So Frustrated....Assistance Appreciated

[Tequila King]

Ok, so I've had my RT-700 for almost a month now, and am obsessed with smoking. It's a whole new world for me, as I've never done it before, only issue is.......I stink at it Nothing I've made has been any different than a gas grill, never get any smokey flavor, and worse, some things have been downright terrible. My frustration reached an apex yesterday, though.

I smoked 3 racks of St. Louis style ribs. I followed Matt from Meat Church's method to a T:

Pellets: I've used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ since Day 1
Temp: 275
Rub: Meat Church Honey BBQ

I smoked them uncovered for 2 Hours 20 Minutes, spritzing with apple cider vinegar halfway through. Removed, put in 2 layers of foil with brown sugar, Parkay and Rib Candy....placed meat side down for another 1 Hour 40 Minutes.

The two racks on the left were partially burnt on top, and the rack on the right, was almost all burnt on top. No smokey flavor, nothing. The parts that weren't burnt were actually not bad, but nothing special at all.

What am i doing wrong here, or what should i be troubleshooting?
Thanks in advance.

TK

 

[SmokeOCD]

I think a lot of us start off 225 or lower to get some smoke in the meat, then ramp it up.
Burnt parts were likely overhanging the heat diffuser,(meant drip pan) it gets super hot, you've gotta rotate the meat, especially away from the right side. 1 month in, you're still able to eat your mistakes, you're doing fine. It just takes time to figure it all out.

 

[Thor8594]

Where to begin:

Temp of 275º will not produce as much smoke as say 200º
Cooking to time vs temp is not the way to go

There is nothing wrong with Matt's process, different grills/smokers will cook differently.

When I do my ribs, I will smoke them at 180º-200º for approx 3 hours or until I get the temp (usually about 145º) that I want. Before I wrap them, I want to see a little bit of pullback on the bones.
I then wrap them for a period of time about an hour or so (turn up the heat to about 275º) until I get the bend in the ribs I want.
I unwrap them and place them on the rack for maybe 15-30 min to set the bark.

Boom, they are done.

I struggled a bit going from a wood burner to a pellet smoker. I too have made some bad BBQ but the biggest thing is to learn the tool, once you have done that, you will make great BBQ.

Do not get discouraged, BBQ is a science and all scientists are wrong a lot of times.

 

[Motodad1776]

I smoke at 250 the entire time, and too much sugar will burn..........I don't put any sugar on my ribs until the last 30/45 minutes of cook.

 

[RattleR]

Like @Thor8594 said make sure the ribs are not hanging over the drip pan (front or Back) that will put a lot of heat on them. I agree with starting on LO setting, I run mine for one to two hours and then bump to 250 for the duration. I don't personally wrap but been cooking ribs on grills, sticks and propane's since the 90's and never knew about wrapping. The lower the temps the more smoke holds true for our Pellet grill/smokers. You will find your stride. I also use the bend/ bounce test as well as watching the pull back. Best of luck!

 

[RattleR]

Maybe a pictureight help. The long ones I split to keep them from over hanging the drip pan. Hard to tell but there is room between th all for air/smoke flow.

 

[Dr.Floyd]

As others have said. You will get more smoke to saturate the meat if you start out at a lower temperature. You can also put some wood chips right on top of the heat diffuser. I put some cherry chips on top and can taste a difference from just using pellets alone. I usually start out at 180 degrees for the first hour to get the most smoke then bump up to 225. I have never wrapped my ribs and they always come out juicy and have a clean bite. I personally don't like fall of the bone ribs as my wife and I feel like it is overcooked to get to fall off the bone.

 

[FF Cory]

I think a lot of us start off 225 or lower to get some smoke in the meat, then ramp it up.
Burnt parts were likely overhanging the heat diffuser,(meant drip pan) it gets super hot, you've gotta rotate the meat, especially away from the right side. 1 month in, you're still able to eat your mistakes, you're doing fine. It just takes time to figure it all out.

There is definitely a learning curve. You’ll get it pal!

 

[FF Cory]

Ok, so I've had my RT-700 for almost a month now, and am obsessed with smoking. It's a whole new world for me, as I've never done it before, only issue is.......I stink at it Nothing I've made has been any different than a gas grill, never get any smokey flavor, and worse, some things have been downright terrible. My frustration reached an apex yesterday, though.

I smoked 3 racks of St. Louis style ribs. I followed Matt from Meat Church's method to a T:

Pellets: I've used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ since Day 1
Temp: 275
Rub: Meat Church Honey BBQ

I smoked them uncovered for 2 Hours 20 Minutes, spritzing with apple cider vinegar halfway through. Removed, put in 2 layers of foil with brown sugar, Parkay and Rib Candy....placed meat side down for another 1 Hour 40 Minutes.

The two racks on the left were partially burnt on top, and the rack on the right, was almost all burnt on top. No smokey flavor, nothing. The parts that weren't burnt were actually not bad, but nothing special at all.

What am i doing wrong here, or what should i be troubleshooting?
Thanks in advance.

