First time using a smoker

[Gumby]

Alright guys, got a question. i got a rub from Barbequeweb.com for my ribs.

I removed the membrane, washed it and dried it off real good. i put on mustard and the rub, put it in tin foil and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours.

After that i take them right from the fridge, put them in the oven for 2.5 hours @ 275-300 (covered) and take them out. let them rest and take them out of the tinfoil (keeping the liquids in the bottom) and throw them on the grill at 400, basting with the liquids in the bottom and sometimes using a Honey based sauce on it.

But, today. i got access to a S&W .38 Special pellet smoker.

Suggestions??

Thinking 1.5 hours in the oven @ 300 (covered) then throw them on the smoker for another 1.5 hours @ 275. I'm told that i can choose to just get smoke with no heat, although i think you want heat for the flavor to penetrate. anyway, if anyone can give me an idea of what i should do with this, feel free to post. i got about 2 hours from this post till i have to go cook. hopefully someone throws me a rope.

Thanks.

[JamesB]

Are you talking loin backs or spares?

Since you have access to a smoker, why not skip the oven all together? Fire up the smoker to about 235° - 250°, season the ribs as you've been doing and put them on the pit. Spare ribs typically take me about 5 or 6 hours at these temps. You will know when they are done, when you pick them up in the middle of the rack and the meat starts to crack away from the bone. Another way to tell is to grab two adjacent rib bones and try to pull apart. Then the meat pulls easily from the bone, they are done.

Good Luck!

[OSD]

I agree with James. For spares cook uncovered for 3 hours - 1.5 to 2 hours in foil ( don't have to foil if you don't want to ) - then uncovered til done. Baste with sauce the last few minutes before taking them out of the smoker.

[Gumby]

its 5pm here, i can't unfortunately cook till midnight. ribs have been in the oven for an hour now. gonna give em another 25-30 min than heading over to smoke them. going to smoke for 1-2 hours at 250. gonna pick up some apple cider vinegar to spray them with every 30 min. like in that other post about smoking some ribs (is this a good idea?) i got some Garlic honey sauce i baste it with. Thanks for the help.

[JamesB]

Too late to help with this cook, but think if I was going to use an oven any where in the process, I would opt to use it on the back end of the cook. Lotsa good stuff happens to meat in a smokey environment at the start of the cook...

Personally, I'd skip the cider vinegar and use regular cider or apple juice if I was spritzing...

Let us know how they turned out.

[Gumby]

Cooked on the BBQ for 2 hours. sad to say i should have came and got more information before i tryed that.

I made leather, essentially. great flavor in the meat but the skin was almost unbelievable. it was like ribs covered with beef jerky.

i cooked it at 250-300 for those 2 hours. so i think i should of either went with a lower temperature.

[JamesB]

Well it does sound like those poor ribs suffered a bit form overcooking at too high a temp... Best thing about BBQ is that you can always try again!

[DATsBBQ]

For what its worth, as said earlier, for get that oven and use the smoker

[DJ]

What they said.
dj

[Gumby]

Any suggestions? on how long to cook it, what temperatures etc?

is apple cider needed for something?

[Papa Tom]

What part of the world do you live in Gumby?
Ribs are done much differently in different areas and it sounds like you are trying to mix different techniques that you have heard. The best ribs never see an oven or boiling water and as far as I am concerned they never experiencing basting, glazing, spritzing either.
Ribs can be successfully done on a grill or a smoker. Pick a method and go with it. If you want more advice include what type of cooker you are going to use when asking.

[Gumby]

But, today. i got access to a S&W .38 Special pellet smoker.

Well, i found out i shouldn't of tryed to mix techniques, and the ribs we're baby backs.

The only information i really have to go on as for a BBQ was posted by JamesB. I think if i cook the babybacks for 3 or so hours it would be alright, it had a few settings. High, medium and smoke. not sure whats what though.

Medium did 250-300, which is what i used.

[JamesB]

Well, just went a googling and the .357 smoker appears to be very similar to the Treager BBQ070. So I too a gander at the online manual and it looks like you did well to use the medium setting on that pit.

Next time, try going start to finish on the smoker. While, I don't use foil while cooking ribs, the 3-2-1 process seems very popular. Basically it's 3hrs in the smoke, nekkid, 2 hours in foil then 1 hr back nekkid to firm up the meat... Ya might have to play with the actual times a bit depending on the ribs, but it ain't a bad way to start out...

Good luck on your next cook!

[Papa Tom]

Oh that .38 Special is a Traeger type! happens to be down my alley. Try the 321 method heating the smoker up to the medium heat before putting the ribs on then switch back to smoke when you put the ribs on. When you pull them to foil switch back to medium and finish them that way. If they are too done switch to 2-2-1.

[Gumby]

Excellent, thanks alot for the help guys. appreciate it, i got two more racks of baby backs with rub on them in the fridge. tomorrow i'll give it another shot. if i could find a cable for my camera i can show some pictures