I Threw Away My Rack Of Ribs. Need Help Understanding My Smoker

[WeberWho]

I picked up Brinkmann Cimarron offset smoker from Craigslist (Horizon Smoker) and today was my first time using it. I'm coming from a reverse flow Shirley smoker so I'm not completely new to using an offset smoker. This is my first traditional offset though. I purchased the Horizon convection plate and used it with the smoker this evening.

So I get the smoker stable between 250 and 275 degrees without any issue. I do a quick biscuit test and I notice the smoker runs about even the first 3/4 of the way and drops closer towards the exhaust. No biggie. I'll have to do some minor tweaking but nothing hurt. So I thought. I throw on a rack of spare ribs and I have the smoker running right around 250 the entire cook. I'm not even four hours into the cook and I have shoe leather ribs and black charred bottom. Huh?

So what gives? Why would I have shoe leather spare ribs and black charred bottom? I don't quite understand it. My rub was SPOG. I didn't have any sugar in my rub. So nothing should have burned. It had something to do with the smoker. The bottom of the smoker seems to run really, really hot under the convection plate. Almost too hot. My first guess is my thermometer is off. The thermometer would drop when my fire would drop. So I'm not totally convinced that's the issue.

I'm looking for any guidance as this style smoker is new to me. Thanks for any help!

 

[Smokie185]

I have one of those and I can tell you do not trust the thermometer in the lid, they tend to stick over time. I got bit by that and had a result similar to yours. Get a thermometer and an air temp probe.

On mine the thermometer stuck low so it would drop when temps dropped but would stick around 200. When I finally thought to check the grate temp with another probe I found a 100 degree difference.

 

[Sanford]

Put a digital thermometer at the grates and see what it reads. My guess is you thermometer was way off where it was placed compared to the grill grate.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

 

[WeberWho]

Thanks guys. I switched over my Shirley thermometers to Tel-Tru. I borrowed one of my stock Shirley thermometers when I restored the Cimarron. I figured it would be a little newer than the old stock Brinkmann thermometer. I'll have to do a boil water test on the thermometer tomorrow to get an idea where I'm at.

I also plan on grabbing a couple different thermometers to set on the food grate to get an idea of the temperature from the front to the back of the cook chamber. I'll try to sneak a couple food probes in from my Stoker. I'm not sure if that's possible without adding a couple probe ports.

 

[SmokeRingsMatter]

Why would you switch from a Shirley to a Brinkmann?

 

[Smokie185]

I use a ThermoWorks Dot with an air probe. Just run the lead out the door. No need for ports.

Place it towards the middle of the grate and you should be fine. I too have the plate you have and it helps, but it will always be hotter close to the firebox. You might want to use an aluminum loaf pan filled with water set close to the firebox to help even things out.

 

[WeberWho]

I pulled the thermometer off the smoker and did a quick boil test. It ran within two degrees of my Thermapen all the way up to a boil. So the thermometer is good.

My only other thought would be me placing some tin foil in the gaps between the outsides of the convection plate and inner wall of the smoker.

I read other posts here on the Brethren about the convection plate before purchasing and someone mentioned that they filled these gaps with tin foil to even out the temperature from front to back. This could maybe be my issue? I'm not sure filling those small gaps would make the spare ribs leather. It might have to do with the bottom being hotter. I will be removing those to see if it makes any difference. It's still a head scratcher.

 

[Smokie185]

Are you coating the plate with oil before a cook? That might ignite with a hot fire in the box.

 

[WeberWho]

Why would you switch from a Shirley to a Brinkmann?

It doesn't make a bunch of sense to fire up a 24x65 smoker for one rack of ribs. I also store the smoker in the front of my garage. It's not the easiest to move in and out of the garage for a simple smoke. This should simplify smaller cooks. It's not a replacement but more or less something else to learn and play around with.

 

[WeberWho]

Are you coating the plate with oil before a cook? That might ignite with a hot fire in the box.

I restored the smoker and seasoned it yesterday. The picture I posted was from yesterday before firing up the smoker and seasoning it. It should have been all seasoned between yesterday's seasoning and four hours of cooking today.

