New smoker/new smokee - Denver, CO

[boybleu11]

New Smoker from Denver CO here.

Got myself a Masterbuilt 30 2 door propane.  Can't wait to get her going.  Let me know your tips and preferred mods.  Already debating a chip pan swap to cast iron.

Spent years grilling, but really wanted to to dive deeper.  Looking to do my first smoke over Christmas eve and day.

 

[one eyed jack]

Welcome aboard BB and congratulations on your new smoker.

Best luck with your first smoke.

 

[boybleu11]

Got my first smoke out of the way.  I smoked to t-bones and 2 long hot links.  Took about 45 minutes to an hour for the steaks and the hot links didn't take much longer.  

I was having a hard time keeping my smoker between 200 and 230 degrees as it kept wanting to hit the 300 mark.  I used a cast iron skillet that I placed on top of the stock chip tray and I used the stock water pan with about 1" of water.  The smoke was consistent and everything came out great.

I am looking to smoke a rack of short ribs tomorrow... any tips?  I've got a general idea but am worried about the smoker getting too hot.  Looking over a dozen recipes or so, should I cover the ribs in foil beforehand?  Am I better off cooking them uncovered for a bit and then covering them.  

What would you do?

Is there a beginners guide to smoking you'd recommend that I should read up on?

Great forum btw, excited about my future smoking endeavors!  

 

[joshua brede]

Getting a cast chip pan is a good idea. Or just keep using your cast iron pan. The steel ones just don't hold up. I have a different model smoker than that but there real close. You basically have to almost completely choke the exhaust down to retain lower temps. What I do to start is get your wood chips in there and fire it up on high until the chips start smoking. Once they start smoking turn the temp all the way down and almost completely close your exhaust. Maybe a 1/4in open. That should give you a real close 200 degree temp. For the ribs since your just experimenting with your new smoker I would wrap them after smoking for 1.5 hours at 200 degrees. They will stay juicier that way until you figure out exactly how to use the smoker. Rub the ribs with seasoning today so they can marinate until you start smoking them tomorrow. That's a must. There is lots of good rib recipes on this forum. Look them up and find one you like. Good luck. The water pan is what I usually put the wood chips in just so you don't have to add chips so often. And I'm not a big fan of adding the water to the smoker. Just my opinion because some people really like the water pan

 

[one eyed jack]

I am not familiar with your smoker but there is a propane smoker section on the site.  It might help you to post specific questions about your smoker there.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/109/propane-smokers

Here is a smoking basics coarse by the originator of this site.

http://www.smoking-meat.com/smoking-basics-ecourse