spare ribs not to great??

[chadjames]

well i smoked my first two racks of spare ribs today and they are really chewy? tried the 3-2-1 method @225 but almost seems like they arent done? i have two temp gauges on the lid of the smoker and one says 225-235 and one says 200-210 not sure what one to follow? anyone have any idea what went wrong?

 

[rdknb]

as for temps get one that you can calibrate and put in near the food you are smoking. Using the 3 2 1 method has always worked for me, So I am guessing if they are not done the it is low temps. If need be finish them up a little and enjoy

 

[rbranstner]

When you say you have two temp guages are they factory ones that came with the smoker or aftermarket ones that you have installed? The factory ones usually don't work worth a crap. You need to calibrate them to make sure they are reading accurately. Put them in some boiling water and they should read 212 degrees depending on where you live. You can get some difference in temps the higher or lower or the closer to the center or sides you go in the smoker but if they are both at the same level they should read about the same. Knowing your temps can save you lots of troubles.

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Sounds like a horizontal with side fire box, and no tuning plate or vent stack mods...fire box end is likely running hotter than the vent end...pretty normal without mods.

What brand/model do you have? Folks have done alot of helpful mods to smokers to get better performance. If we know the make/model, someone can direct you to how they have or would modify your smoker.

If it's a home-built, a basic description will help as well.

Eric

 

[chadjames]

yes it is a horizontal smoker with a sidebox and it is a brinkman smokinpit. one of the gauges is the factory one then i bought an aftermarket one at cabelas and put it on the lid right next to the other one, the factory one was reading less then the one i bought?? not sure whats goin on really?

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Ah, go with the after market thermo then. From Cabelas, should be a good thermo. It may still a calibration check though, even right out of the box. Any rough handling during shipping can throw analog gauges way off.

If this smoker doesn't have anything in the smoker chamber except for the cooking grates, and the ash pan and charcoal grate (for grilling use), you can use the ash pan for a baffle while smoking. This is a pretty easy and temporary mod that requires little to no tools, and uses only the pieces which came with the factory materials package.

You may want to check out the charcoal smoker mods forum to see what others have done to their horizontals:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=75110

There are lots of great ways to get your rig smoking nicely, but, accurate temp measurement is where I'd start. The rest can come later when your ready to do more food at the same time (load the smoker).

btw: I'm running a modded SNP as well.

Eric