noymicro I would highly recommend going and checking out some of PaulstheRibList posts on fire management.
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Thanks ecowper! I keep learning more, now that I'm helping train 4 new guys who work at Paul's Rib Shack. I've got even more to say and in a clearer way!
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I found in my offset a moderate fist-sized chunk of wood gave me the smoke profile I was looking for.
My first few cooks 20 years ago it looked like I had a steam locomotive in the driveway because I loaded up on wood.
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I wish I had known all of this years ago. I had an old offset cooker around 15 years ago that I ruined lots of food on. I finally gave up on it and hauled it to a scrap yard. Maybe MCS will send me back in that direction one day.Comment
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Second the comment about leaving the stack damper all the way open. Let that puppy breathe! Use the firebox damper to regulate temp. At least that's my experience with my offset (not a COS) and the Oklahoma Joe offset that I keep at my son's house to cook with when I'm visiting there.
Might think about going all in and becoming a dedicated stickburner. Once you go stick, you won't ever go back!
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I guess its a good thing that the custom offset my dad had one of the welders in his shop put together in the 80's has no damper on the stack! Later units he built did, but I've got one of his first prototypes. So my only controls are the intake vents and cracking doors and ash dump drawers on the firebox. And of course controlling fire size. Maybe that is why I've never had too many issues with "bad smoke".Comment
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Exhaust damper...wide open!
Intake damper...wide open!
Heck, I usually leave the fire box door completely open so the fire gets all the oxygen it wants!
Use the charcoal only for starting a coal bed. Then use wood splits through the cook. A small rip roaring fire will give you beautiful smoke.
The first time I cooked all wood I was very nervous about being too smokey, as I’d had several cooks as you describe - charcoal and wood chunks making food too Smokey. At the end of that first "full stickburner" cook I was pleasantly surprised at the smooth, well balanced smoke flavor. Haven’t cooked with chunks since!
As for the ribs...cook longer, cook hotter. As many others have suggested, the bend test is key to ribs.
I cook darn near everything at 250°-275°F. My pits run well in that range, and it makes for easier fire management for me.Last edited by Santamarina; November 30, 2018, 01:59 AM.Comment
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I just had to post the cook. I don't often screw up ribs but have done a lot. I do 4 -5 racks a month for the two of us.
Last edited by JGo37; December 1, 2018, 12:52 AM.Comment
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Thanks again for all the replies. I cooked more baby backs using hickory for the whole cook. Left the dampers wide open, preheated new sticks in the firebox like others suggested. Found it a challenge to keep the temperature steady. It was between 200-300 at the grate the whole cook. Smoked for 3 hours, wrapped for 1.5 and cooked for another hour. Because of the higher temp, ribs were done in 5 1/2 hours. Result, the BEST ribs I have ever cooked! Thanks for all your help and replies. I am a converted stickburner! Now I have to find a good source for wood. Anyone have an opinion on using Oak, tips on buying wood. and suggestions on how to keep the temperature steady.Comment
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Temps are definitely harder to maintain using this method. I ended up buying a miter saw and a Kindling Cracker (awesome!) based on advice from this gang and have been cutting my splits down to sizes that help manage the fire. It's pure trial and error but my goal is to get them small enough so I can incrementally build up the temp, but big enough so I'm not sitting there adding wood every 5 min.
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Depending on where you live I'd suggest scour the classifieds or Craigslist to see if there are any firewood sellers in your area. Oak is an EXCELLENT wood for smoking, I've done everything with it (chickens to briskets to salmon) and oak is usually plentiful most anywhere. Another one I love is ash, there's lots of ash near me due to the beetle that wiped out lots of them. It's my favorite wood for ribs. Anyway, I got a local guy who delivers a full sized pickup box full of 1/4 split seasoned oak (roughly 1 face cord) for $60. I just cut them in half on my miter saw at cook time, and usually split them again. A face cords lasts a long time because you don't burn wood in a smoker the same way you do in a wood stove or fireplace.Originally posted by noymicro View PostComment
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noymicro Don't sweat it too much with the temps going up and down. Let it do it's thing. 2 things you need to keep a steadier temp. Meat and beer! It will come with practice. Yesterday I cooked for 500 and had temp swings of 60f or more. Next Friday I am cooking for 3000.Comment
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