The Texas BBQ Forum

TX1911 wrote:Typing this, I realized just how difficult it is to reduce tastes to writing.

GOOD JOB

Justin here are several things that you can try if you would like and see if they help. First off, ditch the water, the wet wood, and the charcoal. Just my opinion, but all these things put stuff in your offset cooker that you don't necessarilywant or need. You'd be OK if you used lump charcoal, but briquettes have all kinds of crap filler in them, they might as well come off the floor of the Lumbermill from the shavings. I always use dry wood, and use a fat wood stick or two to lite it with. You can get fatwood at an Academy sporting goods store. It is just a stick of pine that has retained resin and therefore burns, but will burn off the resin quickly and Tends to be a good starter for your dry wood. Build a big honking fire initially and let it burn down to a solid bed of coals before you put your rack on. Thereafter, use small splits, preferablylike one or two Inch sticks if you can do it, to "feed the baby" for the rest of the cook. This will help you control spikes in the heat, because you're not putting in a bigger volume of fuel that's smolders at first creating a bitter taste while it's trying to get up to speed, then suddenly flares up into a bigger fire because of the volume of wood involved. Use the turtle principal, small slow and steady gives you a controllable consistent fire, that's Ranger policy.

Next, at least till you get the hang of it, go with Hickory if you can get it. Make sure it is good, dry, and hard cured. Academy also sells bags of this at reasonable prices in small splits that should fit in even a small offset cooker. Hickory provides a sweet sharp smoke, Burns well through consistently and long, and is a reasonably hot burning wood. It is all we use for chickens and pork, One benefit is that it almost always renders a nice mahogany color to the meat.

Another good trick is to brine your ribs overnight in the fridge prior to cooking. I use a brine of Bock beer, a little bit of rub, and don't shoot me for saying this, but teriyaki and a little bit of pineapple juice. We find this is just a little bit of a Hawaiian influence to the flavor. The brine will help draw out the bitter gamey taste that pork sometimes gets, and will help you get a juicier rack.

Finally, a lot depends on your temp and cooking time. I run mine at 200 to 225 for 7 to 9 hours, often times wrapping them in foil for the last three or four hours, with a little bit of Bock beer poured in the wrapper for moisture.

Hope some of this helps and good luck. – Boots

Junky offsets are more headache than they are worth. Its not going to hold a temp and you are going to spend your time fighting it. Ditch the junky offset, get a Kettle and get back to basics.

rockinar wrote:Junky offsets are more headache than they are worth. Its not going to hold a temp and you are going to spend your time fighting it. Ditch the junky offset, get a Kettle and get back to basics.

Them's fightin' words!!!

rockinar wrote:Junky offsets are more headache than they are worth. Its not going to hold a temp and you are going to spend your time fighting it. Ditch the junky offset, get a Kettle and get back to basics.

OUCH

I thought that the Oklahoma joes were good smokers. I think it is more the user than the smoker

JustinCouch wrote:I thought that the Oklahoma joes were good smokers. I think it is more the user than the smoker

Whatever you do on the next cook, make sure you only change one thing. Changing fuel seems to be the most obvious thing to me. Whether it's chicken or ribs, do the same process you were doing before, just try a different fuel.

If you nail it on the first time, bonus! If you don't, see if you like the flavor better (you don't necessarily have to like it, it just has to be better than last time), keep the change, and change one other thing. Keep that going until you either find the culprit or hit a flavor profile that you enjoy.

Just don't give up!

thanks 1911, I think that is the best advice I have got yet. I am also picking up some oak that my dad and I cut about a year ago. I hope it is dry, but I will be waiting to get a moisture gauge. Do you know if post oak is close to what we call white oak here in the south east?

Technically it is different, but flavor profile should be the same.

Agree with everyone about the wood. Its hard finding good wood. I bought half a cord of post oak from craigslist and it wasn't wet but it was probably seasoned only a couple months. I fought the fire the first time I used it. I just used it again this weekend (3 months later) and it was a lot easier. Sitting in the Texas heat

But before that I used B&B wood splits and maybe out of all the logs in the bag 2 or 3 were not as seasoned or dry. But it always burned good and meat flavor was amazing. Ive used their post oak and pecan. Pecan is by far my favorite wood to use. But always change one variable at a time. Sucks but that's how i learned.

If you have read the Franklin's book he says that wet wood doesn't burn as efficient leaving a bitter taste on the meat. So this could be your issue. Also recommend reading his book.

Good luck. hope your next smoke comes out better.

+1 on pecan, but use it exclusively for non-steak beef.