High Altitude Smoking Trouble!

[Colorado19]

Hey all,

Love the forum, lots of great info here. I recently got the Sportsman’s Warehouse edition Camp Chef pellet smoker. Yesterday I went out on my first expedition to smoke some St. Louis-style ribs. I wanted to keep it simple and found several people saying that around 4 hours at 250°F should get it done, likely landing around 205°F internal. Nope. After 7 hours of cook time, I finally decided that 9 PM was too late to keep waiting, so I pulled them at 185-190. They weren’t terrible, but definitely a bit chewy and maybe a touch dry.

After doing some research, I think my elevation here in Colorado (about 6,000 feet) is the culprit. Since water boils at roughly 200°F here, I would’ve been waiting all night for everything to boil off enough to hit 205.

All that to say: I was hoping others could chime in on how smoking at elevation (around 6,000 feet in my case) changes things for them. I’d also love to hear any elevation-friendly recipes for the classic smoked meats: ribs, brisket, pork butt, and anything else you’ve dialed in up here.

Thanks a ton, all!

[Ace]

Here's an article on "How to BBQ at High Altitudes" that I believe was posted on this site awhile back.
This may or my not be what you're looking for but I hope it helps some...

https://girlscangrill.com/competition-bbq/barbecue-at-high-altitudes/

[Donw]

Hopefully captainlee and the other members from the Colorado mountains will be along shortly to help out.

[Jfrosty27]

4 hours at 250? Never. I’m at just a few hundred feet above sea level. My ribs take around 6 hours +/- 30 minutes at that grill temp.

[barelfly]

6000’ isn’t much higher than where I’m at 5200, and lower than where my dad is at 7200’. That does seem like a longer time than normal, but 4 hours if your cooker truly was at 250 is still pretty fast, I’d say even 5 hours would be pretty quick. My dad made some ribs about a month ago and if I remember they did take some time, but he cooked at 225 and he has a SmokinIt as well, just a size down from mine.

That said, do you have a thermometer that you can monitor the grate temps with to ensure you are cooking at the temp you have set? That would be my first thought/suggestion. And, I’d also cook a little hotter than 250. 275* is what I cook at with my SmokinIt smoker, and even my Kettle, I cook hot at 275* for these types of cooks.

The other thing you can do to help cook, once you get the bark set where you like, you can foil boat or even wrap to finish.

Hopefully a few with pellet cookers chime in, but I would check on the cook temp of your cooker just so you have an idea as to where it’s cooking at.

enjoy the next few cooks!

[captainlee]

Wow we agree !!!!

[captainlee]

Welcome from Buena Vista. Here is a good article from a few pitmasters at altitude. I can only get ribs, butts, brisket... To 194 degrees before they go into a second stall and die. You evaporated all the moisture out of your ribs. Now you understand the limits. I always bump my cook temps up a bit, ribs and such at 265. A rack here at that temperature takes about 5 hours plus or minus depending on the size of the ribs. You'll get it all figured out. 8500 feet here.

https://girlscangrill.com/competition-bbq/barbecue-at-high-altitudes/

[ecowper]

Interesting that you should reduce your temp at high altitude, opposite of what I expected.

[Sweaty Paul]

I'm with ecowper I would have thought lower temp for longer time. Do you add a water pan or anything?

[Colorado19]

4 hours at 250? Never. I’m at just a few hundred feet above sea level. My ribs take around 6 hours +/- 30 minutes at that grill temp.

Good to know! This what where I got that idea

https://youtu.be/EiEGS_X5WGc?si=mV7zA0zK5huTVNGC

Sounds like that was maybe just a bad idea to start

[Colorado19]

captainlee barelfly Thanks for the advice! So you guys both recommend bumping temperatures up a bit vs sea-level recipes? Any thoughts on water pans or anything like that?

[captainlee]

I don't use a water pan but that doesn't mean it wouldn't help. You'll need to experiment a bit to tune in your smoker. As you are aware cooking at altitude is a challenge wether you're baking or roasting in an over you always need to adjust recipes and cook time and temps.

[barelfly]

No water pans for my cooks. And yes, hot and fast is my way of cooking, nothing against low and slow, but I just prefer cooking faster.

[barelfly]

And others have mentioned - and maybe it’s my cooker, but I don’t cook anything up to 200. Pork butt, brisket, anything like, I cook to probe tender and I’ve found that is right around 195 give or take. Ribs, I look for pull back, bend test and a tooth pick probe to tell me if I’m where I want.

[ecowper]

Colorado19 First, welcome to the Pit! And second, you just got some great advice and input! I totally agree with the idea that you need a good digital setup to measure the temp of your cooker at the grate. Even though the Camp Chef has a PID controller that is supposed to achieve the temps you are looking for, you should double check that with another thermometer.

