First cook on Stump Baby

Sounds like stale air flow. Too much smoke in the cooking chamber because it stalls. Try opening up the chimney damper a bit more to get the air flowing faster.

Don't use as much wood?

How did they taste? I wouldn't worry about color as much as flavor and tenderness. If they were bitter it would mean the smoke wasn't thin blue during the cook. Were they baby backs or spares?

Too much smoke on a Stumps? Never had that problem. I cant get enough smoke no matter how much wood I use. What color was the smoke coming from the exhaust? Are you using a guru or some other mechanical temp controller?

I never rinse my meat, I think it just spreads stuff all over my kitchen.
I bet the ribs were enhanced, you said there was next to no smoke coming from the cooker so that was running clean

When there enhanced its not going to be obvious at a glance.

Here's a post of a guys cooking Kroger ribs and realized they were enhanced. I have never had a problem of to much smoke coming from the my baby and I also run with a guru. Let me know if I can help in any way.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86443

BigTSmoker said:

Thanks for the link Tommy. After reading the link you guys were right that the ribs I bought were in a solution. Why does this make the ribs look red throughout?

Click to expand...

"Enhancement" solutions are usually a water brine. So it is salt and nitrates/nitrites dissolved in water and injected with a "comb" of injector needles at the factory. This adds weight (you pay by the weight so they are "enhancing" their profits), moisture, and salt. The nitrates/nitrites add shelf life (preservative) and create the "ham-y bacon-y" flavors. Nitrates/nitrites also make the meat pink throughout during your cook. It is just a chemical reaction. This is why your bacon stays red or pink and doesn't turn grey/white like a pork chop. Also why your ham is pink throughout even though it is fully cooked. There is nothing wrong with "enhanced" pork products, its just a matter of taste. You will also get a pink smoke ring on unenhanced ribs from the chemical reaction between the smoke and meat on the outside of your ribs, but it will not be pink throughout, the middle will be grey/white (normal cooked pork color).