TK

I don’t place my wrapped ribs, meat side down. I always wrap with parKay, rub and a little broth of some sort. When I unwrap and replace them to the heat,I leave them for 30ish and let the bark set. You’ll be ok pal. Learn from your mistakes.

 

[Gonefishin]

Did you cook to a time or to tender? I never go by a preset time. As mentioned, I'd use 225. Pellet grills shud give you some smoke flavor but not like a stick or charcoal burner.

 

[Waterboy]

I’m not sure which video you watched. If it was a stick burner cook you can get good smoke flavor at 275. On a pellet grill, as others have said, lower temps work best for getting smoke flavor.

 

[Tequila King]

Hi Everyone, I can't express how much I appreciate everyone's feedback...a very helpful community. FYI, the video i watched was:

Matt is using a Traeger Timberline 1300.
The ends especially the rack on the right was hanging over the drip pan, so for sure that's what happened, and especially at 275.
I cooked these to time and not temp which obviously was a mistake.
I'll def start lower next time.
Thanks again, very helpful.

TK

 

[Tequila King]

I think a lot of us start off 225 or lower to get some smoke in the meat, then ramp it up.
Burnt parts were likely overhanging the heat diffuser,(meant drip pan) it gets super hot, you've gotta rotate the meat, especially away from the right side. 1 month in, you're still able to eat your mistakes, you're doing fine. It just takes time to figure it all out.

Can I ask why the right side would get hotter?

 

[Thor8594]

Can I ask why the right side would get hotter?

That is the side that the heat flows out the stack.

Easy way to check the temps on your grate is to do the bread test. Lay out pieces of bread evenly spaced on the grate and turn the heat to 300º or so, let it bake for a bit and look at he differences in the bread, this will show the hot spots.

 

[Jim6820]

Ok, so I've had my RT-700 for almost a month now, and am obsessed with smoking. It's a whole new world for me, as I've never done it before, only issue is.......I stink at it Nothing I've made has been any different than a gas grill, never get any smokey flavor, and worse, some things have been downright terrible. My frustration reached an apex yesterday, though.

I smoked 3 racks of St. Louis style ribs. I followed Matt from Meat Church's method to a T:

Pellets: I've used Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ since Day 1
Temp: 275
Rub: Meat Church Honey BBQ

I smoked them uncovered for 2 Hours 20 Minutes, spritzing with apple cider vinegar halfway through. Removed, put in 2 layers of foil with brown sugar, Parkay and Rib Candy....placed meat side down for another 1 Hour 40 Minutes.

The two racks on the left were partially burnt on top, and the rack on the right, was almost all burnt on top. No smokey flavor, nothing. The parts that weren't burnt were actually not bad, but nothing special at all.

What am i doing wrong here, or what should i be troubleshooting?
Thanks in advance.

TK

It is all-too-easy to have too-high expectations when getting started. We’ve all had our share of less-than-perfect cooks. It is a learning process and you learn as you go. It is nice to have a supportive forum to fall back on with questions. There’s a huge amount of knowledge here and I learn something new every day. Keep at it, TK and things will come around.

 

[SmokeZilla]

As others have stated, a lower temp (225-235) makes a difference in how much smoke penetrates the protein. Also, proper placement of the ribs is essential during the initial phase so the smoke can come through the gaps in between the ribs. If necessary, use a small rack/shelf to supplement any space shortages. Also, vinegar can be used sparingly as it will also tend to dry the meat as it is applied just like over-salting. I usually give my ribs 24 hours after applying the dry rub to make sure the seasoning penetrates properly. In general, your techniques seem sound and you should’t be too hard on yourself. I’ve been smoking meats for over 40 years and each day can be an adventure.

 

[SmokeZilla]

I also forgot to ask another important question. Did you start with the meat just below room temperature or did you take them out of the fridge and put them on the grill?

 

[Jim6820]

I’ve been smoking meats for over 40 years and each day can be an adventure.

@SmokeZilla has it right…and, he started smoking meat 20 years after I did.

 

[Tequila King]

That is the side that the heat flows out the stack.

Easy way to check the temps on your grate is to do the bread test. Lay out pieces of bread evenly spaced on the grate and turn the heat to 300º or so, let it bake for a bit and look at he differences in the bread, this will show the hot spots.

Ok, will def do this today. Just to confirm is a bit about 10 to 15 mins?

 

[Tequila King]

As others have stated, a lower temp (225-235) makes a difference in how much smoke penetrates the protein. Also, proper placement of the ribs is essential during the initial phase so the smoke can come through the gaps in between the ribs. If necessary, use a small rack/shelf to supplement any space shortages. Also, vinegar can be used sparingly as it will also tend to dry the meat as it is applied just like over-salting. I usually give my ribs 24 hours after applying the dry rub to make sure the seasoning penetrates properly. In general, your techniques seem sound and you should’t be too hard on yourself. I’ve been smoking meats for over 40 years and each day can be an adventure.

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They look delicious, and thank you for the input....can't wait to try again.