messed up my first ribs on Bradley. Please HELP

[Jaroslav]

Hi guys,
I have been using smoker for awhile, charcoal Brinkman. I smoked lot of turkey, pork, ribs etc. Most of the time it was great. It needs lot attention, especially cold smoking (no charcoal of course). So I decided to invest in 4 rack digital Bradley. Bought 8 racks of back ribs, invited family and started the smoker. What a disaster. Everything ended up in the bin.
I marinated them in apple cider, then dry rub. I used hickory pucks. I smoked them for about 4 hours. They were chewy lot of moisture and most of all extremely bitter. Reading the blog I figured out that first mistake I made is not to have the vent all open.
The oven was set for 240.
Is there something else I did wrong.
Thanks for all your help.
Carousal(Jeff)

[watchdog56]

Here is a good recipe for ribs.;You can get pictures from the top of the page where you posted your question.


Since we have quite a few new folks here on the forum and it seems that everyone wants to do Ribs or Chicken for their first smoke. I thought I would try to help out with a pictorial of how I make my ribs.

How To Make Ribs in a Bradley

First let me begin by saying that making ribs is like combing your hair. EVERYBODY does it different!! This pictorial is of how I make ribs in the Bradley Smoker. It is ment to be a guideline for you to follow and make adjustments when and where you deem necessary in order to make your ribs YOURS.

I am using Pork Spare ribs in this pictorial, I also found some Boneless Pork Loin Ribs that needed some loving as well.

Once you have your ribs out of the package and drained.



You will want to remove the membrane on the inside of the ribs. This can be done by sliding the handle of a spoon under the membrane to loosen it up and get it started.



Once you have the membrane started. Grab a hold of it and pull firmly and gently. Until you have the membrane removed. If it breaks just start again until you have it removed.



Now that you have the membrane removed it is time to apply your rub. Apply your rub to both sides of the ribs. I personally like a heavy even coating.





Cover your ribs with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to marinate either overnight or for 3-4 hours.



After the ribs have marinated bring them up to room temp. This will help lessen the temperature drop when you put them in the Bradley, and speeding up the heat recovery from when you opened the door, and put the ribs in.



Some Boneless Pork loin Ribs



Once your Bradley has come up to temperature (I like 225*) and the smoke has started to roll.  Put the ribs in the smoker.



I apply 3 hours of Hickory, You can use the Flavor of your choice. After 3 hours of smoke Shut off Smoke Generator. Wrap your ribs in foil with a splash of Apple Juice, My Favorite is Apple Raspberry.



Return the rib packets to the smoker for 1 or 2 hours (1 Baby Backs, 2 Spares) After the ribs have spent their time in the foil wrap. Remove them from the smoker and remove from the foil. Your ribs are just about done. Might even look done, but there is one more step. You have to sauce them.

[KevinG]

Watchdog's got you covered. I suspect marinating in Apple Cider probably was the culprit in your case, along with the vent. Instead of marinating I think you just want to spritz some cider over them and wrap in foil. Sort of steam them in the juice rather than soak them in it. Of course I'm not an expert at it yet, but mine came out great that way.

[DTAggie]

Jeff - sorry to hear you had problems, especially with company over.  I would not marinate, just use a rub then some juice when you foil them.

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Jeff;

Welcome to the forum. Although the circumstances could have been better. I've gone through many vertical water smokers; Brinkman"s and Meco"s.

One of your mistakes was not getting use to the smoker and doing a trial run to get a feel of how the ribs cook in the Bradley. If the ribs were chewy with a lot of moisture, they were not cooked long enough. If you applied smoke for the full four hours, that is a lot of smoke for ribs, and could contribute to the bitter taste (along with the improper vent opening).

Smoking at 240°F is within barbequing range, so that temperature is alright to use, if you want to smoke/cook in that range. If the ribs were only in the smoker for four hours, and with the load you had; it will take much longer for the ribs to finish. Also because it only has a 500 watt heat source, you will be cooking well below 240°F, while your smoker struggles to recover and get to 240°F.

[NePaSmoKer]

Sorry to hear. We all benn there.

