Jakes_tl

How long do you smoke them and how often do you spray / mop? what do you spray with? you smoke them and then after you put the sauce you throw them on the grill?

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

- 225*
- cooked to 160*
- every 30/45 minutes
- spray is apple juice, cider vinegar, and a bit of the rub dissolved
- mop is the spray mixed with favorite bbq sauce
- generally spray more than mop
- also smoke a bit before spray/mop as doing so on cold ribs does nothing
- yea I sauce then grill...charr it up

Jakes_tl

Thanks! How does your MES do with the door being opened that often? I opened mine only when needed and the temperature dropped like 40 degrees each time and took a while to get back to 225 and this was with 95 degree weather outside.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I don't understand this comment...

I always smoke baby backs, and I always smoke them for a minimum of 3-4 hours unwrapped before wrapping them. Not sure why you did 2-2-1 instead of 3-2-1

Jakes_tl

Well I did quite of bit of reading online and a lot of people recommended 2-2-1 for baby back ribs, they were saying -3-2-1 is for spare ribs / St. Louis style ribs which are bigger than Baby Back ribs. I watched this video and thought 2-2-1 was the way to go :

Again I am a rookie to this whole smoking scene so I am learning the hard way I guess.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Were they gross? Did you eat them? Bet they weren't and I bet you did. Learn and do better next time! That's part of the fun! You can ask for as much advice as you want but in the end you know how you like things and you will start doing things your way to reach that goal. And that's the best part about cooking!

Jakes_tl

Actually they were decent but I still knew something was quite right. Next time i think i will try 3-2-1. I'm thinking 3 hours smoking, 2 hours wrapped with some butter and rub in the foil, put it back in the smoker for 1/2 hour, take out put BBQ sauce and threw it on the grill for 10 minutes at 500 degrees or just 1 hour with BBQ sauce in the smoker.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Still planning to buy my Weber in the future, but for 40 bucks, couldn't pass up a brand new never used replacement!

IMG_20160725_163037398_HDR_zpsofnd0zqq.jpg

Jakes_tl

$40 is a steal! Now you're good to go for the next 10+ years.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Nice Ack! Craigslist?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Facebook flea market, brand new, never used!

Jakes_tl

Nice! I don't think I ever heard of facebook flea market.

nfnsquared

Wow, that is an OFFICIAL steal. Nice!!

I went to Menard's and they only had 1 left and it was the floor model. I had them talked down to $71, but then I turned around and saw the 2-door version on display:

http://www.menards.com/main/outdoors...1078035986.htm

I totally missed that one when reviewing online. It has adjustable door latches which I hope will resolve the complaints of heat/smoke leakage of the other model. Got it for $134 OTD (after the 11% rebate check).

Doing the initial burn-out/seasoning now. Seems to hold steady heat, been toying with the vents to see what settings give me what temperature. So far, so good. At this point, I'm very pleased for $134.

smoker1_zpsn6khrfd3.jpgsmoker%202_zpsepn87quz.jpg
smoker%203_zpsqyejytny.jpg

Jakes_tl

looks great! lets us know how it does for you!

nfnsquared

For some reason, they dropped the price on the white model by $20 today. $50 for a dual-probe wireless is a great deal!! I don't know how long this reduced pricing on the white model will last... I just snagged one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016AF50ZI

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Very cool, good luck with it!

SamDoe1

It's electric right? Just keep the vent wide open. The only time to close it that I've read is if you want to cold smoke meat to hold the smoke in more. It won't really effect temp all that much because your heat source doesn't require air to create heat.

Nice!

I have this one and it works awesome:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CTZ17QO?psc=1

Jakes_tl

I would love to get one of these but man they are freakin expensive:

https://www.amazon.com/ThermoWorks-S...ords=thermapen

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I have a ChefAlarm from them and use it when smoking. But to be completely honest though...I rarely use a thermometer anymore. Lol

Jakes_tl

anyone have any good recommendations for a good rub that isn't sweet or too spicy? I used this rub for my ribs but it was a little on the spicy side for the kiddos:
https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Byrons-Bu...words=butt+rub

I don't care for sweet rub because the sweetness from the BBQ is plenty sweet for me.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Butt Rub

I make my own rubs, but I like the name

I posted some recommendations a few pages back

nfnsquared

Huh?

