Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Ribs are on...err...now done. Scroll down 4 pix

Options
dsmith
dsmith Posts: 147
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Instead of adding to my previous post asking for help with my first rib cook I thought I would start a new thread with photos of the cook intself.

I lit my lump a around 6:45 (I use a propane weed torch for about a minute) and let the temp climb to 250. I then added my soaked applewood chips:
IMAG0100.jpg

and then put the platesettter, drip pan, grate and rig.

I put most of the tips on the BGE 22in grate and then the 4 racks and a couple of other tips on the rig:
IMAG0101.jpg

I started getting some very nice smoke and the temp dropped dramatically as expected:

IMAG0102.jpg

IMAG0103.jpg

I will now simply watch the temp and stabilize at 250. I'll post more in a while. Wish me luck.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    You may get a little harsher smoke flavor than you like.

    The low air flow in an Egg at 250 means the chips can't catch fire, so they don't need to be soaked. Also, if dry chips are added at the start up, they won't dampen the lump, and make it harder to start. They may burn a little, but once the dome is down, that stops.

    The chips being wet, if the lump is not hot enough to bring the wood up to 400F (or higher), the smoke will have lots of unpleasant tastes, with the possible inclusion of creosote, which forms from a mixture of wood smoke and water vapor just above the boiling point. Its better to let the fire go for 1/2 hour or so. The smoke gets cleaner. The ceramic absorbs more heat, and so the temperature drop is not so dramatic.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Options
    Have you verified having your thermometer up and out like that changes the temperature by about 50 degrees (lower). Been there done that and now have the thermometer back in as normal but you may have a longer stem on that Tru Tel.

    Just wondering.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Le Oeuf Vert
    Le Oeuf Vert Posts: 512
    Options
    Good luck. Hope all goes well with your cook. Will be watching for the finished pictures.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    Wow. Good to know. With the temp probe all the way in do you have any trouble with the probe tip hitting the meat? I do not currently have a Stoker or Guru or anything similar and so have no other way to know my pit temp.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    gdenby wrote:
    You may get a little harsher smoke flavor than you like.

    The low air flow in an Egg at 250 means the chips can't catch fire, so they don't need to be soaked. Also, if dry chips are added at the start up, they won't dampen the lump, and make it harder to start. They may burn a little, but once the dome is down, that stops.

    The chips being wet, if the lump is not hot enough to bring the wood up to 400F (or higher), the smoke will have lots of unpleasant tastes, with the possible inclusion of creosote, which forms from a mixture of wood smoke and water vapor just above the boiling point. Its better to let the fire go for 1/2 hour or so. The smoke gets cleaner. The ceramic absorbs more heat, and so the temperature drop is not so dramatic.

    This plan is what I did last week with some butts that turned out well, but I have wondered about how to time the chips. Also, do chips or chunks work better?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Options
    Well that's why some folks raise the probe up, so as not to hit the meat. However, I have verified with the BGE thermometers on both my large and small the temp difference is 30-50 degrees lower with it up. Enough to make a difference even though your thermometer is calibrated.

    Don't think fellow eggers have thought or tested this.

    Try this, if your temp is stabilized, pull the thermometer out and remove the clip and put it back in. what is the temp now?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    I'm seriously thinking about getting a Stoker. If I do, I'm guessing the dome temp will be regulated via its thermometer and making the BGE temp probe superfluous.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    Options
    You're doin fine. Everything looks great. Nice setup. I can almost smell the smoke.

    Good luck and have fun!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    Now 8:42. Overshot temp a little up to about 290F but no biggie. Reheating some waffles from yesterday and making some eggs while my wife gets ready for church.

    Yeah, I know it is Father's Day and I should be kickin' back, but I love to serve my family and the others who will be joining us this afternoon. Essentially, I just love being a husband and dad. I've been blessed with a great family!

    Thanks for all the help thus far.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    There's not a lot of difference between chips and chunks. Unlike metal charcoal grills, the Egg's air flow is so well controlled that even chips are unlikely to burn, unless the dome is open for several minutes.


    So, chunks have a slight edge.

    Have a good day. Looks like you will have lots of good eating.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 2Fategghead
    2Fategghead Posts: 9,624
    Options
    Will you stay close to your egg through out the entire rib cook?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    Okay, so here are some pix. I was gone from 9:15 to 12:15. When I got home from church dome temp had dropped to about 190F and ribs looked like this:

    IMAG0104-1.jpg

    IMAG0105-1.jpg

    The lower racks were not quite so bendable. So, I put BBQ sauce on all the lower tips and 2 of the racks. I left the top racks dry and then rotated the top two tiers. I let cook another 15 minutes and then they looked like this:

    IMAG0106.jpg
    IMAG0107.jpg

    You can see where I had made a taste test of one of the dry ribs. It had a good taste but a couple of the ladies thought they needed a little more time which is why I had put them back on. At this point I removed all the tips and cooked the racks another 10 minutes or so. Everything is pulled now and is wrapped in foil and covered with a towel until everyone else gets here.

    I'll give an update on the feedback I receive. So far so good, but overall I am slightly diappointed with my personal taste test as I am comparing them to my wife's babybacks which she does in the oven. I am reserving final judgement until after dinner. Even so, this is my first go around on making ribs myself and I can already tell there is a learning curve.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    Eh, ribs were tough. The taste was good, but that was about it. Any thoughts based on my story and pix? Everyone said they liked them but I did not.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 2Fategghead
    2Fategghead Posts: 9,624
    Options
    If they were tough they weren't done enough most likely.

    Don't be hard on yourself you haven't had your egg long and practice makes perfect. :) Tim

    My spares usually take around 5 hours but, there are others here that say it takes around 7 hours. I'm glad your dome temp dropped instead of getting real hot. I would not have left them. If your pressed for time you could always foil them for a while to speed up the cook. Be careful not to turn them into mush say an hour or less then leave them out for a while to firm them back up then sometimes you could put a little honey and brown sugar and apple juice in the foil packs just be careful when opening when hot you can get scalded.

    Look over this site by thirdeye a forum member here.

    http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2002/01/pork-spare-ribs-preparing.html
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dsmith
    dsmith Posts: 147
    Options
    Yeah, apparently my wife put them in the oven at 250F for a while for evening and they were much better. I did not eat any more as I was still full from lunch. I did, however, manage to choke down 2 bowls of homemade icecream :woohoo: --> :sick:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories