Getting to Cooking Temp

[earlybird]

All, yesterday I used my new Smokenator on my 22" Weber for the first time. I didn't do a meatless "dry run" like Don suggests, but plunged right in with a rack of baby backs. I had NEVER smoked any meat before or done low 'n' slow BBQ.

I just can't believe how well they came out! Perfect amount of smoke (hickory w/a bit of apple wood), deep smoke ring, juicy, tender...perfect. My only complaint was that I used some rub from the Salt Lick that my friends brought back for me from Texas, and it was too salty.

Keeping the kettle at a solid 225 for four hours was painless, requiring only occasional minor adjustments to the dome vents (bottom wide-open during entire cook).

Only two very minor problems/questions:

1.) It took a full hour to get up to cooking temp after initial set up. The two cheapo grate thermometers and new cheapo dome thermo I had never used before (or tested) seemed stuck at 150 for a good while so I thought they didn't work. I put the meat in at that temp, and also the meat was colder than true "room temp," having been out of the fridge only for 30 minutes by then.

I think I should have waited until it reached 225 and allowed the meat to truly be room temp. Having rushed it I delayed I believe I caused the dealy in the kettle reaching start up temp. Have I diagnosed my problem right? What's the average time to get to cooking temp?

2.) At the end of Hour 4 I had to add six lit briquets as the heat was failing and not responding by vent opening. That brought it back up to 225 for the remaining hour. Is it normal for the fire to die that early? I thought the Smokenator was basically a six hour cook.

Thanks. I love this thing, and I will be going hog wild this summer with it!

[ecripps]

It shouldn't take an hour to get up to temp. Make sure the starter coals are white hot when you put them in. I don't put the meat on until the kettle is at temp, then I add water and put the meat on. If the meat isn't room temp it can cause issues. You may need to add coals after 4 hours depending on the upper vent settings. Last weekend when I did ribs using the 3-2-1 method, I had to add coals after 4 hours as I didn't take the ribs out in time. For the most part I can go 5 hours with the 3-2-1 method before I need to add a few more coals. If you read on the forum, others have put the water pan on the food support grill so more fuel can fit in. That will allow you to smoke longer.

Ed

[earlybird]

Great information, Ed. I'm sure I didn't have the coals absolutely white hot. If you count the hour that I was warming the kettle up, I actually had heat for 5 hours. At the beginning of the fourth and final cooking hour I added six hot coals to the 'Nator, and that allowed me that last hour of dry cooking.

Thansk a lot for the help.