So I’m brand new to smoking, so let me get that out of the way. I live near Boise at 2723 elevation. I have a Weber Searwood. It’s been great and I’ve made some great meals. One thing I cannot dial in is cooking low and slow. I tried St Louis ribs a few weeks ago and it took forever… like 10 hours. I didn’t use a water pan because it doesn’t come with one. It tasted great but real leathery and tough bark - hard to cut through. I am trying again today with baby back ribs and they have been on for nearly 9 hours. I went higher in temp at 240 degrees with a water pan but still taking forever. I’ve bumped it up to 270 these last hour to hour and a half, but hasn’t really sped up things much. What am I doing wrong? It states it should be done in 3-5 hours. I finally fed my family something else because they were starving. I mean well more for me I guess. Any suggestions?
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The higher elevations do affect smoking somewhat, just as it affects boiling of water and baking. You should NEVER EVER need to cook any ribs other than giant beef plate ribs that long. I would say run your cook at 275, and maybe do a foil wrap after the ribs have smoked for 2-3 hours, then unwrap to set the bark again at the end and sauce if you want. Should not take more than 5-6 hours tops. You probably just had all the water/moisture in the meat boil off in those long cooks, causing it to be like shoe leather...
Someone else with a pellet smoker at elevations more than my 600 feet will chime in soon I am sure. -
I wonder if running 275 just long enough to get good bark and then wrapping so the bark doesn't get leathery would help.....Comment
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why are you using a water pan? That is blocking the heat as a radiant barrier and possibly airflow too. Cook at 250 without a water pan and see if there is a difference.Comment
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How are you determining when they’re done? What temps did you do the 10 hour cook at? Just a shot in the dark here…..are you relying on the Webers thermometer for temps, or have you used an external independent probe to verify the temps?Comment
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At elevation I do ribs at 265 275 they take about 5 hours plus. I don't smoke baby backs so I have a thicker rib. I don't wrap. Confirm your actual pit temps not with a thermometer that is mounted on the cover. Ribs are done at 185 to 190 with just a slight tug to fall off depending where they are on the rack.Comment
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What kind of thermometer are you using, and have you checked it for accuracy?Also, where is the thermometer located in the cooker?
It may not be accurate, and it should be at the same level as your ribs. If it's too close to the burning pellets, it could be giving you a false reading that;'s too high.Comment
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How are you determining doneness? Temp or texture?
at 10 hours I’d have to imagine they are way overcooked which would explain the thick bark and leathery dry meat
I never temp ribs as they are too thin to get a good reading. I just probe a few spots between bones until they probe like butter (probe meets no resistance in the meat). I use a PBC so start probing around 3:30-4 hours for spare ribs and take off when I get probe tender.
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LegoMySearwood - I've never cooked at altitude but at only 2,000 ft it shouldn't be that vastly different. I'd suggest trying a cook at 275 and go by probe tender vs internal temp of the ribs (frankly I don't even know what temps to take ribs to as I've never monitored the temp). Start probing at around 3-4 hours for baby backs and 4-5 hrs for spares.
If you still aren't getting great results, you can always wrap for an hour or two mid-cook before finishing unwrapped.
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LegoMySearwood
Good info from shify above. Ribs will be ready when you can use a toothpick or temp probe to pass through the meat with little resistance (depending how tender you like your ribs).
Here is a video from Meat Church BBQ that might give you a few ideas.
"Delicious St Louis Cut Pork Ribs"
Also a great article from Meathead
Last edited by Ace; September 28, 2025, 08:18 PM.Comment
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your elevation doesn’t matter. That’s not what I call elevation at least. The ribs shouldn’t take that long. You have some suggestions above, but one thing my buddy does with this pellet is gets some smoke and a bark set on whatever it is he’s cooking then wraps and finishes in the oven. He doesn’t want to waste the pellets cooking longer cooks, which makes sense. He just needs heat.
but, hopefully you get it dialed in soon and have some good eats!Comment
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+1 on verifying temperatureComment
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I agree with those who suggest checking the temperature with an independent thermometer. Once in a while I clean the internal thermometer in my pellet grill with easy-off to eliminate anything that it might collect that could effect temp readings.Comment
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I was also using the ThermoWorks Smoke with a temp at rib level and a pro thermometer that I bought extra with the Smoke for ribs. I noticed when the Weber said 225 the Smoke was up and down by 30 degrees in both directions. I have to raise the temp to 260 on the Weber for the Smoke to stay above 225 consistently. The Smoke would read up and down from 225 ish to 240. Meathead’s review of the Searwood said 15 degrees difference but mine is more.
