Firing up for Ribs

Revolution · March 2007

I plan on cooking 3 slabs of Spare Ribs this afternoon. I will cook at 225 for about 5 hours.[p]My question is about firing up the grill. I usually put about 3 fire starters on the bottom and fll up with lump to about 2 inches above the holes.[p]When do I close the lid and put the daisy wheel on top and close the slider to about 1/2 inch? I sometimes have trouble getting the temp to 225. I wants to stay about 325 to 350 for a long while. Am I letting the temp get too high before I close it up?[p]-Charlie

sprinter · March 2007

Revolution,[p]Definitely. Fill the charcoal to where you do now, place one cube on top of the pile and get it started and let the dampers stay open until the fire hits about 150-175. At that point start dampering it down to where you would usually have them set to cook. Its MUCH easier to control a fire on the way up than it is to try and shut one down.[p]Troy

gdenby · March 2007

Revolution,[p]I don't close the vent and daisy at the start. I leave my vent wide open and daisy off until the dome reaches 200, and then start shutting down. I usually aim for a dome temp around 250 for ribs. I stopped using starter cubes because even a single one would drive the dome temp briefly up to as much as 400, and that was hard to bring back down. Also, I've found that using a gas torch is cheaper in the long run than starters, and way faster.[p]My fires usually stabilize at about 250 with the daisy open just a crack, and the bottom vent around 1/4". After several hours, the heat tends to creep up a bit, and I often have the bottom vent only open about 1/8".[p]gdenby[p]

QBabe · March 2007

Revolution,[p]Sounds like it to me...[p]I usually give my old lump a good stir, get out any ash, if necessary, and then add more lump if I need it. Then using 1/2 - 1 starter cube, I put it in the center of the lump and light it. I close the top and open the daisy fully and open the lower vent fully. I've never left the top open at all. Then I do as sprinter mentioned. When the temp gets up to 125 to 150, I begin closing down the vents to where I want them to regulate the temps.[p]Tonia
:~)

Revolution · March 2007

sprinter,[p]Thanks for the info. At what point do you close the egg top?[p]-Charlie

Revolution · March 2007

QBabe,[p]Thanks Tonia. I thought I was getting to hot before I started closing it down. I will give it a try.[p]BTW, Rachel and I enjoyed meeting you and Larry at the Eggfest last weekend. You guys did a wonderful job. We really appreciate your hard work.[p]-Charlie

WessB · March 2007

Revolution,
If you are using starter cubes you will see the dome temp spike to around 350°.....don`t start making any adjustments until the "flames" from the starter cube are gone....you will see around 350° and then it will drop to the 100° - 150° range and then begin to slowly rise...at around 200° start to set your vents..to many people make the mistake of trying to bring the temp down when in fact it was merely just a flaming starter cube hitting the thermometer..[p]Wess

Revolution · March 2007

QBabe,[p]I tried your method, and I can't believe how I am holding 225 so easy. I usually have to keep adjusting the top and bottom, but today it's like it is stuck on 225 without any adjusments except at the first.[p]Thanks,
-Charlie

Smokin' Nole · March 2007

Revolution,[p]The answers to all of your questions were the ones I was asking... thanks to all the posts[p]Chris

Firing up for Ribs

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