Back Ribs - not taking enough smoke - need advice

[robyorke]

Have used my bradley successfully for a couple of years smoking some pretty good ribs.  Usually do the 3-2-1 method and apply generally 3 hours of smoke.  Results have been pretty good although I have noticed that these do not come our with quite a bit of the smoke flavour.
Well, I decided to try and get them extremely smoky and to try 7 hours of smoke basically smoking the whole cook time.  Well, I have to say that these ribs were not anymore smoky than the 3 hours smoke.  I used a combination of mesquite and hickory for these ribs. I usually smoke with the vent wide open.  Generally smoke at a temp of 220 but this time I used 170 for longer cook time.
I have noticed that the pucks do not appear to be fully burned but searching through the forum it seems that this is fairly normal.  There was a lot of soot buildup on the puck burner but I had cleaned it fairly well.  There is a constant roll of smoke coming out of the bradley while smoking which is what you would expect.
Someone suggested that I try changing the vent setting to try and trap more smoke basically simulating their woodburning smoker where the smoke rolls through the smoker.   Again, based on some things in the forum it appears that the vent should basically be fully open.  I am thinking of closing down the vent to 1/4 open smoking for 7 hours and see what happens.  Anyone experiencing this same or have some ideas?
btw: I am trying to get these as smoky as a friend of mine who uses a wood burning smoker.  He gets quite a bit of the smoke flavor into his ribs.  Way more than mine.  I have tried the exact same method as he has (same rub, same smoke/cook time, same wood). Only diff basically is the smoker is what I tried to simulate.

[Ka Honu]

Don't close down your vent unless you really like basting your food with black rain.

I'm not the expert here but I am the one sitting around on Christmas Day with nothing to do while waiting for the cookers to finish their job, so...

You may not be able to get a whole lot more smoke flavor in the Bradley - after about 4-5 hours you reach a point of diminishing returns because (among other things) after a certain temp is reached, the meat doesn't accept all that much more smoke.  Options you might try are some combination of stronger flavored wood (although I guess you can't get much stronger than the mesquite and hickory you're already using), cold smoke for a while before you heat up the chamber, or add extra smoke during the first 3 hours by using something like an A-Maze-N smoker tube or maze along with your pucks.  That's a total WAG so I'd wait for someone smarter than I to confirm, deny, or offer alternate suggestions.

[TedEbear]

Just a basic question but you are removing the membrane that is usually still on the back of ribs when you buy them, right?  The membrane will block a lot of the smoke from getting to the meat.

[Habanero Smoker]

You should try closing the vent, but closing it to 1/4 open may be too small. The 1/4 setting for ribs may cause condensation inside the smoker, and also may cause the smoke the back out through the generator, which can deposit moisture and residue on the components inside. Try setting it to 1/2 to 3/4 open, and if there is no condensation inside the smoker you are find. If you find there is condensation and open the vent a little further.

I have cooked ribs in both the Bradley and my charcoal burner, and I will definitely get a smoke flavor from both, but they have different tastes. Cooking with wood and/or charcoal gives the food a different flavor, which I associate with those fuels. With the Bradley I will generally apply 2:00 - 2:40 hours of smoke and I get a nice smoke flavor; but lack what I call "charcoal" flavor. More smoke then that I get an overpowering taste of smoke, and that is all I can taste. Has your friend with the wood burner sampled your ribs? If so what does he say about them?

Also it is not recommended to smoke/cook uncured whole muscle meat below 200°F, some sources will go as low at 180°F.

[KyNola]

Is it possible that because you are out there "in the smoke" all day that by the time you get the meat in and taste it that your taste buds are simply dead to the smoke taste?  Happens to me quite often.

I agree with Habs that cooking those ribs at 170 can be a dangerous thing to do.

[robyorke]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and comments.
I do remove the membrane from my ribs and I do generally smoke them at 220 but again I wanted to simulate the process of my buddies smoking which he had done at the lower temp. 
People do like my ribs and have no problem with the amount of smoke that is embedded in the ribs from my standard 3 hrs of smoke.
What I was attempting was to get these ribs extremely smoky which was the reason for the 7 hrs of smoke and to get them very similar to my friends.  Also I do not think that it is just me and being out in the smoke all day either as the comments from other people who eat the ribs have the same viewpoint regarding the smoke.
I will try closing the vent to 1/2 and check for condensation to see if this will help.  I will also try cold smoking for an hour or so at the initial startup and then do 3 hrs of hot smoking. . I think this could help as well

[KyNola]

You are not going to be able to replicate the same results from a stick burner by using a Bradley.  They are two different animals.

[robyorke]

okay.  Got it.  Thanks for the feedback.