Meat Smokers

[longrangepistol]

I must be doing something terribly wrong with my cookshack because I have never been able to achieve bark like that with my cookshack. What temp and time range are you cooking at to get the ribs to bark up like that? I can only achieve that when I use my log burner.

I season the ribs the night before, wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight. I don't pre-heat, I just place the ribs in the middle rack, a single block of hickory and set the temp at 225 for 5 hours. I'll start getting meat retraction off the bone at the 4 1/2 - 5 hour mark. I pull the ribs, wrap in aluminum and pour a little cranberry juice onto each rib, wrap and place back in the CookShack. I'll let them smoke for 45 mins - to an hour and pull. Unwrap foil, place ribs back in smoker and finish for 20-30 minutes.

You'll get a beautiful bark, juicy ribs falling off the bone and many compliments from your family and guests.

LRP

 

[Lurkerinthewoods]

I season the ribs the night before, wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight. I don't pre-heat, I just place the ribs in the middle rack, a single block of hickory and set the temp at 225 for 5 hours. I'll start getting meat retraction off the bone at the 4 1/2 - 5 hour mark. I pull the ribs, wrap in aluminum and pour a little cranberry juice onto each rib, wrap and place back in the CookShack. I'll let them smoke for 45 mins - to an hour and pull. Unwrap foil, place ribs back in smoker and finish for 20-30 minutes.

You'll get a beautiful bark, juicy ribs falling off the bone and many compliments from your family and guests.

LRP

Gonna have to give the cranberry juice a try. Maybe I need to turn up the heat a little more or move them to the bottom rack as suggested. Thanks for the cranberry tip.

 

[David2012]

You guys are hard-core smokers!!!!! I'm just a novice at smoking meats. I've got a cheap $120 Great Outdoor brand 'Smokey Mountain Series' upright box smoker that heats with propane. I stick in my water pan filled with liquid hickory smoke.... along with a couple of chunks of charcoal & some pecan chips in a steel smoker box off to the side so it smolders... and get falling of the bone ribs and tender brisket.

Question: Do you guys ever boil your ribs before cooking them in the smoker to make them tender? I hear that a lot of people do and I've see that recommended on the rib packages... but I never have... and still end-up with falling off the bone ribs.

Disgruntled Computer Tech.... I saw from your pictures that it looked like you had polished the inside of your barrel. By chance did the barrel have some kind of chemical stored in it before you converted it into a smoker? I've heard that some chemicals can leach into the metal [even when washed very well] and then when the barrel is heated for smoking meats... hazardous fumes are released.

 

[Danny Tanner]

I have one of these as well. I need to get some new grates for it, probably going to go with plain old cast instead of that ceramic-coated stuff they send out with everything these days.

The gas side I do use quite a bit, for spur of the moment cooking, when I don't want to break out the charcoal, etc. It will go from zero to 500F+ in literally less than 2 minutes. In fact, with the lid closed and all three burners on low, it's hard to keep it under 450F. If I crank them, it'll peg the thermometer really quick, which I think is 750 or more. I don't do that very often!

Most nights when I'm cooking for multiple people, I'll use both the gas and charcoal side. It's equivalent to dual medium-sized grills. I usually do the meat on the charcoal side, and do some hot dogs for The Boy on the gas side. Also vegetables, and I have a good friend who is a veggie-tarian, so I often cook her not-meat burgers sausages (a term I use loosely) and stuff on the gas side, too. I do grill a lot of veggies, from foil packs of onions, shrooms and squash to olive-oil and garlic-marinated asparagus, etc. Last night I did some brats and dogs, and threw on a couple of portabellas (sp?) with a little Old Bay and olive oil drizzled on them. So, since it was a "quick cook", I didn't feel like breaking out the charcoal, the chimney, etc.

I have the smoker box as well, but I haven't had it out of the box yet. Got it last year, but didn't really have a lot of time to do anything major last year. I've never smoked anything, so I need to do some research on how to do the whole thing. If anyone has any tips, especially with this particular grill, I'm open to suggestions.

