My frist smoke was just ok please help me out.

[icerat4]

my frist smoke came out ok i dont understand why the books said chicken done at 165 when indeed it should be 180 which is correct.ALL I DID WAS PUT CHICKEN RUB on 2 3.5 lbs chicken and a few ribs with just rub on those .Its about 20 degrees out side and no wind it took along time to get heated up but after a few hours it did get up to where it needed to be.the ribs where short ribs with little meat on those should i have put some bbq sauce on those every other hour to help them be not so tuff .those are my 2 questions.Any help on getting the next smoke a little better will be a help.Also is 3 to 4 hours of smoke always the right amount i am the kind of guy who dosent like too much smoke flavor so is that right.

[SMOKEHOUSE ROB]

icerat4 welcome to the forum. well 20 deg out berr cold, i take it you had 2 whole chickens in the smoker, 7lbs of birds did you let them sit out for an hour to come down to room temp before putting in smoker? if not, that is why it took along time to get up to temp, i will cut them in half , instead of a whole bird, will cut down on the cook time, chicken breast should be int temp 160 to 165, i will pull it at 160 then FTC them. no need to bast the ribs that will kill your temp each time you open the door, after 3 to 4 hours i will wrap the ribs in foil with a bit of apple juice then put back into smoker for 2 more hours then throw them on the hot grill 10 min each side to finsh them off, i use about 2 hous of smoke most of the time , unless i am doing big chunks of meat that will take 12 to 20 hours to cook then i will smoke for 4 hours, keep a log each time you smoke something after time you can go back to your notes for tips , it just takes some time to get it down pat ,

[icerat4]

So not 180 like the bradley temp guage says.165 and then the  ftc deal is ok.also unforutate these ribs dont have much meat on them how do i know when there done in the smoker.Remember i am not pre cooking them i rub them down then put them in the bs.all the meat is at room temp when this is done.next time ill get better ribs from my local sams club store they say there the bomb.So if anyone here can tune me in alittle more so i can get fall off the bone ribs would be great.just give me a start to finish deal with nice meaty ribs.Sorry i am being a real newbie here but thats why we have you pros to help the up in comming rookies.thanks agin.

[Thunder Fish]

"chicken breast should be int temp 160 to 165, i will pull it at 160 then FTC " Please insure that this is internal temp usually done with a meat probe
Terry

[Thunder Fish]

"chicken breast should be int temp 160 to 165, i will pull it at 160 then FTC " Please insure that this is internal temp usually done with a meat probe
Terry

[IKnowWood]

Ok, chicken I don't know.  I only done them once and it was Ok.  Now Ribs, I enjoy cooking.  They are indeed a challenge and there are many ways to get them right.
When it comes to pork ribs, the different cuts you get a variation of times only.  They cook to the same conditions.  Baby-backs many times take about an hour or so longer and can be more tender at times.

First, a good rub is important, it makes a big difference as well as how long its on.  This is taste preference but no rub is simple but at times OK.  I like some bite in my rub, little or no sweet.

I have mopped and not mopped.  I preferr now not to mop, just due to heat.  Maybe in summer I might mop, don't know.  I don't see the diff yet.

what I find is watch the time per type of cut.  For Spare-ribs or country ribs, go for 4 hours, then test.  Baby-backs, go for 5.  Then test.  Testing is pull back and twist feel.  If pull-back looks good, then finish with glaze or pull and juice.  FTC them for sure, makes them so much more.  

when all done, depending on what you did, sauce or not they will be amazing.

But do not be discouraged, they are like art, time and talent and trial and enjoyment.  All together...

[icerat4]

WELL my second smoke came out nice.Boy it was cold outside about 20 degrees.It took 2 hours to reach 200 degrees and then it held the temp ok.I put a little sweet baby rays bbq on them and all was good.One other question here how good are these smokers when not in use sitting out side with rain and all other temp i do have the cover but i was just wondering about the abuse factor.