How much do you clean your BS?

[Junk Yard Dog]

I'm a brand new owner of my 6 rack BS, and I have a question for the long time users.  How much do you clean your smoker after use?  So far, I am scrubbing down all of my racks and the "V" drain at the bottom.  I don't want to ruin any seasoning that I've made but I also don't want linguring fats or meat.  The back of the smoker already looks awful, but I think that is OK.  And advice?

[NePaSmoKer]

I leave the crusty seasoning on the smoker cabinet walls but i do clean my v-tray, water bowl and racks after every smoke. My smoke generator i take off and give it a gentle blow out with my airbrush pump and i clean the puck slider of any burnt on wood. Also i clean the cabinet front around where the door seal is and take off my top vent to get the sticky yuck off

Hope this helps and Welcome to the BS forum, Lots of good folks here and very good advice.... like family  ;D

nepas

[Junk Yard Dog]

Thanks, nepas.  Looks like I am doing it right, except I need to pay more attention to the smoke generator and puck slider.  I have my first baby back ribs in FTC right now.  If they turn out OK, I'll post some pictures.  ;D

[hillbillysmoker]

I do exactly what Nepas said also.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The ribs were great !!!  They could have been a little more tender, but the flavor was fantastic.  I used the mopping sauce I used on my pit BBQ pit.

I smoked them with hickory for 7 hours with the temperature set at 210º and smoke time 3.5 hours.  The actual temp was around 200º.  I marinated the ribs overnight with a local rub (Grub Rub) http://www.grubrub.com/ .  Then, I alternated my mopping sauce with apple juice every 30 to 45 minutes.  Then, FTC for 2 hours.

If someone could advise how to get them a little more tender, I'd appreciate it.  Note: pictures may take a while to load - my provider is incredibly slow.  >:(

[NePaSmoKer]

Those ribs look great to me.....sniff....sniff...mmmmmmm

nepas

[Gizmo]

The ribs look delish,
I am surprised that the meat has not shrunk up from the edges of the bones (typical is 1/4 inch).  Since the temps seem right, I suspect the actual air temp was low and if you are opening and closing the smoker to mop and such, that would explain the long time in heat and the lack of shrinkage.  What are you using for the temp gauge?  If you are using the front panel temp gauge, then you are not seeing the temp that the meat is actually experiencing (during the first few hours can be 20 of 30 degrees off). 

You can tenderize the ribs by wrapping in foil with apple juice (and some Jack Daniels :P) and heating (steaming) them for 90 minutes or so.  They will fall off the bone at that point.  I only have ribs in the smoke for 4 hours and then the 90 minutes in foil and Jack.

[West Coast Kansan]

The ribs look delish,
I am surprised that the meat has not shrunk up from the edges of the bones (typical is 1/4 inch).  Since the temps seem right, I suspect the actual air temp was low and if you are opening and closing the smoker to mop and such, that would explain the long time in heat and the lack of shrinkage.  What are you using for the temp gauge?  If you are using the front panel temp gauge, then you are not seeing the temp that the meat is actually experiencing (during the first few hours can be 20 of 30 degrees off). 

Same comments as Gizmo above. May not have been at the temp indicated to you.  Lots of heat loss and time add with the open and door closing.  More info on temp taking methods for tower temp may be helpfull.  Seems consistent with the bones pictures.  Bet they were pretty tasty :)

[LilSmoker]

Hi JYD, as for cleaning i do exactly as Nepas says, after a while you'll get some flakey stuff on the cabinet walls, which can be very lightly brushed off ;)

As for the ribs, yours do look really delicious!, i would definately agree that you have lost some cook time with the mopping, i think most of us are looking for the perfect rib? i know i am.

I've been experimenting a lot lately with ribs, and i'm at a stage now where i'm very happy with the results, sure there's always room for improvement, but generally they're very nice ;)

Obviously a lot depends on how much meat is actually on the ribs, i've had ribs from the same butcher, with some noticeably holding more meat than others.

I no longer marinate my ribs overnight, after removing the membrane, i rub them just before they go in the BS, i sometimes mix up some honey, apple juice and a little olive oil to coat the ribs before rubbing.

I preheat the BS to 200-205f and put the ribs in, i smoke for 3 hours usually hickory, at the 2 hour mark i rotate the racks (and mop if required), at the 4 hour mark i change the water, i replace with hot water to keep the box temp up (mop again if required), again i rotate the racks.
I then leave the ribs for about another 2 hours or more depending on if they're done (6 + hours total).

Or at the 4 hour mark you can remove them from the BS, juice and foil them and put in a regular oven at 190f for around 2 hours or so, or until they're done enough for you, at this stage, the ribs should be very very tender.

Anyway the experimenting is all part of the fun ;)

LilSmoker

[Junk Yard Dog]

Thanks for all of the advice, everyone.  Being an old pit BBQer, it will be difficult for me to shake the habit of mopping often.  If I keep doing it, I now see that I might have to increase my cook time.  Also, I should get a heat resistant thermometer to put on the rack.  I have been looking at the temp gauge on my digital display.

I like the idea of steaming the ribs in apple juice and Jack Daniels.  Do you do this in the oven after smoking?  At what temperature?  I also like the idea of coating the ribs with honey, apple juice and a little olive oil before putting on the rub.

Thanks again.

[Habanero Smoker]

Many use the Maverick ET-73. It has two probes, one for the cabinet and another to monitor the internal meat temperatures. It is also a remote thermometer, so you don't have to go outside to monitor your temperatures. Do a search, there have been recent posts on this product, that gives more details in it's ability and limitations.

I have to agree with Gizmo. Opening the BS that frequently, you were smoking/cooking  much below at 200°F. I don't do ribs often, but when I do I wait to the meat pulls back from the ends of the bones.

As for cleaning, also check the inside walls of the cabinet to gently wipe off any excess grease that may be on the walls. This generally happens when meat may be touching the walls during smoking/cooking times. As LS mentioned, lightly brush off any loose flakes peeling from the wall. I usually use wadded up newspaper. If you don't these flakes will fall on your food creating unappetizing black spots. This is alright if you are doing brisket, butts and ribs, but not when you are doing poultry, fish, cheese and vegetables. There are also occasional cleaning the vent so that it moves smoothly. I found that denatured alcohol works best for cleaning the vent and door seals, just make sure the BS is not hot. With the OBS, it's a good idea to take the generator apart one or twice during the season to get out any built up wood dust and grime. I'm not sure if that is a good idea for those with the digital. I'm sure someone with a digital could answer that.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Thanks, H.S.

I'll check out the Maverick ET-73.  Also, thanks for the cleaning tips.

[Wildcat]

All of the above advice is right on.  I personally like Iceman's rub and sauce on my ribs.  When mine are done in the BS, I slather some sauce on it and then on a hot charcoal grill to partially dry the sauce on the ribs.  It is to die for. :)

[icerat4]

My ribs are done at 190-200 max.15 pounds in one smoker 4-5 hours smoke max.Apple juice after 1st hour and last hour a lil mop of sweet baby rays.Then out of the bs and in a foil pan with foil on top with apple juice sprayed on .Then in my convection oven at 195 temps for another 4-5 hours .These are fall off the bone with a ever slight pull.Very nice.

[Buck36]

The ribs all look awesome!

I don't get too crazy cleaning out the smoker. The V-pan and racks all get thrown in the laundry tub for an overnight soak. I then throw them in the dishwasher by themselves. Everything that is significant gets cleaned. They do have to be by themselves because anything thown in will smell like smoke.