Welcome to the IHoP

[KU40 173]

Hmm, well 225 for 4 hours is how I do mine already. I must be messing something up. Should I be putting a can of water inside my Traeger to help keep them moist?

The temperature on the Traeger could very well be hottest near the temperature gauge. My temp is at the grates where the meat is. I suspect yours is off for that reason. If it were ceramic or held the heat better than steel it may be different. On top of that, I bet the temp gauge is a piece of uncalibrated crap. Sure was on my barrel smoker. Might very well be your trouble. And yes, I am sure that mine is right, well at least within 2 degrees which I'll call right. 15-20 I would not.

Do they gasket mod the Traegers? If so, I'd do it. The more you make it convection the more even it will be. Otherwise you'll always be chasing hot/cold spots in it.

I'm positive the temp gauge isn't good. I've stuck other thermometers in there and they are always different. But the smoke setting on the Traeger is a little tricky, because it's not a constant heat. On that setting the auger starts and stops, only ushering in pellets every few minutes. The temp gauge might not be right, but you can definitely watch it fluctuate over a 10-15 minute period by as much as 20-30*. Also, these traegers have two holes on the backside, each about 1.5" tall and 3" wide. But I fear if I plug these up it will make the inside much too hot since the settings are just based on pellet feed rates, not a temperature gauge setting. The temperature gauge is at the top, right in the middle of the barrel.

Ouch. How cold can you set it? Will that make the fluctuations worse if you lower it?

The lowest is the "smoke" setting, which is supposed to be either 225 or 250 degrees, I forget. But even on a warm day outside if you watch the temp gauge provided on the grill, the temperature fluctuates between something like 170 and 210 degrees. But I believe that to be biased low by about 20 degrees.

[KU40 173]

Its officially basketball season in Lawrence now.

52-0

Shit, to me it was basketball season after KU lost to north dakota state 6-3 in the first week. I knew Kstate would walk all over KU today, but my estimate was a 30 point blowout. Guess I was off by 3 touchdowns. Even on our homecoming, no doubt. I'm really not impressed by our new coach, Turner Gill. The kids just never seem ready to play, either motivation-wise or performance-wise. Sure Mangino choked kids, but he won an Orange Bowl.

[KU40 173]

Thank god late night in the phog is tonight. That is the official start of basketball season, where the team can start practice at midnight.

[Optimus_Prime 30]

KC CHIEFS MOFO's

[Godsmack 360]

KC CHIEFS ARE REALLY FUCKING LUCKY MOFO's

I fixeded it for u.

J

[dem beats 1,223]

The gf and I went to Logan's Roadhouse for supper last night, and I think they have amazing ribs. You can't even cut apart the ribs because the meat just falls completely off of the bone and you end up having to just eat it with a fork. Their menu says they slow roast them for 8 hours. How can I do that? I usually smoke my ribs, but they don't turn out as tender and fall-off-the-bone as that. Would smoking them enclosed in an aluminum pan work? Or do I just need to put them in the oven covered with aluminum foil?

I smoke then braise usually. SO what you do is get the smoke on them. Roughly 3 hours maybe. Then make aluminimum pouches with some braising liquid. I use apple cider vinegar as a base. Use some sugary product with it to taste for a great flavor. Then They are in for 2-3 hours. I then pull them out. If you want SUPER fall apart put them all in a cooler with towels for an hour. Then I glaze them with higher heat. Only takes 10 min or so. For glaze you don't need to baste with a sweet BBQ you can just get a good outside flavor and it get's them hot for presentation.

[dem beats 1,223]

The gf and I went to Logan's Roadhouse for supper last night, and I think they have amazing ribs. You can't even cut apart the ribs because the meat just falls completely off of the bone and you end up having to just eat it with a fork. Their menu says they slow roast them for 8 hours. How can I do that? I usually smoke my ribs, but they don't turn out as tender and fall-off-the-bone as that. Would smoking them enclosed in an aluminum pan work? Or do I just need to put them in the oven covered with aluminum foil?

