HELP! black, dry, and wasted

give us more info, doc! (you are a cardiologist, I assume...)

How much wood went into the box? Black could have meant too much wood. What temp was it set at? You say it was at 220 inside the cooker for 4 hrs... I don't know about goat, but the ribs should have been fine, either baby backs or spares. baby backs would take 3-4 hrs, and spares a bit more. How were the ribs prepared before cooking?

a first assist in open heart actually..., but not afraid to call for help! i used 2 pieces of the hickory that came with it..., and one piece of mesquite..., all about the same size. guessing 3 to 4 ounces total. used table salt, and black pepper with a dash of the rib rub that came with it from cookshack. thanks for any input!

Did you run her in first? Also, goat is dry, bad choice. Don't know about ribs...were they beef? More info! I did a chunk of Moose in mine first time I got her. Total waste and will never be done again...that way! Now, I have since corned Moose and made pastrami from that with great success.

I don't care what these boys have to say about it, but foiling is a huge difference in lean meats. It makes or breaks the cook.

Word up around here is fat, fat, fat! And it is necessary to a successful cook. Foil is an option that is necessary with lean.

You mentioned a new smoker. I think you might have oversmoked them with 4 oz.

Have you tested the polder? My first guess from your description sounds like it was cooked too long.

You're cooking two separate things.

Tell us about each.

What do you mean by burnt?
Describe what was dry, both of them?

How big was the goat and how did you prepare it?

The ribs, what kinds and how big?

We'll try to help.

Smokin'

Like the others I think It's due to lack of fat lean meats doesn't do so well and to much smoke.