Well - I seasoned the WSM Saturday, then had to get some meat on 'er Sunday. Picked up a few racks of baby back ribs, and one rack of side rid (they were not the best cuts I've seen by far…).
I used the 3-2-1 method as outlined in Jeff's book, using the Big Bald BBQ Rub from the book as well. I used a couple of chunks of hickory, as well as some pecan chips (they were soaked in water for 1/2 hour). No water in the WSM water bowl.
The seasoned ribs waiting for the bus...
Loading the WSM and the chimney...
Waited for this...
Put them on and had this (maybe a few of them…)
6 hours later - ended up with these...
My analysis - the ribs tasted fantastic, they were finished (glazed) with a store bought sauce. The family loved them. However, I have accomplished way better ribs on my charcoal Q (Aussie Walkabout), in the past. Why? The ribs ended up a bit dry, I should have done the 2-2-1 method instead, as they were very lean, and on the smallish size, and perhaps tried getting the temp to a bit lower - knowing now that he thermometer reads slightly off what the actual temperature is at each rack (**note to self - get two new thermometers).
What I learned - patience - I did not once peek as they were smoking, even when nosy neighbours popped over to see what was up. I also learned that I bought an awesome smoker that I got dialled in to a temp I thought I wanted, and it stayed there for the entire 6 hours with little to no fluctuations, that recovered quickly when I opened to transfer to foil, then back out of foil.
What's next? More ribs (better quality, lower temps). And the wife wants a brisket… so I gotta plan for that one.
All in all, I ate tasty ribs, had some beer, and learned some good information.
Thanks all for the advice!!
Cheers.
I used the 3-2-1 method as outlined in Jeff's book, using the Big Bald BBQ Rub from the book as well. I used a couple of chunks of hickory, as well as some pecan chips (they were soaked in water for 1/2 hour). No water in the WSM water bowl.
The seasoned ribs waiting for the bus...
Loading the WSM and the chimney...
Waited for this...
Put them on and had this (maybe a few of them…)
6 hours later - ended up with these...
My analysis - the ribs tasted fantastic, they were finished (glazed) with a store bought sauce. The family loved them. However, I have accomplished way better ribs on my charcoal Q (Aussie Walkabout), in the past. Why? The ribs ended up a bit dry, I should have done the 2-2-1 method instead, as they were very lean, and on the smallish size, and perhaps tried getting the temp to a bit lower - knowing now that he thermometer reads slightly off what the actual temperature is at each rack (**note to self - get two new thermometers).
What I learned - patience - I did not once peek as they were smoking, even when nosy neighbours popped over to see what was up. I also learned that I bought an awesome smoker that I got dialled in to a temp I thought I wanted, and it stayed there for the entire 6 hours with little to no fluctuations, that recovered quickly when I opened to transfer to foil, then back out of foil.
What's next? More ribs (better quality, lower temps). And the wife wants a brisket… so I gotta plan for that one.
All in all, I ate tasty ribs, had some beer, and learned some good information.
Thanks all for the advice!!
Cheers.
