OK, doing some baby backs for Super Bowl. Got through the rub part and set up the smoker this morning. Since it is around 40 degrees, I let the smoker pre-heat before inserting the food. It took a while for the cabinet to get up to 220 degrees. Loaded the ribs and the tem dropped to 155 and has made a slow climb back to 183 but not getting back up to the desired 220 according to the digital generator thermometer. A probe thermometer in the box says it is 222 degrees. I'm figuring the unit's thermometer is off a bit.
I'm going to take the ribs out in about an hour and wrap them in foil with apple juice for a couple hours of just heat. I think it is better to let the cabinet reheat for a good 30 minutes before I put them back
Is this normal?
I'm presuming this summer it will recover more quickly and that part of this is the coldd weather taking its toll, correct?
Yep. Normal. Especially when you put in a big load of meat. Member opt to add a second element or one 900w. Leave the vent wide open and protect the vent from wind going
Across it.
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Quote from: bluedog20175 on February 05, 2012, 10:56:17 AMI think it is better to let the cabinet reheat for a good 30 minutes before I put them back
A bit late for a reply but there's no need to wait 1/2 hour to put the ribs back in the smoker. You're just letting the ribs cool down in the middle of trying to cook them and that's not what you want. Adding a second element will cure the heat recovery problem. I leave the vent open 1/2 when smoking ribs. I only open it full when smoking poultry, which has a lot of moisture.