Smoking WILL do that, just has to be the right temperature and right time. Amusingly, I smoked a couple racks for dinner tonight. I pulled mine off before they got that sloppy as I like to have to pull them off the bone with my teeth, half the fun of ribs. They should pull easily though

Try 225 for 4 hours. Longer is okay, but then lower the temperature.

I like mine to hold onto the bone a little longer too. I did 3 racks last weekend and they tasted like magic. I used the 3-2-10 method though and made a sweet plum wine BBQ glaze.

[///M5 2,833]

Looks more too sugary than too rich.

Honestly, it wasn't to sugary.. the butter cuts the sugary taste.

I haven't met a cake with frosting that looks similar that I can eat. I pretty much eat almost no sugar though.

[///M5 2,833]

why? I'm already here

Exactly. Chat in the hop, its what it is for. Not if its "serious" though

[dem beats 1,223]

Hmm, well 225 for 4 hours is how I do mine already. I must be messing something up. Should I be putting a can of water inside my Traeger to help keep them moist?

Maybe the temp might be off? That's my first knee jerk thought. I NEVER put water in my smoker. Maybe the BGE keeps in more moisture.

[///M5 2,833]

The gf and I went to Logan's Roadhouse for supper last night, and I think they have amazing ribs. You can't even cut apart the ribs because the meat just falls completely off of the bone and you end up having to just eat it with a fork. Their menu says they slow roast them for 8 hours. How can I do that? I usually smoke my ribs, but they don't turn out as tender and fall-off-the-bone as that. Would smoking them enclosed in an aluminum pan work? Or do I just need to put them in the oven covered with aluminum foil?

Smoking WILL do that, just has to be the right temperature and right time. Amusingly, I smoked a couple racks for dinner tonight. I pulled mine off before they got that sloppy as I like to have to pull them off the bone with my teeth, half the fun of ribs. They should pull easily though

Try 225 for 4 hours. Longer is okay, but then lower the temperature.

I like mine to hold onto the bone a little longer too. I did 3 racks last weekend and they tasted like magic. I used the 3-2-10 method though and made a sweet plum wine BBQ glaze.

Alton's method is too sugary...but he is a Southerner so what do you expect. Considering your bias towards Paula Deen I am not surprised you like it though. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing which you could probably tell from my cake posts. I use about equal parts brown sugar to other rub ingredients so WAY less.

[dem beats 1,223]

Restaurants regularly boil their ribs first to make them fall off. Complete way to ruin ribs IMO.

Here they if they say slow roasting it means that they are doing it with gas. 8 hours would allow you to use a very low oven temperature, perhaps even below 200F. Personally, on a rack of ribs, I like the texture from ones done warmer. I normally Q mine at 225F which makes them take around 4 hours. I put them in cold. The BBQ is the only place I start with non-room temperature proteins. When cooking slow it is okay and when using smoke it will absorb it better while the meat is still cold.

I grew up boiling them too. Then I got my BGE. Now I get them so fall apart that i want them to be a bit more sturdy.

[///M5 2,833]

Hmm, well 225 for 4 hours is how I do mine already. I must be messing something up. Should I be putting a can of water inside my Traeger to help keep them moist?

The temperature on the Traeger could very well be hottest near the temperature gauge. My temp is at the grates where the meat is. I suspect yours is off for that reason. If it were ceramic or held the heat better than steel it may be different. On top of that, I bet the temp gauge is a piece of uncalibrated crap. Sure was on my barrel smoker. Might very well be your trouble. And yes, I am sure that mine is right, well at least within 2 degrees which I'll call right. 15-20 I would not.

Do they gasket mod the Traegers? If so, I'd do it. The more you make it convection the more even it will be. Otherwise you'll always be chasing hot/cold spots in it.

I'm positive the temp gauge isn't good. I've stuck other thermometers in there and they are always different. But the smoke setting on the Traeger is a little tricky, because it's not a constant heat. On that setting the auger starts and stops, only ushering in pellets every few minutes. The temp gauge might not be right, but you can definitely watch it fluctuate over a 10-15 minute period by as much as 20-30*. Also, these traegers have two holes on the backside, each about 1.5" tall and 3" wide. But I fear if I plug these up it will make the inside much too hot since the settings are just based on pellet feed rates, not a temperature gauge setting. The temperature gauge is at the top, right in the middle of the barrel.

