Inaugural cook on the S & S kettle

[Dweverett]

Apple. Being generally mild I figured more was better. Not a fan of the charcoal taste either. I will give it another shot later this month to try and dial it in. Also, I'm thinking that the wood chunks (fewer) should only be at the beginning of the cook instead of throughout.

On the charcoal taste, it’s possible you put the meat on too early. You do want to wait till you can get things up to temp, as it also gives time for the charcoal to heat up and stop smoking.

Also, after spending way too much time reading posts here I’ve become convinced that smokers like a drum or WSM put out a higher smoke profile than other options — including an offset. I think the kettle with S&S is similar. You may find that you want to give extra time for things to settle out, minimize the amount of flavoring wood etc., to try to get what you’re looking for.

 

[pjtexas1]

You have found the difference between wood and charcoal. When I cook with charcoal I don't put the meat on until the fire no longer smells like an ashtray. I've found the best way to determine this is by running my fingers thru the exhaust and smelling them. You'll know immediately if the fire is ready. It can look "clean" but still be nasty. You need to give the nasty charcoal stuff time to burn off.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[Burn]

Cook hotter.

 

[El Ropo]

When cooking ribs in a kettle, I prefer to make almost briquette sized chunks and bury them in the briqettes. None on top. I also prefer to cook at 275-325F, less smoldering and faster cleaner cooking. I'll generally start off at a lower temp to lay some smoke on the meat, then let the cooker ramp up to 300-325F to power through the rest of the cook.

 

[Smokin Ribs]

Apple. Being generally mild I figured more was better. Not a fan of the charcoal taste either. I will give it another shot later this month to try and dial it in. Also, I'm thinking that the wood chunks (fewer) should only be at the beginning of the cook instead of throughout.

Try lump charcoal next time. i switched to it and love it. burns clean and hot

 

[jzadski]

It's always fun expreimenting on a new cooker. I think you have a great handle on what you need to do. As far as the them probe hole I put a grommet and a cone to help seal as well as soften the hard edge.

https://www.mcmaster.com/grommets/high-temperature-grommets/

https://www.mcmaster.com/high-temperature-plugs/

 

[halfcocked]

Was able to salvage the rest of the ribs. Washed them down well; lightly sprinkled with rub; added a few dabs of butter and some apple juice; wrapped and back on the S&S for 1:30 (as stated earlier, the ribs were not off the bone to begin with). Turned into pull off the bone goodness. All the charcoal taste was gone. Lessons learned and thanks for all the helpful tips/responses. Looking forward to the next try. George