Beef Ribs on my new Hasty-Bake, with Questions

[crunchysue]

Hi Charcoal People!

So I won the Gold Medal Giveaway this month, and am now the proud owner of a sweet new Hasty-Bake! This is the story of my second cook on it, and I have a couple questions.

First of all, the temps stayed higher than I was expecting; I thought it would stay around 225. Did I use too much charcoal (it was KBB)? I had both vents closed, the heat diffuser on, and of course the coals cranked all the way down to the "smoke" position. These "high" temps weren't really a problem; I'm just curious.

3:15 charcoal lit
3:33 ribs on
4:00 temp 275
4:30 temp 285
5:00 temp 278
5:30 temp 261 & ribs off

Second, there was almost no smoke during the entire cook. Thanks to the glass lid, that was easy to see. The ribs came out tasting a little smokey, but not much. Do I need to use wood chips? I'm used to my PBC, which creates a lot of smoke from the meat dripping onto the charcoal. Is it possible to smoke without the heat diffuser, so that the juices could drip onto the coals, or will it get way too hot?

In the end, the ribs came out great, but not quite as tasty as they would have been on the PBC, due to lack of smoke.

I've got more beef ribs to cook tomorrow, and I'm already salivating!

[jfmorris]

Indirect on this, like on my Weber kettle with the Slow ‘N Sear, requires the use of wood chunks (don’t bother with chips) to get decent smoke. I used hickory chunks on a recent brisket smoke and really liked it. I tend to use apple wood chunks a lot for pork and chicken, oak and hickory for beef.

Next time put 3-4 chunks of wood on top of the charcoal.

[SmokeyGator]

I would think that wood chunks are needed. Just like in my Kamado, which uses a silimar method (diffuser blocking direct heat, but not offset heat). They aren’t exactly the same, but in the mode you used close enough.

Don’t know about the temp control. My general understanding is the HB is an excellent machine, able to handle a range of cooking styles. From low and slow to high and direct. I would chalk that up to the learning curve. My first attempt at 225 on my Primo resulted in 275. Oops. But I learned and adapted. And that was with a thermostatic controller.

Try fewer coals next time. You can always add more if necessary. And throw in a wood chunk or two. Less is more, you can always add more but taking some away is more difficult. I’d go with 2 or 3 and see how that works.

Learning is most of the fun!

[adamjs83]

Yes, definitely need wood chunks. The charcoal is a fuel source for heat only. The wood makes the smoke. The PBC has the meat dripping directly on the coals so it’s a little bit unique compared to a typical indirect setup.

[crunchysue]

Thanks, everybody. I have some hickory chunks. So I'll just put 3 or 4 on the charcoal, right? Not in a tin foil pouch on top of the diffuser? And soak them or don't?

[Jerod Broussard]

No foil no water.

[adamjs83]

Depending on how big the chunks are and what you are smoking you may want to start smaller. No one has ever dumped a brisket because there was to little smoke on it. Less is more and go from there.

[jfmorris]

Thanks, everybody. I have some hickory chunks. So I'll just put 3 or 4 on the charcoal, right? Not in a tin foil pouch on top of the diffuser? And soak them or don't?

Right on the charcoal, no soaking in water or wrapping in foil. Ideally, you will setup your charcoal so it burns across the fire box and doesn’t all ignite at once. Consider putting the lit coals to one side and the unlit in the rest of the area of the charcoal pan. The idea is for the charcoal to gradually burn across, with the wood chunks igniting as it goes. I do this in my kettle with the SNS, but also have adopted that technique when using charcoal in my offset. In the offset I light about 1/2 a chimney, dump it in and rake to one side, then load the rest of the firebox with charcoal for a long smoke.

[Bill P]

I recommend putting a water pan on the fire grate next to the charcoal. It will raise humidity and moderate the temperature. Charcoal goes underneath the deflector just like in your photo, and the water pan takes up the space outside of the deflector. Good luck and enjoy your ribs!

[Troutman]

Is that Charlie Allnut? Love the African Queen !!

[Bill P]

Troutman you got it right. It’s one of my favorite movies and my favorite Bogie performance.

[DeanF]

Hi Sue - I have the same model Hasty-Bake since 2011 and like it a lot. Old Dave (he was on the old H-B forum) told me about the fuse-burn method for the H-B which works great and keeps the temps in 250 range for hours! I'd be glad to send you the info if you'd like. Hickory Chunks work great - I use 3 or 4 which burn at the beginning of the cook.
Have fun and let me know if you have any questions!

[crunchysue]

Thanks, DeanF, and yes, I'd love to hear about the fuse-burn method!

[EdF]

Welcome out, DeanF !

[DrBob]

Congrats, crunchysue!

[DeanF]

I'll attempt to upload a word doc with the fuse burn info... Fuse Burn for the Hasty Bake.docx Fuse Burn for the Hasty Bake.docx

[DeanF]

looks like it's the doc is there (2 links it seems)... use about 8 oz. of word chunks... let me know if you have questions / comments!

[crunchysue]

Word chunks ... nouns? verbs? adjectives? expletives?

Just yankin' yer chain! That maze thing is really cool and I can't wait to try it - thanks!!

[DeanF]

fat-fingered it as usual! too funny!

[Mosca]

Helping. It's what The Pit is all about.

[flashpatrol]

Has anyone had a chance to use the griddle ? I have the HB 256

[IowaGirl]

I don't have an official HB griddle, but I've used the flat side of my Grill Grates as a kind of griddle. Grill Grates aren't good for soupy things like pancakes, but fine for griddling smash burgers, etc.

[ecowper]

IowaGirl did you pull the trigger on a Hasty-Bake while I was on a "sabbatical"? And yeah, I also use my grill grates for a griddle. Works great!