Hi everyone, I'm Chad. I've been researching buying a smoker for the last couple weeks, partly due to my local favorite rib joint just not being up to par lately, but mainly because I spend way too much on buying BBQ ribs at restaurants. Ribs are hands down my favorite food, and it's not even close. I travel the country playing slow pitch softball and I make sure to check out every local rib joint in every town I go to. So far my favorite place is Red Hot and Blue. I know it's a chain, but man they have great ribs every time. The "OBS" was the first one I decided on, but upon reading reviews I've noticed that in cold temps (I'm in upstate NY) people are having a difficult time getting the electric smokers up to 220. I have some stores withing a 2 minute drive selling vertical gas smokers, but this bradley seems to be higher quality and has great customer service. I can order the bradley online from amazon and get it this coming week, but its supposed to be 37 degrees today and tomorrow, and its going back under 20 starting monday. I'm having a craving for ribs and it seems like a good weekend for it. I've also read on here that most everyone gets a maverick thermometer, which I cannot find anywhere locally. So now I have a dilema. Should I go buy the bradley today, and smoke ribs this weekend without the maverick? Should I wait and order everything online and be better prepared for smoking? Am I wasting my time with an electric smoker, because upstate NY is too cold? Thanks everyone!
Hey Chad, Welcome. First I am defiantly no expert as you can see from my newbie status, but hear are my.02 worth.
I gust received my OBS for Christmas and will only be doing my third smoke later to day. As I only received my ET-73 this week the first two were done with a cheap digital thermo.
It worked just fine, It was a meat probe type so I could monitor the IT of the meat. I just trusted the thermo on OBS for cabin temp , which was pretty close after checking it with the cheap thermo. As you could guess I live in Canada, Ontario to be exact and the outdoor temps are not exactly warm right now. My firs run it was -17C outside but OBS was in my garage(not heated though) I did a brisket and had it running around 225F the whole time. But keep in mind that in that cold it took a while to get their and every time you open the door you loose a lot of heat. I put a brick wrapped in foil, on the advise of the fine people hear to act as a heat sink. I think I might put in another one. My next smoke was done outside and I was smoking side ribs(meat-pics posted in rib trimming). That day the temp hovered around -2C, I did have some trouble getting the OBS up to temp as you can see in post, but it did eventually hit 225F mind you it was near the end of my cook. I (and the wife) thought the ribs turned out great, I just extended the cooking times(thanks 10.5) adjusting for the lower cabin temp. Today it is about 2C and I am going to do a butt, OSb will be in garage again as it will be cooking all night and with it in the garage it will be less of a worry for me. Sorry for the long reply. If you look around some people are adding an extra element to compensate for the cooler temps, I am thinking I will be doing this as soon as I get my Auber. There is great instructions from a senior member detailing this Mod on the recipe site. I am so happy with my Bradley I would not part with it for anything. The customer service is excellent and this forum ROCKES!! Lots of great help for us rookies so you don't ever have to smoke alone :D :D
Hope this help ya out a little and good luck!!
W E L C O M E to the Forum chadder44!
I don't have any personal experience with hot smoking in those low temps, when it gets that low around here - I smoke cheese.
My understanding is that it will get to temp, it just takes longer.
We have Bradley owners in Alaska, Canada, etc...
Some have added an additional heating element to help.
I am new to my Bradley as well, my 8th smoke is happening right now!
I live in SLC, UT and it is cold here. I have done ribs twice using the 10.5 recipe. The first time, I did them all in the Bradley and they were done in 6 hours. The second time, I smoked them for 3 hours and then transferred them to a 225 F oven to finish them. Both ways were great.
My advice if the box is slow to get up to temp is to smoke for 3 hours and then finish in the oven. I bought rigid insulation and have cut it to form fit my box. Help with wind and cold.
Welcome Chad - The ET-73 is great for if you need to stay away from the smoker, but a regular meat thermometer will work just fine. If you get an instant read, you may have to increase your cook time a little due to opening and closing the door. There is a way to help minimize this and that's to put a couple of tin foil wrapped bricks on the bottom to help retain the heat. Good Luck!
ok thanks guys. I'll probably just go buy the thing today then. so you think i will be ok just going by the bradley temperature guage on the door for now?
