Last Saturday, I did an experimental first run on the new Bronco with one rack of baby back ribs. I’ve made them once before years ago, but never in an actual smoker. I wanted to post in Pork to get some feedback on my overall approach and the things that puzzled me in particular. I was focused on the ribs rather than the new cooker, which doesn’t seem too finicky to operate and will get its own post(s) at a later date. My goal for the fall is competency—not to say mastery—in getting juicy, pull-away-from-the-bone dry rub ribs.
A. What I aimed for
I chose baby back packaged fresh by my local grocery mostly because of the sale price, small investment, and because it was only for the wife and me. It was also a bit of an impulse buy, as I was rushing some of my research and planning. You’ll see a few pictures, but as I was not prepared to do the process or product justice, I didn’t take but a few. There’s always next time.
I dry brined overnight with ½ tsp kosher salt per pound, then wet the ribs a bit and shook on a generous amount of Meathead’s MD, just as he recommends. (Light brown sugar for dark was the only change.) I think you all know what that looks like by now!
It was 54°F and drizzling most of the day, and I lit 15 blue-baggers, pouring into a fuse like the one below, because I knew I could hit right around 225. (Photo is from a previous test, but exactly the same except I added the 2 chunks over time—8 oz total.)
I wanted to see in particular if I could get the ribs done in about the 3-4 hours I read about in the Pit; and I wanted to avoid burning the lower end of my hanging rack or having the top end not ready—without having to re-hang from the other end halfway through.
To that end (heh), I dangled two probes from my Fireboard near the meat and center of the smoker. (I had already found that using the threaded probe in the manufacturer’s port for the bi-metal type gave me readings very different from what I got center of drum.) I dangled one near the top of the rack of ribs, and the other a third of the way from the bottom. In the graph below, I’ll refer to them as "Upper" and "Lower Cooker."
I configured the Bronco with only the necessary portions for the fire to breathe—and no room anyway for heat diffuser or a water pan. I hung the rack from below the second rib (I think), and while this allowed it to touch the highest part of the charcoal basket’s handle below, I’m not sure I could have gone another full rib with these hooks. I did not move the rack around to speak of, but I did rotate it to face the other way once, maybe twice. I also didn’t reconfigure things to try wrapping in foil. I lean toward doing less work and steering clear of any mushyness—but maybe I can be convinced to try it later.
I added fuel once, aiming for 225 to 250 throughout, and checked for readiness at around 4 ½ and 5 hours. But because I had other plans, I was ready to let things die down by around 3:00.
B. What I accomplished
I feel pretty good about temperature control, and if you click the graph to enlarge, you’ll see most of my adjustments noted. The Fireboard will update every 5 seconds, but here is a point every 1 minute—plenty of detail. Now when you click the graph, it will enlarge to a readable size!
If you’re trying to eyeball it, here are some basics:
I got a nice bark, and never sprayed, wrapped, or applied anything more once I put them on. The smoke ring in the first photo appears to meet in the middle, almost leading me to worry the meat wasn’t even "done" well enough.
But in the next photo, you see some tan in the middle. I tried the bend test and, with BBR, was not surprised when they didn’t break. I tried the toothpick twice, but got what I guess was a bit of stiffness both times—maybe a bit lighter the second time, but it was hard for me to say.
To cross check, because of my inexperience, I did try the Thermapen is several places, knowing I could get a couple way-off numbers. First time, readings ranged from the 160s in the upper end of the rack to 190s hanging low. (The very tip was a little blackened and dried through.) Second time, they came in between 170s at the top and about 201 down low—finally getting to where the magic happens just when my clock ran out.
As for taste, I found the smokiness not overwhelming with 8 oz wood, despite the prominent smoke ring. The rub was pleasing to all tasters and I’ll want to try it a few more times in order to keep most things constant. I specifically asked if they tasted porky, and the wife agreed with me that they did. We enjoyed them for sure, but I wished they had pulled away cleaner, and maybe had been a little...juicier?
My main disappointments were:
Despite how close the upper and lower probe temps were on average, and the fact that the bigger swings happened with the upper probe, I’d say the meat itself was just too close at some points to the heat, especially when a chunk was igniting.
C. What I’m thinking of trying next
Thanks for reading and feel free to rub some of your knowledge on my next ribs!
A. What I aimed for
I chose baby back packaged fresh by my local grocery mostly because of the sale price, small investment, and because it was only for the wife and me. It was also a bit of an impulse buy, as I was rushing some of my research and planning. You’ll see a few pictures, but as I was not prepared to do the process or product justice, I didn’t take but a few. There’s always next time.
