Need help with new smoker

[Mark B 24]

So I just bought an electric smoker and did 2 racks of ribs, 6 hours 225 and about 8 oz of wood chips . They came out basically black. Inside was awesome but outside was bad. Help what did I do wrong?

[Jerod Broussard]

How did the black taste?

[Mark B 24]

Actually didn’t taste horrible

[Ahumadora]

Photos would help.. Do you have any?

[Mark B 24]

Sorry next time will remember to do photos

[MBMorgan]

Welcome from Colorado ... and now some questions:

What kind of ribs?
What did you put on them?
How and where did you measure the temp?
What thermometer did you use?
Pics would help, too ...

[Mark B 24]

St Louis
Put them right on the racks
The electric smoker has a built in thermostat and a good thermostat. That’s what I used to measure temp.
Sorry no pics we ate them but I did t think they should have come out so black.

[Spinaker]

If the ribs come out, black that is usually a good thing. However, if you used a high sugar rub, that may cause the sugar to burn under high heat. In your case, you cooked it pretty low, but with that amount of time in the smoker, I would not be surprised if that the sugar burned. What style of ribs did you make and what rub did you use?

I would also go easier on the wood, and make sure you are placing it directly on the heating element so you are not allowing the wood to smolder. You want that wood to burn right away. Smoke adheres to wet cold surfaces, so you really only need wood for the first part of the cook. If the wood smolders, this can give off some bitter flavors. Contrary to popular belief, do not soak the wood, that can also throw in some off flavors as well. More on that here.

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[Mark B 24]

I used the Memphis dust on the St. Louis style ribs and followed the directions on this site. I did not soak the wood. I also started with 4 oz of hickory and added 4 halfway thru cook time as directions said to.
Thanks this site looks awesome and I’m excited to begin my new hobby. Thanks for the promo respinses

[Mark B 24]

The black wasn’t aweful

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

regardless of cooker, always use an internal probe thermometer. Check calibration with icewater

[FireMan]

Black can be good if it tastes good & it’s not burnt. It actually is sorta funny, you complaining a bit about em, then eatin em up before we can see em. Sorta like no crime cuz the evidence has been disposed of. Maybe it didn’t happen.
Welcome, continue eatin good & have fun!

[FireMan]

wcpreston , just what we needed, an official Latin term. Now fast forward to no pics, no cook, hmmm.

[FireMan]

wcpreston , just what we needed, an official Latin term. Now fast forward to no pics, no cook, hmmm.

[wcpreston]

Every time I hear a great story from a friend, it's "pics or it didn't happen," so...

[Red Man]

Black is usually a good thing, at least to many people. If you want less bark you can wrap for part of the cook.

[MBMorgan]

I would also go easier on the wood, and make sure you are placing it directly on the heating element so you are not allowing the wood to smolder. You want that wood to burn right away. Smoke adheres to wet cold surfaces, so you really only need wood for the first part of the cook. If the wood smolders, this can give off some bitter flavors. Contrary to popular belief, do not soak the wood, that can also throw in some off flavors as well.

I agree with Spinaker. 8 oz. of wood seems like an awful lot in an enclosed electric cooker ... especially for only 2 racks. Also, as he said, smoke won't really add much after the first hour or so of the cook, so cutting back won't hurt anything at all.

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit Mark. Dial thermometers are notoriously inaccurate. A good leave in calibrated thermometer in the pit will give a better reading. You can check the accuracy of the pit thermo in boiling water. Look up the boiling point for your elevation to be sure it's accurate.
The ribs were black, but were they dry or moist. Black and dry could mean they were overcooked. That would mean that either the temp was too high, or the time was too long. How did you decide to pull them off the smoker? Did you go by time or something else? Time doesn't work too well. The bend test is more accurate:

https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...ribs-ready-yet

[Steve R.]

All I can come up with is, did you run it at least once empty to burn off any oils, etc. from the factory before the first cook?

[Mark B 24]

Yes per recommended instructions for 3 hours empty Thanks

[Backroadmeats]

I would say 6 hours may have been too long in at 225. I figure about 4 usually.. did u spritz them at all.. I use 1 part cider vinegar to 7 parts apple cider about every half hour or so. Keep trying nobody gets it perfect the first time.. also be careful not to oversmoke,. Yes it is possible .. you want it to be one layer in the flavor not have it overpower everything!!