That should be fine to monitor the cabinet temp, but I'm not sure if it pulls out so you can check the meat temp (I don't have that model). But if it doesn't you can pick up an instant read at a local grocery store for a couple of bucks.
You should be able to find a thermometer with a wired probe (doesn't have to be a fancy remote) for 20 bucks or so.. That will cut down on opening the door to check the temps.
Oneida makes one that works good. Looks like this:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/Sk97Zj2enfI/AAAAAAAA3yc/hKzQp5NMzHU/s800/Device%20MemoryhomeuserpicturesIMG00308-20090704-1054.jpg)
You should be ok in the cold weather. Just try not to keep peaking inside and lowering your box temp down. That is why most here would recommend some sort of external meat probe so you can know what the meat IT is without having to open the door.
A larger pan of water will also help in heat retention & recovery.
Welcome chadder
I live in the lower Poconos. Its gets cold here too, sometimes like 9* I use my Bradleys year round and have no problems. Mine are in the garage and i can get and maintain temps to 225*
Whichever model Bradley you get you wont be disappointed.
ok I just got home, and I got my new OBS. I bought a couple racks of baby backs and some country style ribs too. Do I need to dry rub them? Or should i just smoke for three hours, then foil em in apple juice for 2, then 1 hour with the sauce? Is it necessary for me to buy a meat thermometer this time? I am going to order the et-73, but I thought I could try and wing it this time. Is that a bad idea?
Quote from: chadder44 on January 23, 2010, 04:22:47 PM
ok I just got home, and I got my new OBS. I bought a couple racks of baby backs and some country style ribs too. Do I need to dry rub them? Or should i just smoke for three hours, then foil em in apple juice for 2, then 1 hour with the sauce? Is it necessary for me to buy a meat thermometer this time? I am going to order the et-73, but I thought I could try and wing it this time. Is that a bad idea?
Chadder
Season your smoker first before you do any meat.
Put in all racks, pans and put the heat on hich with no less than 6 wood pucks. Then your ready to go.
I like to use a rub, but even simple salt and pepper works.
You can do ribs without a meat thermometer. Just watch for the meat to pull back from the ends of the bone about 1/2"
Actually the meat thermometer isn't all that useful for ribs - there really isn't any place to put it. Just go by the meat pulling back from the bone.
BTW, I have the same Oneida thermometer that squirt referenced. Works well.
Hi Chad;
Welcome to the forum. I'm a fellow New Yorker.
I find that the cabinet thermometer will generally read lower then the actual temperature, and that also depends on the amount of meat in the smoker. I did many smokes before learning about the Maverick ET-73, and always had good results. The amount you are planning to smoke, should not effect the cabinet thermometer that much.
These links may be of some use for you:
Bradley Smoker FAQ's (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=481)
Recipes (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180)
ok I guys I have 3 racks of baby backs, and a bunch of country style spare ribs. Total weight is about 13 pounds. Am I still good to do the 3-2-1 deal? Should I put em in the smoker for a while before starting the smoke?
Quote from: chadder44 on January 24, 2010, 04:27:53 AM
ok I guys I have 3 racks of baby backs, and a bunch of country style spare ribs. Total weight is about 13 pounds. Am I still good to do the 3-2-1 deal? Should I put em in the smoker for a while before starting the smoke?
This is what I do....start the smoke right when I load the meat.
When I get to the "2" after foiling I rotate racks...front to back and up and down.
When I get to the "1" I look at the meat pulling away from the bones. (rib ends) and see if it's starting to pull back. If not go back to the "2" stage and cook for alittle longer...about an hour and check again.
When it's time for the "1" stage I rotate again.
im assuming you dont need water in the dish during the "2" foil stage correct?
I think the technique MPTubbs uses is a good one. Again, we go by how the meat is pulling back from the bone rather than internal temp.
As far as the water bowl goes, I guess you can take it out. No more pucks going in. But, why bother?
ok guys, thanks for all your help. I was only able to get the smoker up to about 175 degrees according to the bradley dial. I ended up smoking them at 175 for 3 hours, then foil for 2 hrs with apple juice in my gas oven, and then one hour back in the smoker, but in my garage. They came out pretty good, but not unbelievable. To be honest they tasted exactly how I make them when I boil the ribs for a couple hours before grilling. I used hickory wood, and I could taste it, but not as much as I want. The consistancy of the ribs, although they fell off the bone, was not the same as the great smoked ribs ive had at restaurants. I may have just purchased cheap ribs, but to me they weren't as dense as they should be. It's hard to describe, I'm really new at this. I think I just need to use the rub next time, and maybe smoker for a litle bit longer. I'm also going to get the bricks to keep in the smoker as well. But I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for helping me.
