First time Ribs; First time Low N Slow

[DougWilsonsSlapper]

I've had my Kettle, a 26er, for about a year now. Early on I broke the One-Touch System and couldn't do Low N Slow or good temperature control.  I have really young kids and a busy job and, while I would grill all the time, I never got around to fixing the One-Touch.   Then winter came and that was that.   I finally fixed it this past week.

I used this forum and Meathead's book as my main guides.

First project was ribs, which I've wanted to do for a long time.

I had some different rubs that I wanted to try, so I tried 2 different rubs on the same rack of spareribs.   I put the rub in this morning with some water and let it sit for 2-3 hours.

I fired up the grill and used the SnS Deluxe (I prefer it to the XL for grill space), using Weber Briquettes and Apple wood.

I got the grill up to 225 and it sat there for a bit before jumping to 270.  I got it back down and then it wavered between 215 and 255 the rest of the way.   

It was a lot of tinkering with the vents on my part as it jumped between 220 and 255. 

Eventually I stopped tinkering too much, had some beer, and just let it be...tinkering every so often.

At the 3 hour mark it was looking dry, and so I started spritzing with water and apple cider vinegar. I spritzed every half hour after that.

It probably could have used another half hour, but the kids were starving and so I pulled at 4.5 hours.

The ribs were way better than I expected. Pleasantly surprised.

Is there a way to get the temp to stay more constant?   Is it the same experience on a WSM?





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[DougWilsonsSlapper]

Here are the pics again, but in a better format.

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[bamakettles]

The ribs look really good!  Try not to sweat the temps too much.  I used to try and dial in for a 25 degree swing and I was constantly adjusting.  I learned to set a low of 225 and high of 300 which gave me a much more pleasant cook with less stress.  Bend test is key with  ribs and with this method I go 2-2-1 with baby backs and 3-2-1 with spares.  Works well for me.  WSM holds much closer tolerances IME…. Almost feels like cheating lol.  I need to haul it out soon for a big cook.


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[DougWilsonsSlapper]

Thanks!  Should have mentioned in my post that I tend to like sauce-less ribs, but next time might try sauce.

Thanks for the feedback.  The bend test told me I pulled a little early, but they were still mighty good.

How long can ribs rest for before consuming?

Look, smoking and having beer for 5 hours wasn't the worst experience of my life. Hah!

The ribs look really good!  Try not to sweat the temps too much.  I used to try and dial in for a 25 degree swing and I was constantly adjusting.  I learned to set a low of 225 and high of 300 which gave me a much more pleasant cook with less stress.  Bend test is key with  ribs and with this method I go 2-2-1 with baby backs and 3-2-1 with spares.  Works well for me.  WSM holds much closer tolerances IME…. Almost feels like cheating lol.  I need to haul it out soon for a big cook.


Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club

Sent from my XQ-AS72 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[Foster Dahlet]

"I learned to set a low of 225 and high of 300 which gave me a much more pleasant cook with less stress."

^^^^
This

@bamakettles is correct.  The irony is when I stopped responding to every fluctuation, my temps stabilized on their own, within the zone I wanted.

[Kneab]

Your ribs look good.
I'm with Bama don't sweat the temps too much. I try to maintain between 225 and 300 as well. If I am really watching it closely I shoot for 250-275. I think ribs cook better at a little higher temp than a brisket. Also every rack of ribs cooks a little different. Half of the fun is in the practicing.

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[TXFlyGuy]

If I may take the other side…I’m on the opposite end here. The temps are critical, and my last low & slow BBQ was a rock solid 250-255 degrees on the kettle. It was very easy, low stress smoking. Th snake gets all the credit. The Cooker gets a little credit as well.

Next time I will target 225-235 for my temps.

Could not do this precise management without my Smoke Monitor by Thermoworks.

The ribs look good!

[DougWilsonsSlapper]

Thanks all!  I think there's only one thing to do: keep practicing and smoking! 

How long can the ribs sit off the smoker before serving?

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[TXFlyGuy]

That depends on how hungry you are!

Probably a 15 to 30 minute rest would be Ok.

[DougWilsonsSlapper]

Hah.  I was using a WiFi Inkbird Thermo.  See attached screenshot.  Is the thermoworks different?  Had to run to a store during the cook but could monitor the temp. 

That depends on how hungry you are!

Probably a 15 to 30 minute rest would be Ok.

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[TXFlyGuy]

Yes, Thermoworks has one that will read out on your cell phone.

I monitor smoke chamber temp at the grate, and internal meat temp. With alarms set for both.

[hdfry]

Stoopid question #1: What is SnS Deluxe? I'm afraid I get lost in the abbreviations people tend to favor. Thanks!

[bamakettles]

No question is stupid.  We're all learning every day!  SNS deluxe has removable water trough and a welded in section to hold the charcoal.


https://snsgrills.com/collections/slow-n-sear

[DougWilsonsSlapper]

I like the Deluxe over the XL.   The XL is fit specifically for the 26, but the grilling area is more narrow than the Deluxe.   

Stoopid question #1: What is SnS Deluxe? I'm afraid I get lost in the abbreviations people tend to favor. Thanks!

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