and say that your number one mistake THIS time was cooking the ribs too long in that hot fire.
I assume you were trying to do a 3 ,2. , 1 thing on those ribs.....and I'd venture to say those ribs might've been nicely done after 3 or even 2 hours depending on how hot the fire was.
Plenty of folks cook ribs hot and fast , so it can be done. Next time you cook something , you want to check it every so often and not be too rigid about how long it's been cooking.
I tell you this because I have made the exact same mistake when I first started smoking meat , so I'm not trying to make you feel bad. :biggrin:
Get yourself a good meat thermometer and cook to internal temp , but also check for done ness by probing for tenderness or check visually to see when things like ribs look done. Hot flames cook quicker , for sure ! Good luck , man.

 

[spresso]

Hi, I'll make a suggestion for you before you ruin some more of that fine meat :-)

 put a thermometer in your unit.   i have several, so a cheaper high temperature oven thermometer will work but a digital unit like a Maverick ET732 will make things easier as well as more precise.  it's about 60 bucks....  

possibly the thermometer in your unit is faulty...may want to consider that too..

start your fire and start monitoring the temperature,   do this without food. 

correct me if I'm wrong but the brinkman smoke'n grill has a water pan at the bottom.   make sure you fill it. 

if its doesn't have one,   place a large aluminum pan on the bottom rack with water and place your food on the top rack.   it will insulate it somewhat....

build your fire and start playing with it.  damp it , let some more air in etc... and see how the temperature responds....

when you are doing ribs you don't really want to go beyond 250*.   a few 275 flare ups is ok for a minute or two, higher than that and you will burn any sugar based sauce you have on your ribs.

i like mine between 215-240.

also try cooking when there is less wind.  it may raise the temp due to the fact that more oxygen is forced into the chamber...

another tip is to search google or this site for tips on your particular smoker.   more than likely someone esle has run into the same problem before.... :-)

sorry that's all i got.....

Zed

 

[pgsmoker64]

Howdy,

 to the SMF, the best BBQ site on the web.  Whatever you need to know about the fine art of BBQ you can find it right here, from recipes to technical knowledge.

One thing you need to know about us is that we like to see pictures of your creations and your gear.  We call it Q-View and its basically the 

!!!

So, don't just talk about your food, show it!  Otherwise you may get a gentle reminder, like this...

  or this...

Good Luck and Get Smokin'

Bill

 

[gray848evo]

hambone1950 - yes my number one mistake was that i did cooked it too long.  This may sound dumb, but where do i place the coals on a 3 level grate?  Yes, the bottom is for the water and what is that for? 

Spresso - i will try and get another temp. gauge.  i didn't like how brinkman just had, "warm - ideal - hot"  what the heck does that mean? LOL  I wanted numbers, so my first investment is the gauge.

PGsmoker64 - haha, i know threads are worthless without pics.  but if you have ever seen Fast and Furious: Fast Five there is a scene where one of the guys burnt the ribs.  and they make fun of him because he burnt the ribs.  thats this guy.... i a burnt my ribs.  there were a few ribs, like 1 or 2 that had good meat on them. LOL 

So, is spraying water on the coals, will that lower the temp?  or will that just put out the fire?

 

[raymo76]

I've only smoked once so it will take some time. I'll most likely be doing another set this weekend. :D

Sorry man I hope my first post didn't come off as a negative one, I'm really glad to see a new member to the smoking family! It also sounds like you have a vertical smoker, which I have no experience with. I was  talking about cheap offset smokers being incredibly difficult without mods, I think verticals are a bit easier :)

 

[kathrynn]

I started out with the Electric Brinkman....just in case I didn't like it.  Used a friend's charcoal one before that.  You do need to put water...or sand in the water pan...it is a "heat sink" and will help adjust your temps in the smoker.  Also...the bottom of the unit....the base...is where you will want to put your charcoal and your wood chips/chunks.  The warm, ideal and hot....basically ignore it and use a good thermometer for the temp inside your smoker and for the internal temperature of your meats.  The only thing that is really good for is to just glance at and tell if your fire (charcoal) needs more coals.

The E-Course will help too.  Sign up for that...it's free!

Hope this helped!

Kat

 

[gray848evo]

Sorry man I hope my first post didn't come off as a negative one, I'm really glad to see a new member to the smoking family! It also sounds like you have a vertical smoker, which I have no experience with. I was  talking about cheap offset smokers being incredibly difficult without mods, I think verticals are a bit easier :)

no worries.  I take all, if it may be a criticism, a learning tool.  Now, if you were completely rude like, you just suck at smoking... than that isn't really helping. :D  Plus, i would just ignore your post anyway.  I like to call that "selective reading." LOL 

 

[hambone1950]

hambone1950 - yes my number one mistake was that i did cooked it too long.  This may sound dumb, but where do i place the coals on a 3 level grate?
not quite sure what you are asking here....I assume you are building your fire in the bottom which should be the firebox 
Yes, the bottom is for the water and what is that for? 
as someone stated , the water pan sits right above the fire and helps to absorb some of the heat so your temps don't go too high when you want to cook low and slow....you can get by without water when you cook chicken cuz you want a hot fire for chicken. In fact chicken is the best thing this type of smoker cooks cuz chicken likes a hot fire.




So, is spraying water on the coals, will that lower the temp?  or will that just put out the fire?

never spray water on the coals unless your deck is on fire :biggrin: this will cause big clouds of ash laden steam to go thru your smoker and it tastes horrible on meat.