British BBQ Society Forums

I'm doing my first smoke this weekend on my kettle, was hoping I could type out my plan and anyone could advise if I'm right on track or need some adjustments?

For my ribs I'm going to rub the night before, then I'm going to smoke at about 210f for 3 hours, foil for 2 hours then glaze in sweet baby rays for a further hour (total of 6 hours 3-2-1)
And for the chicken thighs I'm going to smoke for 2 hours then glaze and put back on with the ribs for the last hour.

Does this sound about right? With these timings I can do the ribs and chicken at the same time, I'm going to use snake method and hickory chips for smoke (wrapped in foil)

I personally cook ribs at a higher temp to that and I've found getting a kettle that low can be a struggle. The only other thing I would say at this point is that the 3-2-1 is a populR method in the States but their ribs tend to be bigger and meatier than ours

Robin is right about the meatiness of the ribs! And it's hard, but quite achievable, to keep the temperature low. I've certainly done a pork butt at 200F for hours. I find that closing the bottom vent to a crack open and then the top to 1/4-1/2 open is about right. Then if the temp moved I adjust very little and wait at least 15 min to let it adjust.

Let us know how it goes!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I would agree re: the timings compared to the size of the meat.

I assume you mean pork ribs, if so then i would think the timings may be closer to 2-1.5-0.5. Maybe even less in the foil as they are in danger of turning to mush.

The kettle is more likely to sit around the 225-250 range using a 2 and 1 snake too.

Ken

kendoll wrote:I would agree re: the timings compared to the size of the meat.

I assume you mean pork ribs, if so then i would think the timings may be closer to 2-1.5-0.5. Maybe even less in the foil as they are in danger of turning to mush.

The kettle is more likely to sit around the 225-250 range using a 2 and 1 snake too.

Ken

Agree with the above. The other change I'd make is to not put the rub on the night before, it will likely pull a lot of moisture out and make the ribs a bit like bacon, especially if there is salt in the rub. One to two hours is more than enough for ribs, especially baby backs. My method is to put the rub on and then setup the grill for cooking. By the time you've got it to temp they're ready to go on.

Good luck with the first smoke.

Matsuya wrote:Robin is right about the meatiness of the ribs! And it's hard, but quite achievable, to keep the temperature low. I've certainly done a pork butt at 200F for hours. I find that closing the bottom vent to a crack open and then the top to 1/4-1/2 open is about right. Then if the temp moved I adjust very little and wait at least 15 min to let it adjust.

Let us know how it goes!

It's certainly possible to get the kettle to a low temp like that but it does require some fussing / monitoring as restricting your vents so much can sometimes result in the fire going out. I don't know how experienced the Op is in controlling temps on his kettle but not sure whether on his first attempt at low and slow he needs the added pressure. Personally as long as the temp stays below 300f I think that will be fine. I often find with Baby Back ribs at that sort of temp with some time in the foil that total cook time is normally around the 3.5 hour mark.

Would also agree with JEC's comment about when to put the rub on.

Thanks guys, I will adjust the cooking times and temps, I have struggled with consistent temps a little before so the higher temp and low timings should make this a lot easier!!!

I will post pics if it all works out well, I will probably just cry if it does not!!!

My new plan (to make it easier for myself) is:-

Rub the ribs before I start to set up the grill

aim for a temp between 225 - 250 F

2 hours indirect
1 hour foiled
30 mins indirect with BBQ sauce basted on

does this sound like a better plan?

Old chum,
Now that sounds like a smashing riblicious plan indeed, I would try not to fret too much just go with the ride, this plan you now have will do the business,
Cheers
Tiny