Need a bit more information.
What was the ambient weather conditions? Wind and cold play havoc with a cook!
175 on Bradley thermo - did you confirm that with another thermometer? That is a very odd temperature.
Did you have the vent closed? That can cause the temperature to dip
Was the door opened much during the smoke?
Did you preheat?
Was the water cold or hot? If you did not preheat and put in cold water at the same time as the meat, it will take quite a while to get the heat up.
Did you rub and sauce?
When you foiled you added apple juice. I find I lose smoke flavor with the foiling and AJ.
Three hours of hickory should give you a pronounced smoke flavor, but if not, add more smoke time. Or change to mesquite - a more strongly flavored wood.
Did you precook the ribs in any way before the smoke? It is said that if the meat fibers get "done" before application of smoke, the smoke has a hard time penetrating and will just lay on the surface, where it can be washed away.
Are you using an extension cord?
The circuit you have it plugged in to, is it heavily loaded?
Quote from: Caneyscud on January 25, 2010, 11:22:47 AM
Need a bit more information.
What was the ambient weather conditions? Wind and cold play havoc with a cook!
It was about 40 degrees and slight breeze.
175 on Bradley thermo - did you confirm that with another thermometer? That is a very odd temperature.
I dont have another thermometer yet, but I will be getting one.
Did you have the vent closed? That can cause the temperature to dip
I had the vent about 40% open.
Was the door opened much during the smoke?
I never opened the door once.
Did you preheat?
Yes I preheated to 250 degrees
Was the water cold or hot? If you did not preheat and put in cold water at the same time as the meat, it will take quite a while to get the heat up.
The water was very hot.
Did you rub and sauce?
I did not rub, but I put sauce on during the last hour.
Did you precook the ribs in any way before the smoke? It is said that if the meat fibers get "done" before application of smoke, the smoke has a hard time penetrating and will just lay on the surface, where it can be washed away.
I did not preheat at all.
Are you using an extension cord?
yes, I basicallly dont have a choice. All the plugs in my garage are up on the wall too high.
The circuit you have it plugged in to, is it heavily loaded?
No
It is like art chadder, just keep notes and keep experimenting and you will find what you like the best. Everyone does it different and has a different taste they are looking for.
If I were you I would try to rub route next time. Slather it in mustard and some rub, open the vent all the way, make sure temp is actually up over 200, and have a go at it.
I did ribs a couple weeks back and while they were very close to what I love, I took them out a little to soon. Lesson learned there, next time I will wait a little longer for the meat to pull back then I should be good :)
I wished my wife liked BBQ as much as I do so I could use the OBS a little more ;D!
Quote from: chadder44 on January 24, 2010, 07:53:11 AM
im assuming you dont need water in the dish during the "2" foil stage correct?
I would have the dish in all the time to at least catch the drippings.
You want the bark/burnt ends on your meat....not the bottom of the Ol' Bradley!
;)
ok thanks guys. I am going to try this again tomorrow, but this time with spare ribs instead of babyback. The spare ribs that I bought have the rib tip still on, so should I cook them too after I cut them off? I do want to put the rub on them this time, but I dont really want anything too drastic in taste. Also, I noticed that most of my favorite ribs seem to have the "glaze" quality about them, where as my red bbq sauce seems so dark and dull after its cooked on. Is that a problem?
Its really cold in NY right now, so Im guessing that I will cook them in my garage to get the temp hot.
Quote from: chadder44 on January 29, 2010, 10:45:12 AM
ok thanks guys. I am going to try this again tomorrow, but this time with spare ribs instead of babyback. The spare ribs that I bought have the rib tip still on, so should I cook them too after I cut them off? I do want to put the rub on them this time, but I dont really want anything too drastic in taste. Also, I noticed that most of my favorite ribs seem to have the "glaze" quality about them, where as my red bbq sauce seems so dark and dull after its cooked on. Is that a problem?
