Just put the SMO66 together and getting ready to do ribs.
My question is on the HOLD feature.
When the timer or temp probe hits the set point exactly how long will product be good at the hold temp of 145*?
An example. If I do a rack of baby back ribs and put them on at 11 in the morning for dinner that night and set the timer at 4 hour to finish by 3pm is it safe to let them set in the smoker at 145 until 6pm for dinner?
Thanks for the help.
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Welcome to the club of Amerique owners! With your plan, you will be safe, but here's the problem. The AQ is so well insulated and so well sealed that when the cooker goes to 140F for "holding," the temp falls VERY slowly, so overcooking is a problem. I discovered this on one of my first rib cooks. I think CS oversells this feature, and I never use it anymore. Now, when the ribs pass the toothpick test, I pull them, wrap them in double foil, and put them in a 200F oven until serving time, up to one or two hours only, then they start to dry out as more fat renders even at 200F. You could also try FTCing them if you need them to hold longer, but might have to reheat to serve.
I'd recommend trying some ribs for cooking time and cutting it a bit closer to serving.
PS: My baby backs (mostly from Sam's Club) usually take about 5 1/2 hours or longer at 225F. Just a heads up.
Thank you Jay1924. I will follow your advice to be on the safe side. We did our first baby backs from Sams this afternoon and they turned out Wonderfull.
We owned an Amerique for years and got intrigued with pellet grills for a few years. Always compared to the food that came out of the Amerique and it definitely came up lacking. We owned a Memphis Pro and have a PG500 setting next to the SMO66. Going to keep the PG500 for a back up and as a charbroiled which it excels at. Pellet grills just don't satisfy us in the smoking world.
The hold feature is a great feature. But Jay points out that it's strength is it's weakness. Same with programmable PIDs on another make of smoker. Its strongest point is safety, keeping the food above the bacteria stage. I pull and wrap (heavy beach towel) when the IT is hit and place in a cooler till serving time, typically an hour or 2.