Also, as others pointed out, remember that water boils at 200F at 6000 feet …… this means you’ll want to cook hotter and pull the ribs at less than 200F …. 275F is a good temp to cook at (I run my smokers between 250 and 275 and I’m a lot lower elevation than you). 195F is probably the right done temp for those ribs. However, thermometer probe temps on ribs are difficult …. Thin meat (compared to a beef roast or chicken breast) and very close to the bones will distort the temp readings. You’re better off using a combo of the bend test and the toothpick test.

The bend test - pick the ribs up with a pair of tongs about 1/3 down the rack. If they bend nicely and the bark cracks, they are done.

The toothpick test - probe the meat between the bones with a toothpick. If it goes in nice and easy, like a knife into warm butter, the ribs are done.

The combo of those two tests is the standard I use for ribs ….. I’m only 750 feet in the foothills in Western WA, so I don’t have the same altitude issues. BUT ribs are ribs!

Welcome and we hope you stick around

[Colorado19]

Colorado19 First, welcome to the Pit! And second, you just got some great advice and input! I totally agree with the idea that you need a good digital setup to measure the temp of your cooker at the grate. Even though the Camp Chef has a PID controller that is supposed to achieve the temps you are looking for, you should double check that with another thermometer.

Also, as others pointed out, remember that water boils at 200F at 6000 feet …… this means you’ll want to cook hotter and pull the ribs at less than 200F …. 275F is a good temp to cook at (I run my smokers between 250 and 275 and I’m a lot lower elevation than you). 195F is probably the right done temp for those ribs. However, thermometer probe temps on ribs are difficult …. Thin meat (compared to a beef roast or chicken breast) and very close to the bones will distort the temp readings. You’re better off using a combo of the bend test and the toothpick test.

The bend test - pick the ribs up with a pair of tongs about 1/3 down the rack. If they bend nicely and the bark cracks, they are done.

The toothpick test - probe the meat between the bones with a toothpick. If it goes in nice and easy, like a knife into warm butter, the ribs are done.

The combo of those two tests is the standard I use for ribs ….. I’m only 750 feet in the foothills in Western WA, so I don’t have the same altitude issues. BUT ribs are ribs!

Welcome and we hope you stick around

Thanks ecowper That is a good point about the digital thermometer setup. The reported temp from the Camp Chef stayed shockingly close to 250 the entire time, but to be fair I don't know "where" that 250 is, it could not be reflective of the grate temp itself

[Donw]

The temperature is trying to reflect the overall average temperature in the chamber but it doesn’t represent any one particular area. I’d recommend a toast test be done by covering the grate area with white bread and finding the hot and cold spots on the grates. This helps with cooking and rotating your food during the cook. Those hot spots can help you get the most heat on an item

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit. Here is a link to a very good but inexpensive thermo you can leave in the smoker to monitor ambient temps in it:

https://www.amazon.com/ThermoWorks-DOT-Favorite-Thermometer-Nautical/dp/B0DRR59GDV/ref=sr_1_5?adgrpid=1345802805001246&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hGgRrR9DH84nuj9J2IJOMxdRT1-RXe8qwWIhWlvHlTGEWk7X_J2sMXf5lvmtlOgnkJBNxsAeGqPoanbS8gsPQWqWM8AqYyg8Q1TESGyrNi7COwroF43PjePufnf6rc9cEJrpHtm_n_JAtFvyaANy5GhLtbkOnMV25B1P0j1e6ncenpuYWmlR9sTRnErwKwmeJYxBA2JZ7uCzvwOFxqI1bhIOSQz-N-L41Jh23m6-q21Xylxya1dhTYSSwXScqlO0RlQMDCLHC5oR251gZ8ygCBh-h0wRHIMUE8XFDDCIr7U.sjjWdY9w7Ncu8HPx5biyfzjS0TiPYlOGidW6EeGntYY&dib_tag=se&hvadid=84113061551051&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=86562&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84113039961684%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=28518_14840437&keywords=thermoworks%2Bdot&mcid=de75d1b966b938809f4e39c20f9dfa4a&msclkid=3f5ee19dcb69154bba3988b17e37362d&qid=1764537698&sr=8-5&th=1

You can buy cheaper, but probably not better, and if you go to the Thermoworks site, they have other options.

https://www.thermoworks.com/?msclkid=02d6146a91c116cebbd57d46240810af&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=B_ThermoWorks_Search_Brand%20-%20Non%20product&utm_term=thermoworks&utm_content=thermoworks%20-%20exact

[Michael_in_TX]

Here's an article on "How to BBQ at High Altitudes" that I believe was posted on this site awhile back.

Now THAT was a fascinating and very informative article. (I've lived at sea level all my life.)

Looks like at high altitudes one is battling two things relative to those of us near the ocean. Your food necessarily will take longer to cook and will dry out faster, which is exacerbated that water boils at the lower temperature and the typically drier conditions at altitude.

(I loved the recommendation to stick your Thermopen in a pot, boil it, and get an exact reading of the boiling point where one is.)