Ouch. How cold can you set it? Will that make the fluctuations worse if you lower it?

The lowest is the "smoke" setting, which is supposed to be either 225 or 250 degrees, I forget. But even on a warm day outside if you watch the temp gauge provided on the grill, the temperature fluctuates between something like 170 and 210 degrees. But I believe that to be biased low by about 20 degrees.

Two choices. 1) Try and understand what your smoker is doing and make it right, or 2) Give up on making it right and finish in the oven/grill.

1) Get a real temperature gauge. I'd suggest something with a replaceable thermocouple so that as you wear it out you can cheaply replace it. Will be useful the rest of your life. The other option of course is to get something cheap that you can throw away when it breaks...and it will break. Once you have a gauge get them going at 225-250 at the GRATES and then see what 4 hours does. Considering you like them to fall off you may need to go to as much as 8 so start in the morning and plan to eat either at noon or for dinner. And yes Matt's recommendation of putting them in a cooler to steam/rest for an hour will make them more tender. It will also tenderize the bark so you have to choose the trade-off.

2) Smoke the piss out of them as low as you can for as long as you do. I asked if you could go lower because cold meat absorbs more and slow is your friend. If I am going to finish in the oven/grill/braise I would smoke closer to 170F, in all reality 140F would be fine but I've never tried to hold a temp that low. At low temps you will get no transformation of collagen and will have chewy nasty meat, but if you are going to break that down later I'd just use the smoker for smoke. Then you can finish in the oven/grill wrapped in tinfoil with some braising liquid. I have a tendency to use wine or stock, but adding some acid like Matt does helps for sure so don't just use water.

Do you have a decent oven? If so, you can baseline yourself reasonably well. Toss a rack in the oven, roast at 225 and see how long it takes to get done. Knowing what you like is key to getting your Que to turn out right. In order to not waste the ones you roast in the oven, I'd suggest marinating them in some asian "juice" before hand and giving yourself a completely different rib experience. And no, I've never done either, just thought of that now but it is making me hungry.

[///M5 2,833]

Hey now, Homeaudioforum.net has a cooking section. Make me answer there.

[///M5 2,833]

TOP

[///M5 2,833]

Hmm, well 225 for 4 hours is how I do mine already. I must be messing something up. Should I be putting a can of water inside my Traeger to help keep them moist?

Maybe the temp might be off? That's my first knee jerk thought. I NEVER put water in my smoker. Maybe the BGE keeps in more moisture.

It does. If you have a Weber Smoky Mountain or similar sometimes some liquid CAN help.

[dem beats 1,223]

I saw someone using something that picked the ball up too. I thought that was ingenious in particular if you have a slobbery dog.

it would work if only jack liked tennis balls. If it's not a squeeky ball with little bumps all over it, he won't even run for it.

One squeek though and he will knock down doors to get outside.

[dem beats 1,223]

I must convince my parents to get a BGE. Atleast for when I'm in town for Christmas. Then I'll take it with me

Win!

i bet your dad would love it!

I'm trying to convince him but he thinks that he has "plenty of grills" (we do have to nice size pits, an electric smoker, a descent gas grill and old smokies.) and that he can "sear" just fine with what we have and he said something about having an open pit or some bs for searing... I dunno

Insert Sean and dem beats (Sean as well?) perfectly crafted argument please...

Explain that the ceramic cooker is pretty much the most fundamental cooking tool you can own. I bet he doesn't have an 800 degree pizza over. Well this one will use less coal for smoking butts, and won't need any tending in the winter.... that is if texas where you has something that resembles winter.

Also as I said before. If you findyouself in a situration where you need to forge weapons or tools or blow glass, you're set mang!

[///M5 2,833]

I must convince my parents to get a BGE. Atleast for when I'm in town for Christmas. Then I'll take it with me

Win!

i bet your dad would love it!

I'm trying to convince him but he thinks that he has "plenty of grills" (we do have to nice size pits, an electric smoker, a descent gas grill and old smokies.) and that he can "sear" just fine with what we have and he said something about having an open pit or some bs for searing... I dunno

Insert Sean and dem beats (Sean as well?) perfectly crafted argument please...