I prefer spare ribs over BB's. More meat on 'em. From what I've seen on TV BBQ competitions, they also use spare ribs. Maybe one of the people in competition can chime in here.
There are a number of rubs at susanminor.org. Check 'em out.
The sauce turns dark due to the sugar caramelizing. You can try making your own and going lighter on the sugar. Again, check out the link above.
Its really cold in NY right now, so Im guessing that I will cook them in my garage to get the temp hot.
I think we hit a high of 21oF here in CT today with wind gusting to 30 MPH. Not a good day for smoking >:(
Good luck with your ribs.
If your sauce is turnin dark try puttin it on later in the cook, like 30 min before you pull them out.
well guys I gotta say, I changed a couple things and it made a huge difference. I put the smoker in the garage and duct taped a vent to the top and hung it out a window. I put a brick wrapped in foil inside and I was able to get over 200 degrees even though it was only 5 degrees outside all day. I also bought spare ribs and put on a dry rub overnight. The ribs came out amazing. Absoultely right on par with the best ribs i've ever had. Thanks everyone for all your help. I honestly dont need to make ribs any better than what I just did, I am completely content.
Way to go C44. I prefer spare ribs to baby backs. More meat and more fat.
Well done my friend.
KyNola
Good job chadder!
Remember to keep notes on all your smokes.
Soon you'll be a pro with that new toy of yours. ;D
Keep the vent open and the smoke roll'n!
Mike.
Good goin' chaddar. A little experimentation and 'poof' you got it.
As MPT said, keep notes, especially at first. After a while you likely won't need 'em except maybe for rub and sauce recipes you particularly liked.
I think I'm going to try pulled pork for super bowl sunday. Is there anything specific I should know going in?
chadder, this is just my own opinion.
The length of cooking time will depend on temp, size and how ornery the critter was. Therefore, I'd cook ahead. This is a possible scenario.
Put it in around 6PM Friday. Apply 4 hours or so of your favorite smoke (I'd use hickory, but that's just me). It should be done Saturday, hopefully between 9AM and noon. Here you have a cushion to cook longer if need be.
Let it rest for at least an hour. Remove the bark, chop and set aside. Pull the pork. Mix the chopped bark in with the pork. Add some Q sauce if you like. Bag it and fridge it.
The bark has most of the smoke. Mixing it up and letting it rest for a while lets the smoke flavor permeate the meat.
Put the bags of pork in hot or boiling water when you're about ready to eat. Add more Q sauce if desired.
In addition to better flavor, you won't have to be running around cooking and pulling during the game.
ok that sounds like a good plan. When you say "remove the bark", what does that mean, and how do I do that?
The "bark" is the blackend outside of the butt.
Where the rub meets the smoke.
well something didnt go right because my pork shoulder has been cooking for 8 hours and I never developed a bark. I must not have used enough rub. Should I just start over with a new shoulder and more rub? I am almost out of bisquettes so unless I can find some locally I think I am out of luck.
I hope you haven't been applying smoke for eight hours... most only put 4 hours smoke on a butt. 'cept for CRG.
give it time. you should have bark.
nope I only applied smoke for 4, but I'm new to the rub thing and I wasnt very liberal when applying it. I basically just lightly covered the whole shoulder, and spread it around with my hands.
The bark will come like FBR said thru the continuous heat that is being applied.
You have a ways to go, be patient.
Remember you will have a stall in the temp at between 150 to 170 that may last several hours.
Just be patient.
Quote from: chadder44 on February 06, 2010, 05:21:36 AM
nope I only applied smoke for 4, but I'm new to the rub thing and I wasnt very liberal when applying it. I basically just lightly covered the whole shoulder, and spread it around with my hands.
I pack the rub on as thick as I can get it.
but even the brisket with just salt and pepper gets a nice bark after 14-16 hours or so.
pulled pork came out amazing. thanks guys. I'm doing st louis ribs again tomorrow, what should I be doing with the rib tips that I cut off? Do they cook the same way as the ribs?
Quote from: chadder44 on February 20, 2010, 08:48:20 AM
pulled pork came out amazing. thanks guys. I'm doing st louis ribs again tomorrow, what should I be doing with the rib tips that I cut off? Do they cook the same way as the ribs?
Yes, more or less. They will probably be done a little earlier.