temp problem

[fishcreek]

I am smoke cooking 9 lbs of pork spare ribs.I put them in cold.enough grease and juices droped down on the V plate and clogged all of the vents.I could not figure out how the temp would not rise. After a couple hours I opened the door and saw the problem. Any way to prevent this.This old newbie wants to learn

[Gizmo]

I have only had some clogging once and that was with a couple large port butts and the fat built up and then burned to a crisp preventing flow.  Mine was at the end of the smoke so it wasn't a problem.  Could be one of the reasons I don't run into this problem is I usually pull the meat after the smoke and finish in the oven if it is a long smoke like butts and briskets. 

Only suggestion I could give would be to take a quick look when spraying and assist any drainaige if necessary.  One of the members (I believe HabSmoker) posted a note not long ago about the drip hole being miss-shaped and preventing the actual flow.

[Habanero Smoker]

The problem I had with the drip hole, caused grease to flow and drip down on the puck burner.

But I have had this problem on a couple of occasions. Once when I was smoking two butts and a brisket, and the other time when I was smoking a picnic shoulder - skin on, and a brisket. Other times I have had similar loads but did not have the problem. Like you, I generally didn't discover it until a problem occurs, such as the temperature dropping. I've never had this problem with a small load (9 pounds to me is a small load).

When I checked what was clogging the vents, it was a hard crust, which I felt could only have been caused the sugar. The only thing that I can think of that cause it to clog on a couple of occasions and not on others, may be cause by a combination of the amount of fat rendering, the the amount of sugar in my rubs and the amount of rub that I had applied to the meats. When fat renders from the meat, it will collect some of the rub before falling on the drip pan. The sugars in the  rendering fat carmelizes when they hit the drip pan, then burns and begin to build up.

You didn't mention what type of rub you are using, or if you are moping (spritzing) with apple juice during the smoke/cooking time. You can try trimming your ribs of any excess fat, reduce the sugar in your rubs, reduce the amount of rub you apply, reduce the moping, and/or if you have an open rack you can place an aluminum with low sides on the bottom rack to catch most of the dripping. If you use the aluminum pan, make sure it small enough to allow air flow. You don't need to catch all of the drippings, just a good amount of them.