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After checking out this site for several weeks, I ordered a Smokette 009 from CS last Sunday. It arrived on Wednesday - good service - and I fired it up for the first time yesterday. I loaded 2 slabs of "St. Louis style" pork ribs, 2 oz. of wood, and set the temp at 225. The recipe book suggests 2 hours of cooking but I was really surprised and a little concerned by the results. I checked the ribs after 1 1/2 hours and they hadn't cooked much. I ended up cooking them about 4 1/2 hours with the temp moved up to 250 for the last hour. They were still not as done as you would like and I finished them inside in the oven for an hour at 250. During the time they were in the CS I opened the door probably 4 times and I know this lengthens the cooking time, but how else do you know when they are done? Also the CS was in the sun and outside temp was in the mid 80's. Obviously my main concern is that the ribs simply took much longer to cook than I expected. They actually ended up tasting pretty good But quite a bit of fat stayed in the ribs perhaps because of low cooking temp. One bright spot - the CS sauce is really good. After spending $400+ for the CS, I am worried about whether I will be able to produce a quality product for family and guests. I would appreciate any comments, feedback, and advice from experienced users. I am getting ready to go fishing for a few hours so I won't be able to respond to any posts till later this evening. Thanks for reading.
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Mizzou,

Welcome to the forum!

If you've been in the forum, go with what we have in here, NOT what's in the Book.

I'm going to send an email to CS and remind them to update those recipes. It's a frequent comment from new owners.

There's enough information and recipes in this forum to help you fix whatever you're interested in.

First rule, and if you forget anything else....

It's done when it's done

That means, if you pull them out at 4 hours, and the fat hasn't rendered, and the meat hasn't pulled back on the ends of the bone...they're not done. Put them back in and let them cook.

Give issues with extension cords and not knowing the size of the ribs, opening the door 4 times could have easily made them need 6 or 7 hours.

Put them in, check them at 3 hours and see how they are.

Be sure to read the Ribs Archive for lots of good info about ribs.

Smokin'
Smokins' right...again! There is such a wealth of info on this board...and good info at that!!! For your "How do you know when it's done question...try a remote thermometer like a nu701 or polder with the wire sticking out of the hole in the top of your unit. Secondly, don't worry about quality of product you'll produce with a CS. You will AMAZE yourself. Trust me, I've only had mine since April and love it to death and have used it EVERY weekend since. Good luck and explore the forum fully...including the archives.
Yep, definitely go with Smokin's advice on this one. The book that you got with your cooker may be good for recipes, but ignore the times listed in there. They aren't even good to use as guidelines. Good ribs take time, and 2 hours just ain't enough.

Don't doubt your cooker, it knows what it's doing. Big Grin
as a new owner less than two weeks of a smokette, I followed the "cookbook" that came with the cs and had wonderful results in only four hours, the key I think is to not open the door, as for knowing when they are done, get a thermometer with a probe and use it through the vent hole in the top of the cs. I have in about a weeks time done beef and pork ribs, whole chickens and brisket all with excellent results. Follow the book for the first try and then "adjust" you settings both time and temperature on each follow up smoke until you achieve what seems perfect to you... Big Grin
Welcome to the Forum Mizzou!!!
Looks like you have plenty of advice on those rib questions, so get out there and do another batch. Everyone hit on a very good point.....When in doubt, check the forum.
This is the place to get the answers, and Smokin's "ribs 101" will definately get you started. I know you are thinking, "If I dont open the door from time to time, how will I know they're done?"
Thats the beauty of it. The CS was made for smoking and thats all you gotta let it do. I wouldn't open it until at least 3 1/2 to 4 hrs on Baby backs and 4 to 5 hrs on spareribs.
Good Luck and let us know how your next smoke turns out.

cookin-in-arkansas
My first attempt at spareribs yesterday took 10 hours. They were large racks from Costco, could only get one and a half racks in without overloading. I did open to check at three hours and a couple of times toward the end which I thought would be about 6 hours. I had the temp at 225 and internal temp of the machine reached 257 and went as low as 183 so think that it is working OK. The ribs were done in 10 hours but not all that tender. The second batch is in now and I'm not going to check until after 5 or 6 hours. My smokette didn't season the way I expected either. On for 5 hours at 200 with 8 ounces of wood and the inside looked like new and the wood was only charred on the outside.
Howdy,ej
As far as seasonin',ya'll be all right directly.

Sounds to me like ya got some o' them famous "bronto" spares.

Think 700-800 lb sausage sow,about 15 year old.

They put all the rest of her in the grinder and we're talkin' Jimmy Dean. Big Grin

At 6 hrs,if the meat is not even beginin' to pull back from the ends,and the slab is still real stiff,wrap 'em in some tinfoil,cover them with some brown sugar,pour some apple juice or beer or whatever you got
on there,seal up tight.

Come back in two hours and see where ya at.

If they feelin 'bout right, take outa the foil,throw them back on the racks and let them dry up 45 mins ,or so.

They'll all cook up,if ya got the time.

Shucks,ol' Cookshack cook up a Buick-ya got the time.

Look for them slabs 'bout 3 1/2 lbs and follow Smokin's 101.

I 'spect ya'll be dern near a pro in three or two weeks.
Big Grin
First, Thanks to everyone who responded to my original (and somewhat crabby) post of 06/22. Today was CS smoke #2 and the results were better than I can describe on a keyboard. We smoked a good sized slab of pork ribs and 2 chicken halves. Total cook time was 5 1/2 hours with one peek inside the smoker at about 4 hours. The ribs and chicken were dark and crunchy on the outside and tender, juicy, and smoky on the inside. Totally done and very flavorful. Basically, the results were what I expected from the CS and I guess the key is to just don't rush the cooking process. Right now our kitchen smells like Bryant's Barbeque in Kansas City. Long live the CS! Time for dessert.

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