[Mosca]

Well, yes and no. A better procedure is to look up your altitude on Google Maps, then look up the boiling point of water at that altitude. Then boil some water, and see how close your Thermapen is to that. It is 208.6° here, so I just round to 209°. I’ve had thermometers that were spot on, and I’ve had them off by 5°. All of them had instructions on how to calibrate.

[Michael_in_TX]

Mosca But a Thermoworks product simply can't be wrong.

[Sweaty Paul]

Colorado19 Greetings and salutations from Hays, Kansas and welcome to The Pit! This forum is definitely the place to ask questions as there are bunch of great cooks here. I learn all the time from folks here.

+1 on getting some thermometers to check the temp of your pit. Also, be sure to check the accuracy of your thermometer too prior to banking on them giving you reliable information. Boil some water and take the temp. Then make a glass of ice water and check the temperature. Make sure your getting 200 at boiling water and nearly 32 in the ice water. Once you know your thermometers are working you can independently monitor what your pit is doing. I had to double check my new home ovens using the same technique when my homemade bread and rolls looked wonky only to find that the oven was 50 degrees colder than it said it was necessitating a new computer control module.

I know that my various grills have accurate thermometers that are mounted in them, however, I always use additional thermometers and probes at grate level and in proteins that are amenable to have a meat probe thermometer placed in them.

Good luck on the upcoming cooks.

Sweaty

[tstalafuse]

Welcome from the backside of Pikes Peak.

Cooking at altitude has a lot of challenges as your done temp is lower. I lower my cook temp by around 10 degrees here at 9000 ft. You didn’t mention if you wrap or not, but a tight wrap will get you to a higher done temp. For St. Louis ribs, I cook @215 for 4hrs, wrap for an hour to an 1.5hrs (depending how meaty the ribs are), and open the wrap leaving the ribs in the wrap brazing until they probe tender between the bones (about an hour).

For the wrap, I use a full size disposable aluminum pan with some extra liquid, cover with foil and bend the pan edges down to give as tight a seal as I can get. You won’t get the best bark, but you will get tender ribs without drying them out.

If you decide to add an ambient temp probe next to the ribs, don’t get to wild chasing the temp if it doesn’t match what the pellet grill shows. The displayed temp reflects a calculated overall temp inside the grill, so it may or may not match a temp taken at anyone spot (even right next to the grill’s temp probe).

[Colorado19]

Welcome from the backside of Pikes Peak.

Cooking at altitude has a lot of challenges as your done temp is lower. I lower my cook temp by around 10 degrees here at 9000 ft. You didn’t mention if you wrap or not, but a tight wrap will get you to a higher done temp. For St. Louis ribs, I cook @215 for 4hrs, wrap for an hour to an 1.5hrs (depending how meaty the ribs are), and open the wrap leaving the ribs in the wrap brazing until they probe tender between the bones (about an hour).

For the wrap, I use a full size disposable aluminum pan with some extra liquid, cover with foil and bend the pan edges down to give as tight a seal as I can get. You won’t get the best bark, but you will get tender ribs without drying them out.

If you decide to add an ambient temp probe next to the ribs, don’t get to wild chasing the temp if it doesn’t match what the pellet grill shows. The displayed temp reflects a calculated overall temp inside the grill, so it may or may not match a temp taken at anyone spot (even right next to the grill’s temp probe).

Thank you sir! I am on the other side of pikes peak in the springs!

At elevation, have you found yourself mostly ignoring estimated times in bbq recipes? Do you find it always takes a good bit longer?

Also, you said you drop your temps, is that across the board for any meat? Or really just ribs? Have you gotten away without wrapping? Or is it required given the long cook times?

[tstalafuse]

Yes, everything takes longer. It even takes longer to bring a cup of water to boil even though it boils at a lower temperature, but some is cooking at lower temps. I have found that I really only need to lower the temp for cooks that are going to take longer than 4-5hrs (brisket/ribs/pork butt), but a tight wrap in foil or in a disposable pan makes a big difference.

If you are going to try hot and fast, ie cooking at 275 and above, you shouldn't need to wrap as you will bust through..

[tstalafuse]

the stall quickly. The challenge is your done temps are lower and it is that longer time at lower temps that help with breaking down the connective tissue, which is why I find lowering the temp and wrapping to be more beneficial in retain moisture and keeping the cook time reasonable. Ribs for me are usually in the 7hr range, pork butt 11-12hr depending on size, and briskets vary greatly by the grade. Prime can be as low as 45 min/lb with lower grade choice/select being a full 1.5hr/lb

[tstalafuse]

to 2hr/lb.

If you start low, plan on wrapping, but get really pushed for time you can bump the temp once you wrap up to get back to a normal cook time like you would have at sea level.

A good instant read thermometer is helpful to know the temp, but also to use to probe tender since you aren't ever going to reach those high internal temps.