The only thing what might make sense is that tin foil I stuffed in there. I just can't possibly see how that would make that big of a difference. Especially when the smoker temp ran right around 250 the whole cook.

 

[SmokeRingsMatter]

It doesn't make a bunch of sense to fire up a 24x65 smoker for one rack of ribs. I also store the smoker in the front of my garage. It's not the easiest to move in and out of the garage for a simple smoke. This should simplify smaller cooks. It's not a replacement but more or less something else to learn and play around with.

I get what your saying, but for small stuff, you might want to consider a pellet smoker. And yes, its not the same flavor profile as a stick burner, but its a lot faster and simpler. And if your want more of that stick burner flavor profile, i heard that heavy D attachment for most pellet smokers comes close.

 

[Smokie185]

You might want to fire it up again, put a temp probe on the grate and cook a cheap hunk of meat to see how things are working.

 

[WeberWho]

I get what your saying, but for small stuff, you might want to consider a pellet smoker. And yes, its not the same flavor profile as a stick burner, but its a lot faster and simpler. And if your want more of that stick burner flavor profile, i heard that heavy D attachment for most pellet smokers comes close.

I hear you but the main reason is for the flavor. I have a BIg Green Egg that gets used all the time but I can't replicate a stick burner smoke profile with my BGE. I'm doing the opposite of what most people would do. Buying a small smoker that takes a bunch more work. Except I enjoy the art of playing with sticks. I just need to get this one figured out as I did enjoy playing around with it this afternoon.

 

[WeberWho]

You might want to fire it up again, put a temp probe on the grate and cook a cheap hunk of meat to see how things are working.

I'll definitely give it another go. You would think the thermometer would be within 20-30 degrees of the grate temperature. You would hope anyway. I plan on grabbing a couple oven thermometers to sit on the food grate for a general idea of the temperature. I need to figure out why the bottom is so hot and burning the ribs.

 

[SmokeRingsMatter]

I hear you but the main reason is for the flavor. I have a BIg Green Egg that gets used all the time but I can't replicate a stick burner smoke profile with my BGE. I'm doing the opposite of what most people would do. Buying a small smoker that takes a bunch more work. Except I enjoy the art of playing with sticks. I just need to get this one figured out as I did enjoy playing around with it this afternoon.

But with a BGE your using charcoal with most likely chunks of wood. With a pellet smoker your using clean burning wood, and with that heavy D attachment, you are burning sticks to replicate a stick burner flavor profile.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Just my .02 but sounds like you are using too much fuel (wood). The thing is overheating. Will take time to learn. Heck those two smokers are apples and oranges.

Good Luck! :thumb:

 

[WeberWho]

Just my .02 but sounds like you are using too much fuel (wood). The thing is overheating. Will take time to learn. Heck those two smokers are apples and oranges.

Good Luck! :thumb:

As in radiant heat? I got a coal bed going and would add a stick in when my temp would drop. Similar to how I feed my reverse flow. I was getting a nice clean smoke throughout the smoker and would tend the fire and make adjustments in the firebox if I would get dirty smoke.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

As in radiant heat? I got a coal bed going and would add a stick in when my temp would drop. Similar to how I feed my reverse flow. I was getting a nice clean smoke throughout the smoker and would tend the fire and make adjustments in the firebox if I would get dirty smoke.

I see your up North. What were your outdoor temps? Around here this time of year our first 100*F are free. Hear it's hot up your way too.

 

[WeberWho]

I see your up North. What were your outdoor temps? Around here this time of year our first 100*F are free. Hear it's hot up your way too.

Today wasn't bad. Mid 80's and dry. Winter will burn a good amount of wood but today it was a stick here and there when it needed it.

 

[TropicDad]

I get what your saying, but for small stuff, you might want to consider a pellet smoker. And yes, its not the same flavor profile as a stick burner, but its a lot faster and simpler. And if your want more of that stick burner flavor profile, i heard that heavy D attachment for most pellet smokers comes close.

What is a heavy D attachment?