Smoking up from Janesville, WI

[mcnetguy]

I just want to say hello to everyone.  I purchased my Bradley 4 Rack Digital Smoker yesterday from Amazon.  The tracking says it going to be out for delivery today, and my local grocery store made Baby Back Ribs the Special of The Week.   It's sure is going to be a nice Easter.

I'm 28 and burned many food trying to become a great grill master, but now I can do it in my sleep.  I started smoking on my Brinkman 4 Burner Gas Grill using some smoker boxes placed over the far right burner and my food located on the left.  A lot people told me I couldn't smoke on a gas grill, but those ribs fell right off the bone.  I can't get any better taste burning all those chips to ash, so Bradley it's your turn.   

I'm looking forward to the advice, tips, and recipes.  Thanks.

[KevinG]

Welcome aboard mcnetguy! Make sure to post some pics of that first smoke. Don't forget to season that new toy before you use it.

[classicrockgriller]

Congrats on your new smoker and Welcome to the Forum.

With the Bradley, the ash taste is gone.Here's a link to the recipe site:

recipe site: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/

If you have any questions, just ask.

[OU812]

Welcome to the fun mcnetguy.

[Cker]

Welcome, you're gonna love your Bradley !!

[Paddlinpaul]

Thats is the same way I started except my smoke box was on the left and the ribs on the right. I now have the OBS and love the freedom of not having to monitor nthe temp all the time and adding more chips to keep it going. I ordered my PID last week, hoping it will be here for the weekend. If I can get to he butcher before Friday I want to do my first brisket over the long weekend.

[smokeNcanuck]

Good Day,EH!
It does not get much better than this, as far as smoke'N and forum.
Both top shelf, welcome aboard.

[MPTubbs]

Come on in and have a seat mcnetguy.

A little smokey in here but your taste buds will adjust.

Keep the vent open and the smoke roll'n!

[EZ Smoker]

Hey, mcnetguy.  Welcome.  I started smoking meats about 6 months ago, and I got some great help from this forum.  

Here are some links and some important things I learned:

The link below is a post by iceman, dealing with some important basics (and not-quite-so-basics) for ribs, brisket, and pork butt.  He also explains the FTC process, which is highly valuable, and takes very little effort.  
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=449


This next link has a good discussion about keeping the ribs from getting too dry and a nice pic from NePaSmoker that shows how far his ribs pulled away from the bone when they were ready.  I found it useful.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=8228.0


And this last one contains a discussion about toughness in ribs, but I'm including it because Gizmo provides a nice idea for how to salvage tough ribs after the fact.   It's pretty smart.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5436.0


Below is my simple process for baby back ribs (and by "my process" I mean the process I stole from other people on the Bradley Forum.)

2 racks of baby back ribs (I usually buy Tyson ribs from Wal-mart)
Remove membrane
Liberally apply dry rub (many folks make their own, but I use Gordon's Grub Rub, because it's better than the ones I've made.)
Wrap in saran (tightly, allowing as little air in as possible) and refrigerate overnight.
Remove ribs from fridge and let them sit out for an hour or so while the smoker is preheating. (I preheat my smoker to max temp because the meat always brings the temp down below my target cook temp.)
Put ribs in smoker and cook at 225 F, applying 4 hours of smoke (I like to mix hickory and apple, favoring hickory somewhat.)     
Ribs are ready when they pull away from the bone 1/4 to 1/2 inch.  Usually takes about 6 hours.
FTC for 2 hours (Sometimes I like to plan for a longer FTC in case my cook time is longer or shorter than expected.  I can then add or subtract 30 minutes or so of FTC time without a problem).

Optional: I sometimes brush sauce on the ribs about 20 minutes before they're done, but the bark I get is so good that I like it without any sauce on it.  (I always have sauce at the table for my ribs though).

Notes:
I change the water about 2 1/2 to 3 hours in to the smoking process.
Some people like to spritz or baste ribs with apple juice or 8:1 mixture of apple juice/veg oil.  I don't.
Some people like to cook at a lower temp (210 F or so), but I love the flavor, the juiciness, and the tenderness I get in my ribs, so I haven't been willing to change.  (I like just a little bit of chew when I bite into a rib).
If you're not familiar with FTCing, don't worry, the meat stays plenty hot during the process.  You won't have to reheat to eat it.  I preheat the coooler with hot water before FTCing.

[Bobbert]

Welcome to the wonderful world of smoking!   I live in West Bend, WI and am getting pretty good at briskets and butts!!

This forum has been a great help!  Don't be afraid to ask any questions.

Enjoy