Plenty of suck doesn't make anything good.

- electric smokers are pretty useless, read the train of discussion with Nick. The key to a good smoker is not just smoke, but holding a temperature extremely consistent. There is a reason people use computers to control fire pits in competitions. You need the right amount of heat without going over to effectively break down the collagen. Obviously the time you have helps determine the heat, but when the goal is low and slow keeping it there is huge.

- I see nothing that he has that can sear at all. Perhaps he's never had a truly seared piece of meat. I'll give you a hint. If your broiler in your oven gives you the best finish, then the grill you have is nearly useless for steaks. Good luck EVER making a pizza. A real za needs around 700degF to be happy in the crust.

- Old smokies CAN be effective (assuming you mean something like the WSM) but require heavy modifications to hold heat. Usually a $300 computer controller as well. I had a pit, a WSM, and my Viking C4 (BGE but stainless) all at the same time. One meal on the Viking and I gave the other two smokers away. No comparison at all. On top of that it has EASILY paid for itself. You may ask why? If you can't do better at home what the restaurants do then you eat out. I don't really eat out as that is RARELY the case. There are some exceptions, but not in BBQ. I'd also put my Que up against any all over the country. Yes I've spent a ton of time in Kansas/Missouri, Texas, and the Carolina's. I make better brisket, butts, and ribs then I have had anywhere. Again every now and then an exception, but it is rare and never repeatable. The exceptions I do go to are either Asian or Nouveau Cuisine which I use to explore ideas and flavors while enjoying dinner.

One gas grill and a ceramic smoker is all you need. If you feed a ton of people two ceramics and a big ass gas grill will do.

You will notice in my response to Nick I said oven/grill, but then never recommended the grill to him. My gas grill WILL hold 225F and fluctuate less than 10deg so I can actually smoke/grill/Q on it. It has a couple smoke boxes with their own burners. Amusingly it turns out better BBQ than my pit did, and almost as good as the WSM. Nothing replaces natural lump, but that is about as close as it gets. I only use it to finish, reheat, or cook other things though.

I used my pit regularly like I recommend Nick to use his Troeger. Get smoke in and then finish later. When ribs were on sale I'd smoke 10 racks and then freeze them. They'd get a finish roast / carmelization on the grill later.

[dem beats 1,223]

Sean you answered everything before I could.

you're right though. I like sweeter ribs. Usually make some glaze with honey. I've been getting tired of that style though so I have kicked my glazes up by making a lot of gingery hot sauces. I used some Umeshu in my last sauce. Next time I'm going to base the glaze on it. It might be awesome!

[///M5 2,833]

Explain that the ceramic cooker is pretty much the most fundamental cooking tool you can own. I bet he doesn't have an 800 degree pizza over. Well this one will use less coal for smoking butts, and won't need any tending in the winter.... that is if texas where you has something that resembles winter.

Also as I said before. If you findyouself in a situration where you need to forge weapons or tools or blow glass, you're set mang!

I burnt the gasket out on mine doing pizzas, found a new gasket online that was stable to 1750 deg F. In the process of breaking in the adhesive and gasket before cooking on it the first time, I managed to get the grill so hot that the temperature gauge on the outside of it exploded. After letting it cool down I noticed that the inner edges (ie the part exposed to the inside of the grill) had melted. You want to sear? I think I can get a finish on something rather fast.

[///M5 2,833]

Sean you answered everything before I could.

you're right though. I like sweeter ribs. Usually make some glaze with honey. I've been getting tired of that style though so I have kicked my glazes up by making a lot of gingery hot sauces. I used some Umeshu in my last sauce. Next time I'm going to base the glaze on it. It might be awesome!

I am a rub only guy. No sauce period. If they aren't good dry, they aren't good ribs...even if you are into sauce.

[///M5 2,833]

Of course if they are seasoned right and dry, you better not have salt in your sauce.

[dem beats 1,223]

I am not big on sweets, as in desert usually. I like a sweet BBQ though.

[///M5 2,833]

I like sweet lovin'