New to the Bradley scene, not to smoking - basic question

[Doc BBQ]

Well, the results for my first attempt on the smoker were not too bad. I added the chicken thighs to the regimen on a last second whim (they were cheap and sacrificial). I took them off after about 3 hours - but that also included the acclimation time as well. I inserted an instant read thermometer and it rose to 191'. I thought I was screwed - I was wrong. The sacrificial experiment was really good!

I then took the beef ribs and pork spareribs off about 30 minutes later. The beef ribs were a little tough, but this was only my third attempt ever with them. I am not sure if that is simply the nature of the beast or I need to work on technique. Could too long at a low temperature contribute to toughness? The unit never got above 220', which concerns me. It seemed to hover around 190-200'F.

The pork ribs were good, but still a little tough as well. All in all, I'm not disappointed. My five year old boy liked the beef ribs, that's worth something!

[SoCalBuilder]

Glad to hear everything turned out okay Doc. I haven't tried beef ribs yet. I'm not allowed to eat them in public anymore as I evidently subconsciously growl when I'm trying to get the last bit off the bone ;D