Ribs not up to par

[Nibby4239]

I smoked 3 racks of BBribs yesterday. Total of 10.5 lbs. I preheated to 257 degs. according to my Maverick with 2 wrapped bricks inside. put in my ribs on top 3 racks. Went with 3 hours of smoke. After nearly 4 hours my cabinet heat was up to just 201 deg. The slider was on high. I removed ribs and wrapped in foil with apple juice. Put in preheated oven at 250 deg. for 1 hour. Unwrapped and put on the sauce  and back in the OBS , which was at 261 deg, for another 1-1/2 hrs. Heat dropped  down but gradually climbed back up to 210 deg. I had to pull them as we had company for dinner and it was that time. Result-- tasty but not FTB. Conclusion the OSB as standard can not handle that much BBribs in the customary 5 hrs. My first BBribs were perfect but it was only 2 slabs. These were FTB.

Now I am studying all the post I can find about adding another element. Since I am not using a PID , I am thinking of just adding the element thru a swicth. That way I can manually turn on when the a boost is needed to get the heat up. Any thoughts will be appreciated. I see Yard and Pool mentioned frequently for Bradley parts but is it in the states of Canada? I am in South Carolina.   Nibby

[NePaSmoKer]

Sorry to hear your BBR didnt come out as you liked.

Y&P is located in Frederick Maryland.

[FLBentRider]

I have not done the 3-2-1 per se, but I find that large loads take more time.

I rely on visual clues such as the ribs pulling back from the bone.

and I have under cooked and over cooked ribs.

I use the house oven after the smoke. It's higher wattage holds the temps better.

[Tenpoint5]

The 3-1-1 usually works good on BBR's but with a big load like that I would have used the 3-2-1 and left the ribs in the smoker the whole time. Like FLB said I would be watching for the visuals along the way as well. Hopefully the next batch come out better for you. IMHO you probably don't need the extra element just yet, more like more time was needed.

[squirtthecat]

Maybe 3-2-1 +1 +1 for a load that big.

[MPTubbs]

Ok I give up.....what's a 3-2-1?

[Caneyscud]

3 hours of smoke unwrapped
2 hours in foil in smoker - no smoke
1 hour unwrapped in smoker - usually no smoke

[Tenpoint5]

Ok I give up.....what's a 3-2-1?

3 hour of smoke
2 hours wrapped in foil with a splash of juice
1 hour unwrapped with sauce

[MPTubbs]

Got it!

I thought the 3 meant smoke but I had a brain fart and the 2-1 f**ked me up!

[Caneyscud]

True fall off the bone ribs, where they just break apart is generally thought of in competition as "over done" .  The Judges really want to see a little bite take the meat cleanly off the bones.  The good thing about BBribs is that by virtue of where they come off the hog, (next to the loin), they are generally pretty tender and don't need long low-n-slow.  One reason the restaurants like them - faster to cook - time = money.  Many times I have basically grilled them and they have turned out quite good, tender and tasty.  Three racks of BBribs is not that big of a load for a Bradley, you just have to keep temp up.  That may be hard right now in Neb. and may be why it took longer.  I have had three racks take 4 hours, but that was in warmer weather and no peeking or opening the door until late in the cook.  

[Nibby4239]

Thanks guys for your input. I did forget to give the outside temp during the smoke. It was around 60 deg. when I started and
I hate to mention that it was near 70 deg at finish. I know you guys with the "white world" or s**w wouldn't  like to hear that.
Nibby 8)

[Quarlow]

Nibby if you haven't already get a couple of bricks and wrap them in tinfoil. I keep one next to the water bowl and the other goes on the bottom rack or on the v-tray. They act as a heat mass and help to recover you tower temp after opening it and they will also help somewhat to regulate the temps too.

[Max]

When I do BB ribs 6 - 7 hours is normal. It's cold up here in New York state. And they're not done until you can see a good 1/4" - 1/2" of bone poking out.

[Roadking]

We usually do a 2 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 4 + 1.   Wait you talking about ribs?   Shoot, wrong show.  ::)

[Nibby4239]

    Quarlow, I do have 2 bricks as you suggest. I started out from day one using the bricks to hold heat. I picked that up from you guys before I turned it on. I appreciate all the thoughts you guys have given me. One question since, I am in South Carolina would I be better to order parts for adding an extra element to help with heat recovery, from Bradley HQ.,  Yard and Pool or is there a closer source for me?  I do need to call Bradley for a new face plate, as mine is cracked? Before actually using, I added two plastic blocks on the bottom front to keep the front legs about 1/16" off the table it is setting on. I also loosened the screws on the top of face plate slightly. I thought this would avoid cracking, Obviously I was wrong. It appears to be inherent in the beast.   ??? Nibby