Slap some CT on the next ribs and let em go.

[Pachanga]

Jaroslav,

I agree with Habanero.  The ribs needed more time.  They never reached an internal temperature high enough to cause the magic to happen.  Reactions in the meat start to get heavily active in the 160 F range and continue until the meat is pulled and rested around 190 to 195 or fork tender.

Your recipe sounds fine.  Just take more time.  As Habanero states, even though your thermostat was set at 240, the true chamber temperature was much lower due to the load and low wattage of the Bradley.  Bradley smoking takes time, but if you prepare for it, the longer smoking times are worth the effort.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[db14]

Jaroslav, I had the same issue the first time I used the Bradley for ribs and have since been able to perfect the ribs in my case.  They looked done, but came out a little tough and chewy.  I didn't have the issue with the bitter taste, but I think that might be attributed to the marinade.  You'll want to keep that vent at least half open also, I go about 3/4.  Anyway, I solved the texture issue by keeping the temp slightly lower.  Originally I aimed for 225-230F and cracked the slider up and then backed it down.  The problem is I ended up in the 240F range for most of the cook.  Now, I aim for about 220F and err on the low side.  This allows me to cook at a lower average temp and cooks all the fat out of the ribs without overcooking.  To help keep them moist I baste with apple cider vinegar and wrap in foil after about 3 hours and leave in the foil for about 1.5 hours.  Then unwrap and throw them back in for about 45 minutes.  The lower temps and the foil stage did a lot of good.

I also agree with Habs and Pachanga, 8 racks of ribs should take more in the 8 hour range to cook.  It takes time and practice, don't get discouraged.  It soudns like you know you're stuff, you just have to get use to your new toy.

[Caneyscud]

Did three rbb racks 2 weekends ago at 225.  One took a little over 4 hours, the other two about another hour - the meat cutter really left lots of loin meat on those two.  I smoked for 4 hours.

1.  No need to marinade - but if you like the taste.  Could have contributed to bitter taste, but probably not.  But it is not a taste I want on ribs. 
2.  4 hours of smoke probably ok, unless you are real sensitive to smoke flavor.  Next time cut back to 2 or 3 hours to see if you like it better.
3.  Number one problem - not long enough - even at 240, (but you probably weren't at 240 as Hab and Pachanga already said)    As Pachanga said - none of the low-n-slow magic had yet to be performed. 
4.  You made no mention of rub.  Did you use any?  Bitter taste could have been from that.  Some people like a lot, some like little. 
5.  A closed down vent might have been a problem with the bitter taste, and definitely a problem with temp. control. 
6.  I do mine different than most.  Salt, pepper, cayenne for a "rub".  I smoke the entire time usually.  I mop with one of a variety of mops that contain a lot of oil/butter/margarine.  Adds flavor and keeps the outside somewhat cool and moist.  I don't cook to "fall off the bone" stage nor do I use foil or bbq sauce, honey, or fruit juices. 

Jeff,  lost of 1st rib cooks are not successful.  They seem so simple, and they are, but you have to understand the machine and what is going on with the meat.  Next time easier not to do so many racks.  Tweak a few things, and I bet you will come out with some great ribs.  And by 2 or 3 more smokes, you will be the rib champion of the neighborhood. 

[db14]

5.  A closed down vent might have been a problem with the bitter taste, and definitely a problem with temp. control. 

Didn't even think about that as a culprti for the bitter taste.  That would make some sense also.

[Jaroslav]

Thanks guys for all your replies. It was little discouraging but I am not gonna give up. I love ribs too much. Eventually I want to get to cold smoking. That is the main reason I bought Bradley. Does the cold smoker generator make a difference?
THX Jeff

[Habanero Smoker]

The cold smoker adapter does make a difference, but you can also build your own.
Cold Smoking
You can also make it out of plywood, and one member made his out of sheet metal.

With the generator attached to the smoker, the cabinet temperatures can easily reach 150°F, often requiring ice to keep the temperatures below 90°F. With the cold smoke generator you can easily control the cabinet temperature or don't have to control it at all, and depending on where you live and season, you don't have to add ice to keep the temperature down.