No.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

You cook to temp. I'm not a novice like those I'm giving advice to. I don't need to hover over a thermo to know when temp has been reached. I use a ChefAlarm thermo to verify my suspicions. Done.

I knew someone would try to do what you just did...although I figured it would be Sam.

Keep trying!

nfnsquared

I'm going to give this one a try. His website is great, I may even buy his book and/or join the club...

Rub Recipe: Meathead's Memphis Dust

Jakes_tl

I know that name is great - it is a really good rub just a little to spicy for my kids. I'm still a rookie to start making my own rub

Jakes_tl

I did see that rub recipe but i am pretty sure it will be on the sweet side because it does call for quite a bit of sugar.

nfnsquared

Did you read his comments? At any rate, my best intentions are to try it this weekend. I'll report my findings...

Jakes_tl

not sure that i did but i'll take a look.

SamDoe1

lol, it's the same as cooking steak. I don't use a thermometer for that either but it's still cooking to temp.

Also, I don't hover over a thermometer I have a wireless one with an alarm when temp is reached. This is America, not Zimbabwe, no need to be using third world technology like non-wireless thermometers...

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I don't use sugar in any of my rubs, you can always change them / improvise. I usually wing it, or look at a few other rub recipes and combine them into making my own

Jakes_tl

if you ever feel like sharing your recipe with your smoking buddies we wouldn't mind

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I posted my rib rub recipe a couple pages back

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I like Ack prefer to just wing it. It's hard to follow a recipe exactly like you're baking with this stuff IMO. Because throwing in that magical amount of X that really sets it off is an awesome feeling in the end.

IMO like the link above you can skip salt entirely in your rubs. However I'm not sure I would skip the sugar. The sugar lends itself to the charring. And for pork sweet is generally good.

A basic base for pork rubs is usually 1 part paprika, 1 part salt, 1 part sugar, then whatever... Here is where you can do whatever you want. Garlic, mustard, ginger, cinnamon, thyme, rosemary, chipotle, cayenne, coriander, turmeric, the list goes on and on. Hell I remember the second pork butt I smoked in the MB the rub I used was like half of everything in my cabinet (which is a ton). And it was awesome!

Jakes_tl

I know you posted this "I've always made my own, I base mine off the McCormick - Grill Mates - Roasted Garlic and Herb and add what I see fit from there" but thought maybe to had a more specific recipe.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Oh, my bad, I thought I posted the rest of the details, must have been a different thread...

Like Chad said, you really can go any direction you want, my basics are the roasted garlic and herb seasoning as a base, I always add cayenne, rosemary, paprika, some salt and pepper. Then from there it's whatever I feel like, Cajun seasoning, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, my rub is never the exact same every time, but they're always similar.

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97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

This thread is making me hungry

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I usually make 3-4x what I think I'll need and store the mix in a few airtight containers. That way I can throw it in my mops, in my sprays, mix it into a basic bbq sauce, etc.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

Hell you know what's really good? Especially on pork ribs...Polynesian. Super simple.

3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger
4 cloves minced garlic
Dash of red pepper flakes

oo7spy

I don't really rub my meat (in the kitchen). I always "dust" it in layers, and I too never use the exact same method. Layers typically include, in order:

Salt
Pepper (McCormicks makes a Worcestershire pepper that is really good)
Garlic
Lemon pepper
Cayenne (chili powder or paprika or smoked paprika can substitute here for less spicy)
Mustard powder
Garlic
Pepper
Salt

Obviously I favor salt, pepper and garlic, so those go on first and last. I also spread mustard on my last rack for for first time to help the spices stick. I dont know if you could tell it was there or not.

Jakes_tl

do you guys put any water / liquid in the water tray in the MES when you smoke ribs or anything else?