Just got my new BS this week and took it for a trial run yesterday. Before getting into that, I should tip my hat to Kirk at Chez Bubba. I got the smoker, Bubba pucks, cover etc. with no hassle and on the promised date. Also had a chance to talk some football and smoking with Kirk.
I did ribs for my trial run, and I was really surprised at how well they turned out for my first try in a Bradley. They were just falling off the bone and very tasty - I think the best I've ever had.
Nothing original about my method or recipe. I kind of combined some things I picked up from Steve Raichlen's books along with some tips from this forum. I soaked the ribs in apple cider with a couple of squeezed lemons for 6 hours. Then I applied a homemade rub and wrapped them in plastic wrap overnight.
For smoking, I put the obligatory bacon strips on the top rack and loaded the next two racks with ribs. Smoked with hickory for 4 hours, emptied the bowl and spent chips and continued to cook for another 2 hours. Took the ribs off and wrapped in foil and towels for another hour. Then I heated up some of my homemade sauce to apply to the ribs. The sauce I make is a knockoff of a sauce they use at a famous rib place in Cincinnati - The Montgomery Inn. Many years ago a Cincinatti newspaper had published a recipe for their version of the Montgomery Inn's super secret sauce. It comes out pretty close.
The one thing I need to improve on is the temperature control for the non-smoking part of the cooking process. Even though the ribs were outstanding, they weren't as hot as they could have been. I think that's because I let the temperature drop to 150 during the last hour. After I get my Maverick this week, I won't let that happen again.