Anyways, big thumbs' up for this grill. Best I've ever owned, hotter'n hell, versatile and economical. I love it.

Besides the complaints about the finish, the other major complaint I've heard is that when using the side fire box, people are getting temps way too hot for smoking. Like 400 degrees hot. But, not everybody has this issue. It seems most can cook and smoke just fine, but enough people have mentioned the problem to make it seem more than just user error. YMMV, though.

Thanks for everyone's input on this unit.

 

[Shadowrider]

I must be doing something terribly wrong with my cookshack because I have never been able to achieve bark like that with my cookshack. What temp and time range are you cooking at to get the ribs to bark up like that? I can only achieve that when I use my log burner.

I season the ribs the night before, wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge overnight. I don't pre-heat, I just place the ribs in the middle rack, a single block of hickory and set the temp at 225 for 5 hours. I'll start getting meat retraction off the bone at the 4 1/2 - 5 hour mark. I pull the ribs, wrap in aluminum and pour a little cranberry juice onto each rib, wrap and place back in the CookShack. I'll let them smoke for 45 mins - to an hour and pull. Unwrap foil, place ribs back in smoker and finish for 20-30 minutes.

You'll get a beautiful bark, juicy ribs falling off the bone and many compliments from your family and guests.

LRP

Bark is over rated. lol

I've never got a bark on anything, but it doesn't affect the taste one whit. 225 seems to be the goto temp in my Cookshack for ribs, butts and brisket.
I usually use a golfball size pile of apple chips and a nice size chunk of hickory. The apple chips get smoking like crazy and gets into the meat fast when it's still cool and the oven is coming up to temp.
Once the smoker is fully up to temp the hickory kicks in.

Longrange, I'm gonna try that on my next set of ribs. Sounds good!

 

[WhiteyMacD]

I knew about tr doc, but for a gun forum, I would never have expected so many meat smokers.

 

[Lurkerinthewoods]

Question: Do you guys ever boil your ribs before cooking them in the smoker to make them tender? I hear that a lot of people do and I've see that recommended on the rib packages... but I never have... and still end-up with falling off the bone ribs.

If I boiled my ribs before smoking them, I honestly don't think I would make it through the meal without being heckled to death or at least strung up and beat with a belt. It is my opinion and I don't wish to belittle anyone's cooking style, but if the meat falls off the bone, the rib is cooked too long. It should pull easily away from the bone when bitten into to, but not fall off the bone when handled..

Shadowrider, Academy is now selling Apple wood chunks instead of just the chips.

 

[tRidiot]

If I boiled my ribs before smoking them, I honestly don't think I would make it through the meal without being heckled to death or at least strung up and beat with a belt. It is my opinion and I don't wish to belittle anyone's cooking style, but if the meat falls off the bone, the rib is cooked too long. It should pull easily away from the bone when bitten into to, but not fall off the bone when handled..

Shadowrider, Academy is now selling Apple wood chunks instead of just the chips.

I have parboiled mine many times. Or baked them in foil. But not for smoking, I just throw them on the grill at the end to put a good sear on them. I've always had really good luck with this. I know alot of purists turn their nose up at it, but for us regular folk, I've never heard a complaint about it.

Used to parboil them in GrubRub and some Tony Chachere's. Mmmmmm.... dayum.

 

[Eddie005]

I have an Oklahoma Joe's and cookshack both. The Cookshack is so much easier and so foolproof that I havent used the Oklahoma Joe's in years. I never had anything turn out bad in the cookshack, it makes the best baby back ribs I have ever had and it turns out somw awesome turkeys too.

 

[Disgruntled Computer Tech]

Disgruntled Computer Tech.... I saw from your pictures that it looked like you had polished the inside of your barrel. By chance did the barrel have some kind of chemical stored in it before you converted it into a smoker? I've heard that some chemicals can leach into the metal [even when washed very well] and then when the barrel is heated for smoking meats... hazardous fumes are released.

Mine used to contain some sort of soap that was non-toxic and biodegradable. My dad kept cow feed in it for a while and they cows lived, so I will probably be ok. LOL (I hope)