Smoking Skills

We recently moved back to our family home in So.Cal., my smoker’s, of the food cooking vessel type, been patiently  waiting for my return. I recently rolled her out again… 

I’m sure noooo expert but I will definitely keep trying. 

Anyone out there that can offer tips? I’d greatly appreciate it. 

Here I smoked a rack of pork ribs. Though they were beautiful. They were definitely over cooked, tasty, but yes definitely overdone. 

Gorgeous, right?! 

Simple homemade dry rub and garlic, that is what I used to season them, plenty of pepper as well. 

(Hmmm, I think (starting off) this is a good set up 🤔,  side vent open too) 

In the end, here are the mistakes I believed I made…

1. Too much charcoal. I used a whole 10 pounds, I’m sure I should have just used 5
2. My flavor chips might have been weathered, therefore they burned to hot and too fast even though I soaked them beforehand
3. The average temperature stayed too high around 300-350, due partly to too much charcoal, I believe 
4. My water pan, I placed it on the rack the charcoal was on and… just below the ribs. I believe that added to the too much heat factor. 
5. I left the ribs in the smoker, smoking too long, under too high heat, 3 hours.

Like I said I will just keep trying. I love cooking over a day. The smell of something smoking is, well, just good, and it’s a great way to enjoy your surroundings. Smoking foods can actually give you a warm fuzzy feeling, I have found, it can teach you to slow down and enjoy where you are at (in life).  

Have a lovely weekend friends, on purpose.                          g.