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- May 11, 2010
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Snorting his way across the USA
That's right. Barbecue is a term that is more contentious than politics, religion, or wing placement. I'm sensing that I am immediately about to get blasphemed by the self-proclaimed issuers of the card, but wait...
I'm using a smoker. That's right. It's a Cuisinart 18 inch vertical charcoal smoker, and I'm doing ribs. So far I have...
1. Figured out how to set it up. I mean I assembled it a couple weeks ago, but the immediate crisis was exactly where to place the water/drip pan which also serves as a heat deflector. I had it sitting on the coal retainer ring. Obviously that wasn't going to work. I then figured out that it actually sits on the lower meat rack tabs, below the rack. Okay, crisis averted.
2. I built a ring of coals on the holder, put have a chimney of burning coals in the middle (per Youtube and instruction manual) and added the hickory chunks, which I soaked in water overnight.
3. Seasoned the ribs, loaded them up, and off we go.
Some initial observations:
1. Even going vents full bore, temperatures came up very slowly. I'm jockeying the top vent a little bit but it struggled to hold and maintain 225. I'm shooting for 250. This is after an hour.
2. Since I'm not really throttling it, I have concerns that I'm not going to be able to maintain the appropriate temperature for eight hours (I need eight hours.) The product reviews suggest that it should be able to hold 250 for eight hours. I suppose that is variable on the charcoal, amount, and the OAT. Which, currently is 49.
3. Adding charcoal to this thing is fairly highly problematic. The only way to accomplish that is to remove the entire upper assembly to expose the fire grate, and that is not something I really want to do if I can help it.
I'm using a smoker. That's right. It's a Cuisinart 18 inch vertical charcoal smoker, and I'm doing ribs. So far I have...
1. Figured out how to set it up. I mean I assembled it a couple weeks ago, but the immediate crisis was exactly where to place the water/drip pan which also serves as a heat deflector. I had it sitting on the coal retainer ring. Obviously that wasn't going to work. I then figured out that it actually sits on the lower meat rack tabs, below the rack. Okay, crisis averted.
2. I built a ring of coals on the holder, put have a chimney of burning coals in the middle (per Youtube and instruction manual) and added the hickory chunks, which I soaked in water overnight.
3. Seasoned the ribs, loaded them up, and off we go.
Some initial observations:
1. Even going vents full bore, temperatures came up very slowly. I'm jockeying the top vent a little bit but it struggled to hold and maintain 225. I'm shooting for 250. This is after an hour.
2. Since I'm not really throttling it, I have concerns that I'm not going to be able to maintain the appropriate temperature for eight hours (I need eight hours.) The product reviews suggest that it should be able to hold 250 for eight hours. I suppose that is variable on the charcoal, amount, and the OAT. Which, currently is 49.
3. Adding charcoal to this thing is fairly highly problematic. The only way to accomplish that is to remove the entire upper assembly to expose the fire grate, and that is not something I really want to do if I can help it.
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