I dry brined overnight with ½ tsp kosher salt per pound, then wet the ribs a bit and shook on a generous amount of Meathead’s MD, just as he recommends. (Light brown sugar for dark was the only change.) I think you all know what that looks like by now!
It was 54°F and drizzling most of the day, and I lit 15 blue-baggers, pouring into a fuse like the one below, because I knew I could hit right around 225. (Photo is from a previous test, but exactly the same except I added the 2 chunks over time—8 oz total.)
I wanted to see in particular if I could get the ribs done in about the 3-4 hours I read about in the Pit; and I wanted to avoid burning the lower end of my hanging rack or having the top end not ready—without having to re-hang from the other end halfway through.
To that end (heh), I dangled two probes from my Fireboard near the meat and center of the smoker. (I had already found that using the threaded probe in the manufacturer’s port for the bi-metal type gave me readings very different from what I got center of drum.) I dangled one near the top of the rack of ribs, and the other a third of the way from the bottom. In the graph below, I’ll refer to them as "Upper" and "Lower Cooker."
I configured the Bronco with only the necessary portions for the fire to breathe—and no room anyway for heat diffuser or a water pan. I hung the rack from below the second rib (I think), and while this allowed it to touch the highest part of the charcoal basket’s handle below, I’m not sure I could have gone another full rib with these hooks. I did not move the rack around to speak of, but I did rotate it to face the other way once, maybe twice. I also didn’t reconfigure things to try wrapping in foil. I lean toward doing less work and steering clear of any mushyness—but maybe I can be convinced to try it later.
I added fuel once, aiming for 225 to 250 throughout, and checked for readiness at around 4 ½ and 5 hours. But because I had other plans, I was ready to let things die down by around 3:00.
B. What I accomplished
I feel pretty good about temperature control, and if you click the graph to enlarge, you’ll see most of my adjustments noted. The Fireboard will update every 5 seconds, but here is a point every 1 minute—plenty of detail. Now when you click the graph, it will enlarge to a readable size!
If you’re trying to eyeball it, here are some basics:
- Ribs in 5 hrs, 9 mins with cooker above 200
- With opening and dips, 4 hrs, 7 mins of that was at or above 225, my target
- Average temp in upper cooker: 228.5
- Average temp lower: 228.8
I got a nice bark, and never sprayed, wrapped, or applied anything more once I put them on. The smoke ring in the first photo appears to meet in the middle, almost leading me to worry the meat wasn’t even "done" well enough.
But in the next photo, you see some tan in the middle. I tried the bend test and, with BBR, was not surprised when they didn’t break. I tried the toothpick twice, but got what I guess was a bit of stiffness both times—maybe a bit lighter the second time, but it was hard for me to say.
To cross check, because of my inexperience, I did try the Thermapen is several places, knowing I could get a couple way-off numbers. First time, readings ranged from the 160s in the upper end of the rack to 190s hanging low. (The very tip was a little blackened and dried through.) Second time, they came in between 170s at the top and about 201 down low—finally getting to where the magic happens just when my clock ran out.
As for taste, I found the smokiness not overwhelming with 8 oz wood, despite the prominent smoke ring. The rub was pleasing to all tasters and I’ll want to try it a few more times in order to keep most things constant. I specifically asked if they tasted porky, and the wife agreed with me that they did. We enjoyed them for sure, but I wished they had pulled away cleaner, and maybe had been a little...juicier?
My main disappointments were:
- The bottom end needs special attention so it doesn’t get burned in such close proximity to my fire (which is moving along the fuse)
- None of the bones were left totally clean (next photo), and the general temp readings also suggest it’s because I didn’t melt enough tissues
- The bottom half and top half appear to have been done to different degrees; a rough recreation of the rack illustrates
Despite how close the upper and lower probe temps were on average, and the fact that the bigger swings happened with the upper probe, I’d say the meat itself was just too close at some points to the heat, especially when a chunk was igniting.
C. What I’m thinking of trying next
- Trying St. Louis cut—easier to cook? Pitmasters seem to prefer...
- Giving myself more time—esp if I change to St. Louis, and since Bronco likes 225-250
- Flipping racks halfway (not cutting in half if I don’t have to)
- Repositioning just slightly when I do open lid, so that ribs stay on opposite side from most active part of fuse
- Not(?) spritzing or spraying? The AR article doesn’t ever suggest that it helps with getting the center to around 200°F while not drying out the surface. But could it cool the lower end to guard against burning? I have read some from both sides of the debate, but I lean toward not introducing a spray until I have repeat results to compare.
Thanks for reading and feel free to rub some of your knowledge on my next ribs!
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