NewBe On Board

[ApothecaryBard]

Greetings from Cinti!
I am new to smoking, and just looking for insight on smoking Ribs & Chicken.  I just got my new Stainless smoker and used the Special Blend wood on a 5 lb whole chicken..cooked it for 4 hours at 250.  The results were good, but when is it time to turn off the smoke, or do you?  I usually cook ribs at 225 for 5+ hours using Liquid Smoke in the oven, how long do you guys recommend smoking in the Bradley?

Thanks for any input

[Ontrack]

Welcome to the forum! As a Bradley newbie myself, and have never smoked a chicken, unfortunately I can't help you there. I have done a couple racks of ribs, the first being dry as dust and the second being delicious. I really don't think I'm qualified to give you any advice, other than to check some of the previous posts. There is a wealth of information on here from many expert smokers. I'm sure you can find what you're looking for and you'll get feedback from the experts, who will be glad to answer any question you may have. Enjoy!

[Wildcat]

Any more than 4 hours is a waste IMHO.  Meat can only absorb so much of this pure smoke.  Some folks find 2 hours enough.  Depends on taste.  Welcome to the forum.

[Mr Walleye]

Here is an excellent post by Iceman on ribs:
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=4290.0

As far as smoke goes I tend to use about 2 to 2:20 of smoke on my ribs. It's kinda a personal thing as far as how much smoke goes. As WildCat indicated, 4 hours is about the max I use and that would be on a butt. Lots of people continue to run the smoke generator after the smoke is complete to help maintain temps.

Mike

[Consiglieri]

With respect to chicken, I've found that birds suck up smoke something fierce.  A little goes a long way. 

Iceman's competition ribs post is one I've bookmarked and found to be helpful.  Ribs seem to be more art than science and there are very few "thou shalts" or "thou shalt nots."  Most of the stuff seems to be a matter of personal preference.  Here's a summary of some of the information I've been able to compile along the "learning curve" and from this site:  http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5348.msg49957

Other thoughts I have relate to seasoning the ribs before cooking.  I typically will apply a mustard slather, some crushed garlic, and then one of the brown sugar/paprika based rubs you read about in the good BBQ cookbooks. 

Cheers and have fun.  Look forward to seeing some pictures.

[Habanero Smoker]

For chicken I generally apply 1:40 - 2 hours of smoke, using either maple, apple or pecan. Or a blend of two of them.

[ApothecaryBard]

Thanks to all who responded, it was a great help!

[Stickbowcrafter]

Welcome aboard!

-Brian

[kiyotei]

I find that brining the chicken before smoking really helps to keep it moist.  If you do brine, make sure you leave the salt out of any rub you apply otherwise your chicken will taste way too salty.  You can also brine pork for better moisture.  Some times I brine my ribs, some times I don't.  I also like to add maple syrup to the mustard I slather on the ribs prior to smoking.

[iceman]

I find that brining the chicken before smoking really helps to keep it moist. 

I always brine the chicken anymore. Ann refuses to eat it if it's not dripping juicy when she cuts into it. The Reveo Vac Tumbler works great for this. (And a lot of other things).
I think Bryan at Yard and Pool has a special on them if anyone is interested. I'm hooked on them for quick brining.

[Duster]

Hey Iceman I thought those tumblers were only used with rubs and not brine's. I guess you learn something new all the time on here I may want to look into getting one now. They advertise 20 min cure time is true with brine's as well? I seen them but just thought they were a gimmick so I didn't really look them over.

[iceman]

Hey Iceman I thought those tumblers were only used with rubs and not brine's. I guess you learn something new all the time on here I may want to look into getting one now. They advertise 20 min cure time is true with brine's as well? I seen them but just thought they were a gimmick so I didn't really look them over.

I have both the Reveo and the commercial version. For the price difference of a few hundred dollars I'd say Reveo. They are made for brine's as well as rubs. 20 minutes max and your done. A chicken can actually absorb enough brine that it will come out of the smoker almost the same weight as it went in. Same with steaks. Makes a great rib eye. ;)