Smoker Questions

[jegerjack]

Ok, I caved in and bought a cheap little Colman smoker to practice on... It is vary simple, a charcoal pan at the bottom, a water pan a foot or so above that then 2 grill grates... I am going to test her out by smoking some ribs on Thurs or Fri.… Now I like the meat crusty and caramelized with the bbq sauce at the end… Do remove the water and bring the heat up to get this done? Do I add charcoal? One last thing... I always liked using a drip pan when cooking a brisket and sometimes with ribs... Will this affect the quality of the smoking process if there is a drip pan between the cut and the water pan? Also do you put wood chips in the water pan or just the fire?

Thanks, JegerJack

[DIRTY BIKER]

No need to remove water to get the caramelized, Just use a good mop sauce and bring the heat up a little for that and the crusty outside at the end.A drip pan should not affect the smoking process as long as the smoke can get to the meat it will be alright,no wood chips in the water just in the charcoal or (fire box)the water is to keep the meat moist the chips are for the smoke,you may want to soak some of the chips for keeping a low temperature, you just want it to smolder and produce smoke for the first hours,remember low&slow produces the best finished product.

[IndyEFI500]

Depending on how long you smoke them, the water pan will dry out. My luck has usually been that it is empty just before I am ready to finish with sauce. I usually finish on the big grill just for more room to put sauce on.

[jigger2]

I also have a cheapy little smoker with 2 racks above the heat but mine is electric and no water pan. Alot easier to control the heat but it needs to be out of the wind. I smoke th ribs for about 5-7 hours-just long enough to get smoke flavor into the ribs for flavor but not cooked. I then put them into a cake pan standing on edge, pour 1/2 cup each of water, beer and white grape juice into the pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours. The carbonation of the beer helps to tenderize meat according to a chef friend. You may also substitute 7-up for the grape juice. After baking, throw on grill with the BBQ sauce to get your carmelization you want. I also rub the ribs very sparingly with Morton Sugar Cure Salt before the smoking. They turn out smokey and very tender with the slow roasting. Let me know if you try it.