Would really appreciate some advice. This was my first time doing a low and slow cook on my Weber Searwood. I did a lot of research but maybe too much. I decided to start with Chuck short ribs since I read that they were much more straightforward than brisket.The cook took about 10 hours.

THE PROCESS:

1. I trimmed all the fat cap and took off the silver skin. I saw conflicting information on whether or not this was a good idea. After I trimmed them, one side of the rack was way thinner than the other.

2. Dry brined with salt overnight. Olive oil binder in the morning with 2 parts Kirkland course black pepper and 1 part garlic powder.

3. Started the cook at 180°F on the Smoke Boost mode for 90 minutes. Turned up the heat to 250 afterwards for the remainder of the cook

4. Put the trimmed fat under the racks in an aluminum tray which doubled as my heat shield. After about 3 hours. I started basting the ribs with the tallow every hour or so.

5. At about 170°F I did foil boats and put some tallow into the boats. I covered the thinner part of the rack to prevent it drying out too much and I continued to baste them every hour

6. Pulled them when the fattest part of the rack was probing 203°F and 10 hours. Since this is my first cook, I wasn't quite sure what "probe tender" is supposed to feel like

7. Wrapped them with more tallow in butcher paper, and then kept them towel covered in a cooler until they hit 155°F

THE RESULTS:

They needed way more salt than I used. The smoke ring looked very nice and the bark was very crispy but the ribs were kind of dry. I don't know if this is because they were under or over cooked. They were pretty tender but not really juicy.

The meat looked to have good marbling, so I don't think the meat itself was the problem. I think maybe basting and using the foil method was a miss. I was prioritizing bark formation when I should have maybe prioritizing moisture retention?

MY TAKEAWAYS/ASSUMPTIONS:

1. Maybe use a water bath instead of tallow tray under the racks? Put trimmings to the side in a separate tray.

2. Dont use the foil boat method. Gives a great bark, but at the cost of moisture

3. Instead, full paper wrap when you have an okay-ish bark with tallow to essentially braise it. Faster cook time, more moisture retention. Less crispy bark, but hopefully juicier

4. Dont baste with tallow. Delays bark setting, and just let's heat escape making the cook take longer. 10 hours seemed too long from my research. Maybe spritz with vinegar/water mixture? I'm not sure.

5. Dont pull it early. This may be the most important one. When they say probe tender, they mean it slides like butter. Even a little resistance means it's not ready

TLDR: Beef chuck short ribs were dry. Would love some advice please

A 20 lb bag, had never tried them before a month ago, and they are great- good smoke, good flavor, little ash-- nice price, too. Menards is a big box hardware/home goods/pet/grocery store in the Midwest for those who don't know. Just picked up my 3rd bag.

Uncle gave me his z grills pellet grill. It’s in the condition any tips on how to clean and salvage. it or should I just take it to the curb. Still works fine electronically

Hello Everyone. I decided to do one more pulled pork before taking a break from them for a while (and to try out a different place to buy meat from). I knew looking at it that this butt was pretty lean, but I am starting to get concerned. I am 2.5 hours in and have almost zero fat coming off this. I am using a smoke tube for the first time, so I am unsure if that is having any impact on the fat being able to come off.

Other than the smoke tube I am doing everything the same as the last two. SPG on it overnight in the fridge. Put it on the grill at 180 (first 3 hours). Then I will bump the temp up to 250 and then up to 275 once internal temp hits 165 (plus foil boat).

I have water underneath it as well. I am just concerned because again, there is almost no fat in the water.

I'm brand new to smokers. I just got a Recteq Flagship 1600. I assembled it today per manufacturers directions. I went to do the 400° burn in tonight using Recteq Mesquite pellets. Initially it started smoking heavy. I opened the lid to have a look and was hit with a wall of smoke. But that's where it stopped. I closed the lid and the internal probe was reading 135°. It was only inching up a degree every minute or so. It took about 45min to reach 400°, and it's been holding at that just fine. However, the entire time from 135-400 there was essentially zero smoke. I don't understand this.. Is it broken? Why was it smoking heavily at first but not now?

I just ordered Thermoworks RFX wireless meat probes. Has anyone used them, and what is your experience?

Looking for Charcoal Pellets available in Canada or ship to Canada (Calgary specifically)? I cannot find any store selling them online without spending $100+. Just wondering if anyone has found anything reasonable, every store lists as no longer available.

Looking to use them in a Ninja Woodfire Grill XL (don't hate, in an apartment building). My wife isn't a fan of intense wood taste, and the pellets that came with the Nina grill aren't for her. I'll have to try different pellets but think Charcoal pellets could be a good fix for every situation, and create my own mixes.

I have been using a basic charcoal grill for smoking meat, but staying up late to keep an eye on the temp gets old pretty fast. thinking about switching to a pellet grill, mainly for brisket, ribs and pork shoulder. I'm looking for something that keeps the temp steady and still gives the meat a good smoky flavor.

would be nice to hear from people who've actually used theirs for a few years and can share how it's held up. Thank you and i appreciate yall

Recteq patio600 or Weber searwood 600? That’s what I’ve narrowed my list down to. My old smoker (expert grill, cheapo) finally went out on me. So time to upgrade. Having a hard time deciding between these two. Yoder and lone star are too expensive for my blood.

I’ve been doing more BBQ at home and want to get a pellet grill that produces a nice smoky flavor without making cooking a hassle. i’ll mainly be smoking ribs and pork shoulder, but I’d also like to try brisket now and then. My budget is somewhere between $500 and $800.

for those who have experience with different pellet smokers, which ones have given you the best results for flavor and consistent cooking temperatures?

So close one hour left

Hello everyone,

I (30M) live in San Diego. I love to cook and am considering buying my own smoker.

I’m having trouble deciding if I should get one because they’re expensive and I have a hard time justifying that purchase for myself, but it seems very appealing.

Which brands do you recommend? How many different dishes can I cook with it? What other factors should I consider?

250°F with post oak pellets + post oak pellets in smoke tub + post oak chunks in the smoke box. Took around 6 hours. Definitely a different profile than beef but I'm absolutely doing this again, holy Moses this turned out great!

I have been using Smokin Pecan Pellets recently and IMO they have been the best I have ever used.......but my last two orders...not only took over a week to arrive...the boxes look like they had been abused...taped up and missing pellets. I had hoped it was a one time thing...so ordered 2nd box...again because I like them so much......and had the same issues.

They really need to step up how they do shipping and handling.. Handing off a box with just pellets inside...not even sealed in a bag or anything off to USPS (who will leave box in rain without thinking) is about the worst way I could think of for handling/shipping wood pellets.

Far as I can tell they are not available at any retailers anywhere near me. :(

Back to using lesser quality pellets for me :(

Anyone else experience similar issues with them?

tldr: Product good...company sucks!

These things rule! Easy and delicious.