Good idea to clean the thermometer in the Weber.
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There is a lot of good information in this subject. I did some research for camping at higher elevations.
But then I don't camp at high enough elevations to matter. Hope this helps.
Internet search yields the following:
Altitude can throw a serious wrench into your rib game, BBQLUV—especially when you're dialing in that perfect bark and tenderness on the pellet grill. Here’s how elevation affects BBQ ribs and what you can do to adapt: 🔥 What Changes at High Altitude?- Lower Boiling Point of Water: At sea level, water boils at 212°F. But at 5,000 feet, it drops to around 203°F. This means moisture evaporates faster, and your ribs can dry out if you're not careful.
- Slower Cooking Times: Because water boils sooner and heat transfer is less efficient, ribs take longer to cook. You might need to extend your cook time by 20–30% depending on elevation.
- Increased Moisture Loss: The thinner air and lower humidity mean your ribs lose moisture more quickly. That’s a recipe for dry meat unless you counter it with moisture-retaining techniques.
- Temperature Fluctuations: Maintaining consistent heat in your smoker or grill becomes trickier. Thinner air affects combustion and airflow, which can lead to uneven cooking.
- Use a Water Pan: Helps maintain humidity inside the smoker and slows moisture loss.
- Wrap Strategically: Foil or butcher paper during the stall phase can lock in juices.
- Lower Your Cooking Temp Slightly: Prevents the exterior from crisping too fast while the interior lags behind.
- Brine or Marinate: Adds moisture and flavor insurance before the cook.
- Monitor Closely: Use a reliable probe and check for doneness by feel—not just time.
If you're cooking ribs above 3,000 feet—like in parts of Colorado, Utah, or even eastern Oregon—you’re officially in high-altitude territory. Want help adjusting your rib schedule or pellet settings for a specific elevation? I can help you dial it in.
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I disagree with any recipe that says pork ribs will be done in 3-5 hours, even Meathead's, unless you have TINY baby backs, like 2 to 2.25lbs max per rack, and you cook at 250+ the entire cook. Otherwise in my experience, plan on minimum of 5 but more like 7. I have had thick ribs take 8, 9, even 10 hrs like you.
My advice is look for baby backs no large than 2.5lb/rack, and St Louis no larger than 3.5lbs/rack. The heaver ribs are the thicker they are and the thicker they are the longer they take to cook (obvious). Brands want to sell "extra meaty" ribs, and at first we think hey that's great, but this is what happens when trying to cook them.
Lastly, perhaps it's mentioned above, but are you sure your cook temp - where the ribs are sitting - is what your module says? Perhaps it is off and you're cooking at 200 deg? I wouldn't expect a brand new Weber device to be off, but it can happen. The lower & slower you cook something the more dehydrated it gets, leading to that chewy jerky-like texture.Comment
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This is what I believe happened. I used ThermoWorks smoke and had to turn it up to about 260 to have the Smoke register above 225 -
LegoMySearwood Aha! So it appears you were actually cooking far under what you thought, hence the longer time and drier end result. As surely suggested above, and as you likely know, use a probe on your grate from here forward to make sure your cook temp is what you want. We've all been there!
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LegoMySearwood the reading on the Smoke - which is what I use here - is very accurate. What Weber is displaying on the controller is probably the average - the setting if you will. It is natural to swing above and below this based on the PID that controls the pellet cooker. As pellets are dumped, it climbs, and produces more smoke. As they burn up it drops, then the controller dumps more pellets, and it repeats the cycle.
Admittedly, 30 degrees is a lot of swing. I would have expected +/- 10 degrees. I see 25 degrees on the 25+ year old Kenmore oven in the house. Yes - I put a Smoke probe on the cooking grate to check the oven temp one time!
I would not worry about the swing so much as the average.Comment
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